CNN
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Throughout his speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, President Donald Trump made a number of inaccurate and deceptive statements. These inaccuracies lined numerous sectors, together with the economic system, immigration, local weather change, and extra.
His deal with lasted just below one hour and 40 minutes, and inside it, Trump additionally made a number of doubtful claims about his predecessor, Joe Biden. Under is a truth verify on a few of Trump’s assertions:
DOGE financial savings: Trump asserted that the Division of Authorities Effectivity, an initiative spearheaded by Elon Musk, has “uncovered a whole bunch of billions of {dollars}” in fraud.
This unverified determine requires extra context.
On the day of Trump’s Congressional deal with, DOGE claimed on its web site that it had saved round $105 billion for taxpayers by its initiatives.
Nonetheless, they haven’t offered any proof to help such a excessive declare.
DOGE listed round 2,300 contracts that it purportedly canceled throughout the federal authorities, resulting in an estimated whole financial savings of about $8.9 billion. Additionally they famous practically 3,500 grants they claimed to have canceled, indicating an extra financial savings of roughly $10.3 billion, however they supplied no supporting hyperlinks or documentation for these cuts. Moreover, they reported round $660 million in financial savings from terminated authorities leases.
DOGE’s public reporting has been plagued with inaccuracies, and it has lately adjusted its figures to take away contracts that have been deemed defective by CNN and different information organizations — together with a earlier declare that it had saved $8 billion by canceling a contract value a most of $8 million. Moreover, their so-called wall of receipts included contracts that have been terminated throughout earlier administrations.
Whereas Musk and different Trump supporters assert that DOGE targets waste, fraud, and abuse, there’s a lack of proof showcasing that the canceled contracts have been certainly fraudulent. A few of the cuts have even been reversed resulting from public backlash.
From CNN’s Casey Tolan
DOGE and transgender mice: Trump incorrectly asserted that the Division of Authorities Effectivity had recognized $8 million in authorities spending for “making mice transgender.”
Between the fiscal years 2021 and 2022, the Nationwide Institutes of Well being offered $477,121 to 3 initiatives exploring the results of feminizing hormone remedy on monkeys, aiming to grasp its impression on their immune programs and potential susceptibility to HIV. This remedy is a gender-affirming remedy that blocks testosterone and promotes female traits in transgender ladies.
Knowledge signifies that transgender ladies face practically a 50-times larger danger of acquiring HIV in comparison with different adults, as famous in a 2013 examine throughout 15 nations, together with the U.S. The origin of the $8 million determine stays unclear.
From CNN’s Deidre McPhillips
Trump’s tariffs: The president claimed on Tuesday that the US “will absorb trillions and trillions of {dollars}” — a press release he has repeated relating to his tariff plans on numerous imports, which he initiated. This assertion requires context. Tariffs are paid by US importers, not international exporters, and there are particular situations the place corporations have handed these prices onto American customers.
From CNN’s Daniel Dale and Tami Luhby
Small-business optimism: Trump talked about that “small-business optimism noticed its single-largest one-month achieve ever recorded — a 41-point bounce.”
This wants context. If Trump referred to the often-referenced NFIB Small Enterprise Optimism Index (his spokespeople didn’t reply to CNN’s inquiries for clarification), he seems to be referencing a 41-point improve in a single particular part — the proportion of small-business house owners anticipating financial enchancment. This measure jumped a internet 41 proportion factors from pre-election October to post-election November.
Moreover, Trump uncared for to say that the general index subsequently dropped in January, though it stays excessive, the extent is decrease than what it was throughout Trump’s time period in September and October 2020.
From CNN’s Daniel Dale
Egg costs: Trump made the deceptive assertion that former President Joe Biden allowed egg costs to “get uncontrolled.”
The rise in egg costs will be attributed to the avian flu disaster, which mandates the culling of complete flocks by the USA Division of Agriculture to mitigate the virus’s unfold. This has been a apply throughout each the Biden and Trump administrations because the virus continues to impression flocks throughout the nation.
When Biden assumed workplace, the typical value of a carton of a dozen grade A eggs throughout US cities stood at $1.47, in response to information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By January 2023, because the avian flu ravaged flocks nationwide, the typical value reached $4.82 for a dozen eggs, marking a staggering 228% improve. When Biden left workplace in January, a carton of eggs price $4.95 on common, reflecting a 2.7% improve yr over yr. Primarily based on USDA’s meals outlook as of February 25, resulting from provide shortages, egg costs are projected to rise by 41.1% this yr.
From CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Elisabeth Buchwald, and Vanessa Yurkevich
Trump and “the Inexperienced New Rip-off”: Trump claimed that he put an finish to the “Inexperienced New Rip-off.”
This assertion accommodates a number of inaccuracies. Biden didn’t cross the unique “Inexperienced New Deal,” a nonbinding decision launched by progressive Democrats in 2019 that was by no means enacted into regulation. Trump has not but terminated the numerous environmental laws that Biden did enact, which is probably going what he refers to as “the Inexperienced New Rip-off.” Trump has beforehand claimed this coverage would price $9 trillion.
In 2022, Biden signed into regulation the Inflation Discount Act (IRA), which allotted $430 billion in the direction of local weather initiatives and clear power tax incentives. Subsequent impartial evaluations have estimated the regulation’s price to exceed $1 trillion by 2032. Nonetheless, the IRA has saved the federal government $240 billion resulting from enhanced tax enforcement and decreased prescription drug prices, in response to the Committee for a Accountable Federal Funds. Critically, the IRA’s tax incentives have prompted corporations to determine new factories, in addition to photo voltaic and wind farms within the US, thereby creating jobs.
Though Trump and congressional Republicans haven’t repealed the regulation, they plan to dismantle sure elements later this yr. Trump has successfully revoked different local weather insurance policies launched by Biden through government order, however eliminating the previous president’s outstanding local weather laws would require Congressional motion.
From CNN’s Ella Nilsen
Paris local weather settlement: Trump reiterated his withdrawal from the Paris local weather settlement, asserting that it was costing the US “trillions of {dollars} that different nations weren’t paying.”
This declare is deceptive. Biden dedicated to offering $11.4 billion yearly for world local weather financing upon his inauguration; nonetheless, the US contribution to a world financing objective has been considerably decrease resulting from Congress allocating a lot lower than Biden’s goal. The Biden administration’s State Division reported allocating $5.8 billion for worldwide local weather finance by 2022. The US has by no means contributed trillions of {dollars} on this context.
The US is just not the one nation lagging in local weather finance commitments; different nations have struggled to fulfill a collective goal of $100 billion for local weather financing geared toward supporting nations weak to sea degree rise and droughts. Contributions have come from China, the UK, and the EU. As per the most recent United Nations Local weather Convention, this goal has been elevated to $300 billion yearly by 2035.
From CNN’s Ella Nilsen
Trump’s assertions on border crossings and migrants
Unlawful border crossings: Trump claimed that since his return to workplace, he has recorded the bottom variety of unlawful border crossings “ever logged.” This assertion is inaccurate.
He might have in truth acknowledged that the variety of Border Patrol apprehensions on the southern border in February — the primary full month of his second time period — was the bottom in a number of many years, assuming his declare of 8,326 is appropriate, as he talked about on social media earlier than his deal with. Nonetheless, official federal information reveals that there have been fewer Border Patrol encounters with migrants on the southwest border in a number of months throughout the early Sixties.
From CNN’s Daniel Dale and Devan Cole
Migrants from psychological establishments: Trump reiterated his acquainted declare regarding different nations allegedly releasing people from their “psychological establishments and insane asylums” into the US as migrants. There is no such thing as a substantiation for this assertion, which Trump’s personal marketing campaign couldn’t corroborate. (The marketing campaign did not furnish any proof for his narrower assertion that South American nations, specifically, have been evacuating their psychological well being amenities and sending sufferers to the US.)
Trump has generally tried to again his declare by asserting that the worldwide jail inhabitants is lowering. Nonetheless, that assertion is inaccurate as nicely. The recorded world jail inhabitants grew from about 10.77 million to roughly 10.99 million between October 2021 and April 2024, based mostly on the World Jail Inhabitants Listing ready by specialists within the UK.
“I usually conduct information searches relating to the worldwide jail scenario and have discovered completely no proof that any nation is emptying its prisons and sending people to America,” acknowledged Helen Truthful, co-author of the jail inhabitants record and analysis fellow on the Institute for Crime & Justice Coverage Analysis at Birkbeck, College of London, in June 2024, when Trump made the same declare.
From CNN’s Daniel Dale and Haley Britzky
Weaponizing the Justice Division: Trump accused Biden of utilizing his place to “viciously” prosecute him. That is false.
The 2 federal indictments in opposition to Trump have been initiated by particular counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed in November 2022 by Lawyer Normal Merrick Garland, a Biden appointee. Nonetheless, this doesn’t suggest that Biden was concerned within the prosecution, nor that he personally ordered the indictments. Garland beforehand acknowledged he would resign if Biden ever requested him to go after Trump, however he was assured that may by no means occur. Trump has not produced any proof indicating Biden’s direct involvement within the federal prosecutions.
Smith dismissed the 2 circumstances following Trump’s re-election.
From CNN’s Daniel Dale and Devan Cole
Inflation throughout Biden’s administration: Trump incorrectly acknowledged throughout his Congressional deal with that the Biden administration oversaw “the worst inflation in 48 years, presumably even within the historical past of the nation; they’re not sure.”
Whereas he might justifiably say that the year-over-year US inflation fee peaked at a 40-year excessive of 9.1% in June 2022, that determine doesn’t correspond to “48 years” and is way from the all-time report of 23.7% set in 1920. By December 2024, the inflation fee for the final full month of Biden’s time period had fallen to 2.9%, and it stood at 3% in January 2025, a month that included each Biden’s and Trump’s phrases.
Trump did qualify his assertion with “maybe” and “they’re not sure,” however there isn’t a basis for this declare; these numbers are definitive, because the Client Worth Index has been tracked since 1913.
The fast improve in inflation, which started in early 2021, was influenced by a mixture of components, together with the repercussions from the Covid-19 pandemic comparable to disrupted provide chains, and geopolitical results (notably, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine) that induced value spikes in meals and power. Elevated client demand, partly pushed by fiscal stimulus from each the Trump and Biden administrations, additional contributed to rising costs, together with a post-pandemic labor market imbalance.
From CNN’s Daniel Dale and Alicia Wallace
Twenty-one million undocumented immigrants: Trump inaccurately asserted throughout his deal with that 21 million undocumented immigrants have entered the US throughout Biden’s administration.
By the tip of December 2024, Biden’s presidency recorded fewer than 11 million nationwide “encounters” with migrants, together with tens of millions swiftly expelled from the nation; even when including within the so-called gotaways, who’re estimated by Home Republicans to be round 2.2 million, the full couldn’t presumably attain “21 million.”
From CNN’s Daniel Dale and Devan Cole
Agricultural purchases by China: Trump reiterated a false declare relating to his administration securing $50 billion in agricultural purchases from China, stating that the Biden administration “didn’t implement it.” This assertion is deceptive.
China agreed to spice up agricultural purchases by $12.5 billion in 2020 and $19.5 billion in 2021 as a part of a commerce settlement signed with the US in January 2020. This did happen in 2020, however not in 2021, when US agricultural exports to China rose by $6.4 billion in comparison with 2020, based mostly on US Division of Agriculture information.
Nonetheless, the settlement didn’t mandate China to keep up such buying ranges past 2021.
As a substitute, it acknowledged, “The Events anticipate the pattern of accelerating quantities of manufactured items, agricultural items, power merchandise, and companies imported into China from the USA will proceed between 2022 and 2025.”
Even then, the figures for 2022 exceeded the 2021 threshold of $33 billion, in response to USDA information. Nonetheless, US agricultural exports to China decreased by $9 billion in 2023.
From CNN’s Elisabeth Buchwald
Autism charges: In his deal with to Congress, President Donald Trump considerably overstated the autism prognosis fee within the US, stating that the present prevalence of 1 in 36 kids was beforehand 1 in 10,000 kids “not way back.”
The autism prognosis fee has proven a gradual rise over latest many years; as of 2020, the prognosis stood at 1 in each 36 kids by age 8, in response to information from the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, a rise from 1 in each 150 kids in 2000. Nonetheless, that is removed from Trump’s declare of 1 in 10,000. Consultants attribute a lot of the rise in reported charges to vital developments in figuring out and diagnosing autism. Early research on autism prognosis from the Sixties and Seventies estimated a prevalence of two to 4 circumstances for each 10,000 kids.
From CNN’s Deidre McPhillips and Daniel Dale
Army recruitment: Trump asserted that the US army is experiencing “a number of the finest recruiting leads to our historical past” and that the Military had its “finest recruiting month in 15 years” in January, including that “just some months in the past,” the US “wasn’t in a position to recruit in any respect.”
This requires context. The Protection Division reported a recruitment improve of over 10% in fiscal yr 2024 in comparison with the earlier yr, and the delayed entry program for active-duty army noticed a ten% improve in fiscal yr 2025. This program permits recruits to decide to becoming a member of the army however defer their departure for later.
When inspecting the Military’s recruitment particularly, former Military Secretary Christine Wormuth, who served till January 20, famous on Fox Information that the uptick started earlier than Trump’s re-election, particularly in February 2024.
From CNN’s Haley Britzky
Funds to tens of millions aged 100 and over: In an prolonged declare, Trump remarked that there are 4.7 million people who’re at the very least 100 years outdated listed within the Social Safety Administration’s database, asserting that “cash is being paid to lots of them.” Nonetheless, this assertion requires clarification.
The overwhelming majority of those people should not have recorded dates of dying in Social Safety’s database. Nonetheless, this doesn’t imply they’re at the moment receiving month-to-month advantages.
In keeping with public information from the Social Safety Administration, about 89,000 people aged 99 or older have been receiving Social Safety advantages in December 2024, which is way lower than the tens of millions Trump claimed.
Leland Dudek, the appearing commissioner of the Social Safety Administration, who was appointed throughout Trump’s administration, tried to make clear the matter in a press release made in February.
“The reported information refers to people in our data who possess a Social Safety quantity however lack a date of dying famous of their report.
These people don’t essentially obtain advantages,” Dudek defined.
From CNN’s Tami Luhby and Daniel Dale
Help to Ukraine: Trump reiterated a ordinary falsehood claiming that the US has expended $350 billion, “like taking sweet from a child,” to help Ukraine’s protection, whereas Europe has collectively contributed simply $100 billion in support. This assertion is deceptive.
Knowledge from the Kiel Institute for the World Economic system, a German assume tank that diligently tracks wartime support to Ukraine, exhibits that Europe – encompassing the European Union and particular person European nations – has collectively pledged much more whole wartime army, monetary, and humanitarian support to Ukraine by December 2024 (roughly $263 billion at present alternate charges) than the US’s dedication (round $126 billion). Europe additionally allotted extra army, monetary, and humanitarian help (about $140 billion) in comparison with the US’s approximate $121 billion.
In a single particular class, the US barely led in army support allotted, contributing round $68 billion in comparison with roughly $66 billion from Europe. But, even this determine doesn’t strategy the large discrepancies described by Trump.
Totally different counting methodologies could yield various totals, but there isn’t a evident foundation for Trump’s “$350 billion” determine. The US authorities inspector basic overseeing the Ukraine response signifies on its web site that the US allotted practically $183 billion for that function by December 2024, which incorporates roughly $83 billion that has really been expended — encompassing funding used domestically or directed to nations aside from Ukraine.
From CNN’s Daniel Dale and Alicia Wallace
Deaths throughout the development of the Panama Canal: Trump repeated his inaccurate declare that 38,000 Individuals misplaced their lives whereas setting up the Panama Canal. This quantity is grossly exaggerated, in response to specialists on the canal’s development.
Though data from that period usually are not exact, it’s estimated that roughly 5,600 people died throughout the American development part of the canal spanning from 1903 to 1914. “Of these, the overwhelming majority have been Afro-Caribbean staff,” comparable to these from Barbados and Jamaica, acknowledged Julie Greene, a historical past professor on the College of Maryland and writer of “The Canal Builders: Making America’s Empire on the Panama Canal.”
Historian David McCullough, who additionally lined the canal’s development, found that “the variety of white Individuals who died was about 350.”
From CNN’s Daniel Dale
This story has been up to date with extra info.
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