Trump’s Speech: Fact-Checking False and Misleading Claims | US Politics

Washington D.C. – In his first State of the Union address of his second term, US President Donald Trump delivered a speech to Congress on Tuesday night that contained a number of misleading and inaccurate claims, according to fact-checkers. The address, lasting nearly two hours, focused heavily on perceived economic successes and criticisms of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, but a closer examination of the data reveals a more nuanced picture.

Economic Growth Slower Than in Previous Year

Trump asserted that he inherited a “country in crisis” and a “stagnant economy” upon taking office, claiming the economy is now “roaring like never before.” However, this narrative doesn’t fully align with available economic indicators. While the US economy did experience growth in 2025, at 2.2 percent, this was actually a decrease from the previous year. Under the Biden administration, real GDP growth had been 2.5 percent or higher each year.

The slowdown in 2025 may be partially attributable to the 43-day government shutdown caused by a budget dispute, which the Federal Reserve estimates may have cost approximately one percentage point of growth. Despite this, the claim of an unprecedented economic boom is not fully supported by the data.

the unemployment rate has seen a slight increase under Trump, rising from 4.0 percent in January 2025 to 4.3 percent in January 2026. This contradicts the assertion of a consistently improving labor market.

Misleading Claims About Inflation

Trump also made several inaccurate statements regarding inflation. He claimed to have inherited an economy with “inflation at record levels” and accused Biden of presiding over the “worst inflation in US history.” These claims are demonstrably false.

The annual inflation rate in January 2026 was 2.4 percent, lower than the 3.0 percent rate when Trump took office in January 2025. The highest inflation rate in recent decades was 9.1 percent in June 2022, during the Biden administration, but this had already begun to decline before Trump’s second term began.

Historically, the US has experienced far higher rates of inflation. The highest recorded inflation occurred between June 1919 and June 1920, reaching 23.7 percent. Inflation also exceeded 14.8 percent between March 1979 and March 1980.

More People Working Due to Population Growth

Trump stated that more Americans are working today than at any time in the country’s history. While this is technically true – approximately 159 million people were employed in January – it doesn’t account for the significant growth in the US population. With a total population of 342.36 million, the absolute number of employed individuals is naturally higher than in previous eras.

The employment-population ratio, which measures the percentage of the working-age population that is employed, was 59.8 percent in January 2026, slightly lower than the 60.1 percent recorded in January 2025. The labor force participation rate also remained relatively stable, at 62.5 percent in January 2026.

Questionable Investment Commitments

The President asserted that he had secured investment commitments totaling “more than $18 trillion from all over the globe” within the first twelve months of his second term. The source of this figure remains unclear. The White House website lists $9.6 billion in realized or pledged investments. A government official confirmed to ABC News that this figure represents realized or pledged investments, but did not explain the origin of the $18 trillion number.

Experts have questioned the validity of even the $9.6 billion figure, noting that over half of it consists of informal commitments from foreign governments, which are considered unrealistic. For example, both Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have pledged investments exceeding their respective GDPs.

Tax Cuts Not the Largest in US History

Trump also claimed to have enacted the largest tax cuts in US history, referring to the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBB) signed into law in July 2025. This claim is inaccurate. While the OBBB included significant tax reductions and changes, it does not represent the largest tax cut in US history.

According to analysis by PolitiFact, the OBBB is the third-largest tax cut since 1980, trailing reforms enacted under Ronald Reagan in 1981 and tax relief measures implemented under Barack Obama in 2012. When considering only the new tax cuts within the OBBB, excluding extensions of existing measures, it ranks even lower, roughly equivalent to the sixth-largest tax cut since 1980.

Trump Did Not End Eight Wars

Repeating a previous claim, Trump stated he had ended eight wars in his first ten months in office. This assertion is an exaggeration. Many of the conflicts he cited remain unresolved or unstable, and his role in others is contested. The situation between Cambodia and Thailand, for example, remains volatile despite a ceasefire agreement brokered after Trump threatened trade sanctions.

Conflicts between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Renaissance Dam also remain unresolved, despite Trump’s intervention.

Reiterating Conspiracy Theories About Elections

Trump reiterated unsubstantiated claims of a stolen election in 2020, stating that his current term should be considered his third. These claims are baseless, as there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud and the US Constitution limits presidents to two terms in office.

He also repeated claims of widespread voter fraud, which have been repeatedly debunked. An analysis by The New York Times of official data from the Department of Homeland Security found that only approximately 10,000 of 49.5 million voter registrations were flagged for potential non-citizenship, representing roughly 0.02 percent of registrations. Similar data from individual states show similarly low instances of non-citizen voting.

Note: This article was produced in cooperation with the ARD Faktenchecker from ARD-faktenfinder and DW Fact check.