Trump’s Prime-Time Address Riddled with Inaccuracies on Economy, Immigration

President Donald Trump delivered a rapid-fire prime-time address to the nation on December 17, speaking at twice his usual State of the Union pace according to PBS News. While brief, the speech contained numerous inaccurate or misleading claims about the economy, inflation, immigration, and other issues—many of which have become standard fare in his public appearances.

The president’s remarks focused heavily on economic issues, particularly inflation and consumer prices. Trump claimed he inherited “the worst inflation in 48 years and some would say in the history of our country” when he took office in January. This assertion is demonstrably false. During the Biden administration, inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022—the highest in 40 years, but far from historical records. Following World War I, inflation reached 23.7% between June 1919 and June 1920, significantly exceeding any rates seen under Biden.

Trump’s declaration that “inflation is stopped” contradicts Bureau of Labor Statistics data released the morning after his speech, which showed prices rose 2.7% over the 12-month period ending in November. Inflation has moderated but certainly hasn’t stopped.

The president highlighted price decreases under his administration for several goods and services. Some of his figures were accurate—airline fares have declined more than 9% since January, and hotel rates have dropped about 5%, according to Consumer Price Index data. However, his claim that “gasoline is now under $2.50 a gallon” exaggerated the decline. The national average was $2.90 per gallon the week of December 15, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Trump’s assertion that in “some states, it by the way just hit $1.99 a gallon” is unsupported by data. AAA figures show no state had an average gas price below $2.34 as of December 18, with Oklahoma having the lowest statewide average.

The president also made dubious claims about tax cuts provided by his One Big Beautiful Bill Act. “Many families will be saving between $11,000 and $20,000 a year,” Trump stated, dramatically overstating the benefits for most Americans. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center found the average tax cut from the legislation is $800.

“The only income group that gets an average tax cut that exceeds even $9,000 are those in the top 1 percent, who make $1.1 million a year or more,” said Howard Gleckman, a nonresident fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.

On immigration, Trump repeated several inflated claims, including that “our country was being invaded by an army of 25 million people” during the Biden administration. This estimate is vastly exaggerated—experts calculate the figure at about a third of that number. The Pew Research Center estimates there were 14 million unauthorized immigrants residing in the U.S. in total as of 2023, up from 10.2 million in 2019.

Trump’s claim that “11,888 murderers” were allowed into the country is misleading. This figure represents noncitizens convicted of murder who were not in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody as of September 2024. However, the Department of Homeland Security stated the “vast majority” entered the country before Biden took office, and many were already in prison. The list includes legal immigrants such as green-card holders.

The president made a mathematically impossible claim about prescription drug prices, saying he was able “to slash prices on drugs and pharmaceuticals by as much as 400, 500 and even 600%.” Such reductions would mean drug companies were paying consumers to take their products. While U.S. drug prices are indeed higher than in other countries—on average 2.78 times higher compared to 33 other OECD nations, according to RAND research—Trump’s figures far exceed reality.

Trump also made questionable claims about housing costs, attributing rising prices primarily to immigration. Economists point to other key factors, including historically low mortgage interest rates that fueled demand during the pandemic, a subsequent rise in interest rates, and a housing supply shortage dating back to the Great Recession.

The president’s claim to have secured “$18 trillion of investment into the United States” through his tariff policies conflicts with the White House’s own webpage, which reports about half that amount. Experts note these figures include pledges and planned investments that may never materialize.

While Trump correctly stated that more Americans are working now than at any point in history, this statistic is unsurprising given that the U.S. also has its largest population in history. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in December that both the labor force participation rate and employment-population ratio showed little change over the past year.