Listen to the article
In a combative State of the Union address that stretched to approximately 108 minutes—the longest in modern history—President Donald Trump vigorously defended his administration’s economic achievements and immigration policies amid declining poll numbers ahead of the midterm elections.
The President claimed victory on several economic fronts, boasting that “inflation is plummeting” and gas prices have decreased significantly during his term. However, economic data suggests a more modest reality. While inflation has indeed eased to about 2.4% year-over-year in January 2026—down from 2.9% at the end of President Biden’s term—characterizing this as “plummeting” appears to be an overstatement. The decline continues a trend that began during the Biden administration, when inflation had already fallen from its peak of roughly 9% in mid-2022.
On gasoline prices, Trump’s assertion that prices are “now below $2.30 a gallon in most states” doesn’t align with current data. According to the American Automobile Association, no state currently has an average below $2.30 per gallon. Oklahoma has the nation’s lowest average at $2.37, with only a handful of individual stations nationwide selling gas at $1.99 per gallon.
Immigration formed a significant portion of the President’s address, with Trump taking a confrontational stance toward Democratic opposition to his policies. “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens,” he declared, prompting Republicans to stand in prolonged ovation while Democrats remained seated—a reaction Trump characterized as shameful.
The President claimed that in the past nine months, “zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.” While border encounters have dropped dramatically—from over 61,000 in January 2025 to nearly 10,000 in January 2026—this statement refers specifically to a policy of not releasing migrants into the country while they await court proceedings, rather than stopping all unauthorized entries.
Trump’s assertion that his administration has “virtually stopped completely” drugs entering the country by sea lacks supporting evidence. Though Customs and Border Protection drug seizures have decreased, the Coast Guard has reported an increase in interdictions—making the true volume of drug trafficking difficult to determine.
Notably absent from the address was any substantial mention of the Russia-Ukraine war, which recently marked its fourth anniversary—a conflict Trump had vowed during his campaign to swiftly resolve. He also avoided discussion of the release of government files on Jeffrey Epstein, despite some victims of the convicted sex offender being present at the address.
The evening was not without disruption. Dozens of Democratic lawmakers chose to skip the speech altogether, attending alternative events including a rally on the National Mall. Representative Al Green (D-Texas) was escorted from the chamber after holding a sign reading “Black people aren’t apes”—a reference to a video Trump recently posted on Truth Social depicting President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, which the White House later claimed was posted in error.
On crime statistics, Trump accurately noted the largest single-year decline in the murder rate in recorded history, with a drop of approximately 20% in 2025. However, his claim that this represents the “lowest number in over 125 years” is questionable due to differences in data collection methodologies over that timespan.
The President also highlighted his administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, claiming it has “lifted 2.4 million Americans, a record, off of food stamps.” This characterization misrepresents Congressional Budget Office analysis, which found that approximately 2.4 million Americans would lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program due to expanded work requirements—not necessarily because they no longer needed assistance.
A rare moment of bipartisan agreement came when Trump introduced the Olympic gold medal-winning men’s hockey team and announced plans to award goaltender Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the nation’s highest civilian honors.
Fact Checker
Verify the accuracy of this article using The Disinformation Commission analysis and real-time sources.
4 Comments
While I appreciate the President highlighting economic positives, the data suggests a more nuanced picture. Steady but moderate progress on inflation and gas prices, not the dramatic ‘plummeting’ claimed. Voters will have to evaluate the full record.
It’s interesting to see the disconnect between Trump’s claims and the economic data. Inflation and gas prices have improved, but not to the degree he’s suggesting. Voters will need to weigh this in the broader context of his record and other issues.
Curious to see how Trump’s address is received. The economic numbers don’t seem to fully back up his rosy assessments, but there may be other factors voters are weighing. Political rhetoric often outpaces the on-the-ground reality.
Interesting to see how Trump’s economic claims compare to the data. Inflation and gas prices are trending in the right direction, but it seems he’s exaggerating the progress made. I wonder how voters will weigh these economic factors against other issues in the upcoming midterms.