Trump’s State of the Union Address Marred by Numerous False Claims

President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night was riddled with false and misleading statements spanning the economy, immigration, foreign policy, and crime, according to a comprehensive CNN fact-check.

The president made his most frequent inaccurate claims when discussing economic matters, where he consistently overstated achievements, misrepresented statistics, and made unfounded assertions about his administration’s impact.

Among the most glaring fabrications was Trump’s claim of securing “$18 trillion in investments” pouring into the United States from around the globe. The White House’s own website contradicts this figure, listing “$9.7 trillion” in “major investment announcements” during his current term. Even this lower figure represents a significant exaggeration, as a detailed CNN investigation in October found it included trillions in vague investment pledges, bilateral trade statements, and economic exchange promises that didn’t constitute actual investments.

Trump’s characterization of gasoline prices was similarly misleading. He claimed prices are “now below $2.30 a gallon in most states, and in some places, $1.99 a gallon.” Data from AAA shows no state had an average gas price below $2.37 per gallon on Tuesday, and only two states had averages below $2.50. According to GasBuddy, just four stations nationwide (excluding special discounts) were selling gas below $2 per gallon – approximately 0.003% of the 150,000 stations tracked.

The president also falsely claimed he inherited “record inflation” when taking office. The year-over-year inflation rate in December 2024, the last full month of the Biden administration, was 2.9% – far below the all-time high of 23.7% set in 1920. The most recent inflation rate stands at 2.4%.

On the economic front, Trump’s claim that he transformed a “stagnant economy” into one “roaring like never before” lacks factual support. The US economy grew by 2.2% in 2025, which was lower than any year during the Biden presidency, which saw 2.8% growth in 2024. The unemployment rate actually increased from 4.0% in January 2025 to 4.3% in January 2026.

Immigration and border security claims featured prominently in the address, with Trump repeating a false assertion that the Biden administration allowed “11,888 murderers” to enter the country. Department of Homeland Security data indicates this figure refers to non-citizens who entered the United States over multiple decades – including during Trump’s first administration – who were later convicted of homicide, often while already in the country. Many of these individuals are currently serving prison sentences, not “roaming free” as Trump has previously claimed.

In foreign policy, the president boasted about ending “eight wars” during his first ten months in office – a clear exaggeration. Several conflicts he listed were not actually wars, including a diplomatic dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over a dam project. Others, like the conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, have continued despite peace agreements brokered by his administration.

Trump misrepresented NATO spending, claiming the United States was “paying for almost all of NATO” before his intervention. NATO figures show US defense spending comprised about 72% of total NATO defense spending in 2016 and about 63% in 2024 – significant portions, but not “almost all.” The US contributes a much smaller percentage to NATO’s organizational budget – about 16% when Trump returned to office in 2025.

The president made several false claims about US elections, asserting that “cheating is rampant” and characterizing mail-in ballots as “crooked.” Evidence consistently shows election fraud is exceedingly rare across all voting methods.

Regarding crime, Trump falsely claimed Washington, DC, is “now one of the safest cities in the country” following his deployment of the National Guard last summer. Crime data expert Jeff Asher noted that of the 50 largest cities tracked, DC had the 9th highest murder rate and 12th highest violent crime rate in 2025, even after Trump’s intervention.

The president’s address also included an unsubstantiated claim about $19 billion in fraud allegedly committed by Somali residents in Minnesota. While a federal prosecutor estimated in December that “half or more” of $18 billion in federal funds billed by high-risk Medicaid services in Minnesota might be fraudulent, this $9 billion figure has not been proven, and the prosecutor did not attribute all potential fraud to Somali residents. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s administration has challenged these estimates.

Throughout the speech, Trump repeatedly presented misleading or false information to portray his administration’s accomplishments in an excessively favorable light, contradicting official data and expert assessments across multiple policy areas.