Trump’s False Claims During Military Address Draw Scrutiny

President Donald Trump delivered a speech to hundreds of military leaders at a Virginia base on Tuesday, making numerous false statements about military matters, international relations, and domestic issues. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was also present as Trump addressed the assembled generals and admirals in what observers described as a rambling presentation.

Trump falsely claimed that President Joe Biden never described the U.S. military as the world’s strongest, despite documented evidence to the contrary. In fact, Biden repeatedly made such statements during his term, including a 2023 speech where he declared, “Our U.S. military is the strongest military in the history of the world. Not just the strongest in the world – in the history of the world.”

The president also made inaccurate assertions about Biden’s stance on the Space Force. Trump claimed Biden had wanted to “terminate” the military branch, saying Biden had stated “we can get rid of that” before being pressured to change his position. No evidence exists that Biden ever made such statements. Early in Biden’s administration, then-press secretary Jen Psaki faced criticism for a dismissive response to a Space Force question, but she quickly clarified that the branch had “the full support of the Biden administration.”

Regarding NATO, Trump incorrectly took credit for establishing the alliance’s previous 2% GDP defense spending target. In reality, NATO defense ministers agreed to this benchmark in 2006, with reaffirmation coming in 2014 – well before Trump’s political career began. By the end of his first term in 2020, only nine NATO members were meeting this target.

Trump’s claims about U.S. aid to Ukraine also missed the mark. He stated that Biden “gave $350 billion” to Ukraine, dramatically inflating the actual figures. According to a German think tank tracking wartime assistance, the U.S. allocated approximately $135 billion through June (with an additional $5 billion committed). The U.S. government’s own inspector general reports about $94 billion disbursed by June 2025, with another $93 billion appropriated but not yet spent.

The president’s boast about settling “seven wars” doesn’t withstand scrutiny. He cited examples including a conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, which he claimed to have resolved. However, recent CNN reporting from the region indicates ongoing violence, with militia groups still engaged in deadly fighting despite a Trump-brokered agreement. Similarly, his claims about resolving conflicts between Serbia and Kosovo, as well as Egypt and Ethiopia, mischaracterize diplomatic situations that weren’t actual wars.

Trump repeated unfounded allegations about countries emptying prisons to send migrants to the United States. He specifically claimed that “the Congo” and Venezuela had released prisoners who then entered America. Experts on both regions told CNN there is no evidence supporting these assertions, and governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, and Venezuela have all denied these claims.

The president’s statement that “25 million” migrants entered the country under Biden is demonstrably false. Federal records show fewer than 11 million nationwide “encounters” with migrants during Biden’s administration, including millions who were expelled. Even adding estimated “gotaways,” the total falls far below Trump’s claim.

Other false statements included assertions about Portland “burning down,” drug overdose deaths totaling 300,000 (actual CDC figure: approximately 81,000), and a bizarre claim that CNN turned off its camera after he criticized the network – something that didn’t happen, as CNN’s coverage continued uninterrupted.

Trump also misrepresented a legal ruling regarding his executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Contrary to his claim that a judge declared “the name is the Gulf of America” and criticized the Associated Press for its continued use of “Gulf of Mexico,” no judge made such statements. The ongoing case centers on First Amendment issues regarding press access, not geographic naming conventions.

As Trump’s address to military leadership continues to draw analysis, the accumulation of false claims raises concerns about the accuracy of information being presented to top military officials.