Fact Check: Trump Makes Series of False Claims in White House Address

President Donald Trump delivered a prime-time address from the White House on Wednesday night that contained numerous false or misleading statements on topics ranging from inflation and the economy to immigration and foreign policy, according to a CNN fact check.

The address, which covered a wide array of domestic and international issues, included several claims that have been repeatedly debunked throughout Trump’s second term in office.

On the economic front, Trump incorrectly stated that “inflation is stopped.” In reality, the year-over-year inflation rate in September stood at 3.0%, identical to the rate when he returned to office in January – and slightly higher when calculated to multiple decimal places. September marked the fifth consecutive month of increases in the year-over-year rate.

The president also falsely claimed that when he took office, “inflation was the worst in 48 years, and some would say in the history of our country.” This statement contradicts economic data. The inflation rate in December 2024, during the final month of the Biden administration, was 2.9%, rising slightly to 3.0% in January 2025 when Trump was inaugurated.

While inflation did reach a 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022 during Biden’s presidency, this occurred more than two years before Trump returned to office and was nowhere near the all-time record of 23.7% set in 1920.

In discussing grocery prices, Trump claimed that “everything else is falling rapidly” after noting a decline in egg prices. Consumer Price Index data contradicts this assertion, showing that far more grocery items have increased in price since his return to office. As of September, average grocery prices were up approximately 2.7% year-over-year and about 1.4% since January 2025.

Trump’s claims about prescription drug prices were mathematically impossible. He stated that his executive order would cut prices by “as much as 400, 500, and even 600%.” As analysts point out, even reducing prices to zero would constitute only a 100% reduction.

Regarding gasoline prices, Trump’s statement that prices were “under $2.50 a gallon in much of the country” lacked important context. AAA data showed only four states with average prices below $2.50 per gallon on Wednesday, with the national average at $2.905. His claim that some states “just hit $1.99 a gallon” was misleading – while some individual stations offered gas at this price, industry analyst Patrick De Haan estimated these numbered between only 75 and 100 stations nationwide.

One of the president’s most significant exaggerations concerned investments in the United States. Trump claimed to have “secured a record-breaking $18 trillion of investment into the United States.” However, the White House’s own website listed the figure at $9.6 trillion, which a CNN review found included trillions in vague investment pledges, statements about bilateral trade rather than actual investments, and promises that didn’t constitute firm commitments.

On foreign policy, Trump asserted he had “settled eight wars in 10 months,” a claim that exaggerates his administration’s diplomatic achievements. Several conflicts he counted weren’t actual wars, including a diplomatic dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over a dam project. Other situations he listed as resolved, such as fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo and between Thailand and Cambodia, have continued despite U.S.-brokered agreements.

The president also repeated his unsubstantiated claim that “25 million” migrants entered the country under Biden, with many coming from “prisons and jails, mental institutions and insane asylums.” Federal data shows fewer than 11 million migrant “encounters” during the Biden administration, many of whom were expelled. Experts have consistently found no evidence for Trump’s assertions about foreign countries emptying prisons and mental institutions.

In the domestic policy realm, Trump incorrectly stated that legislation he signed earlier this year includes “no tax on Social Security.” The bill created a temporary $6,000 annual tax deduction for individuals 65 and older (with reductions for higher earners), but millions of Social Security recipients will continue to pay taxes on their benefits, and the deduction doesn’t apply to recipients under 65.

As these fact checks demonstrate, the president’s prime-time address contained numerous inaccuracies on topics of significant public interest, continuing a pattern of misrepresentations that have characterized his public statements throughout his presidency.