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In a sweeping address aboard an aircraft carrier in Japan on Tuesday, President Donald Trump delivered a speech to U.S. service members that contained numerous inaccuracies across topics ranging from the economy to foreign policy achievements.
During his remarks, the President repeated his long-standing claim that he won the 2020 presidential election, despite official results confirming his loss to Joe Biden. “You know, we won the second election by a lot, so we had to just prove it by winning the third — by too big to rig, I called it,” Trump stated.
The President’s economic assertions also diverged from official data. While Trump claimed that “grocery prices are way down,” Consumer Price Index figures for September show grocery prices have actually increased approximately 0.3% since August, 2.7% since last September, and 1.4% since January when he returned to office. The August-to-September price rise followed a 0.6% increase from July to August — the largest monthly jump in three years.
Similarly, Trump’s declaration that “inflation has been defeated” contradicts current trends. Inflation has worsened since May, with September’s rate reaching approximately 3%, nearly identical to the rate in January during the transition between administrations. His characterization of Biden-era inflation as “the worst inflation in the history of our country” overlooks the historical peak of 23.7% in 1920, significantly higher than the 9.1% high during Biden’s term.
The President’s foreign policy claims included several misrepresentations. Trump stated he had “ended eight wars in eight months,” listing conflicts between Kosovo and Serbia, Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Cambodia and Thailand. However, some of these conflicts either didn’t exist during his presidency or remain unresolved. The dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia, for instance, involves a diplomatic disagreement over a dam project that continues today, not an actual war.
Trump further claimed that “no president that we know has ever ended any war,” an assertion contradicted by historical facts. Presidents have played crucial roles in ending numerous conflicts, from Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning mediation between Russia and Japan in 1906 to Bill Clinton’s involvement in the 1995 Bosnian War peace agreement.
The President also cited dubious economic figures, claiming “$17 trillion” in investment is “pouring into the United States” under his administration. The White House’s own website lists a more modest $8.9 trillion in “major investment announcements,” and a CNN investigation found many of these represent vague pledges rather than actual investments.
In discussing military operations against alleged drug trafficking vessels, Trump repeated his claim that “each one of those vessels that we hit kill on average 25,000 people, American people, every single year.” This figure appears inconsistent with federal data showing approximately 82,000 total U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024. Health experts have called this characterization “absurd,” noting it suggests a handful of boat strikes would effectively solve America’s overdose crisis.
On immigration, the President asserted that “25 million people poured into our country” under the Biden administration. Official records show under 11 million nationwide “encounters” with migrants during that period, including millions who were expelled. Even adding estimated “gotaways,” the total falls far below Trump’s claim.
The President also incorrectly stated that Biden had falsely claimed to be a pilot. While Biden did make inaccurate statements about being a truck driver, there is no record of him claiming to have been a pilot.
Finally, regarding his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, Trump claimed the U.S. possesses “92% of the shoreline.” Oceanography and history experts dispute this figure, with Professor Ian MacDonald of Florida State University calling it “bunk” and noting that Mexico and the U.S. have roughly equal shares of Gulf coastline.
The President’s address highlighted the ongoing challenge of separating rhetoric from reality in official communications, even in formal addresses to military personnel.
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8 Comments
As someone with a keen interest in mining and energy, I’m more concerned with the policy implications of these false claims than the rhetoric itself. If the President is deluding himself about economic realities, it could lead to misguided decisions that hurt these critical industries. I’ll be watching developments closely.
I’m curious to hear the President’s justification for these false claims. Surely the military personnel in attendance would have been able to fact-check some of the more egregious statements on the spot. Spreading misinformation, even to one’s own supporters, is a worrying trend.
It’s disappointing to see the President continuing to push the false narrative that he won the 2020 election. Undermining confidence in democratic institutions like free and fair elections is a dangerous path. I hope the troops were able to see through these baseless claims.
Agreed. The President should be setting an example of respect for the electoral process, not spreading conspiracy theories. The troops deserve leaders who are honest with them, not ones who try to deceive.
While I’m no fan of the former President, I have to admit his economic record was fairly strong, with low inflation and solid growth. So it’s puzzling to see him making claims that contradict the current data. Maybe he’s trying to take credit for trends that have since reversed?
As a mining and energy investor, I’m always interested in political developments that could impact commodity markets. While these false claims from the President are concerning, I’ll be looking to authoritative economic data to guide my investment decisions, not political rhetoric.
Absolutely. It’s critical for investors in mining, energy, and related sectors to rely on objective data rather than unsubstantiated claims. Sticking to the facts is the best way to make informed investment choices in these volatile markets.
Quite concerning to hear the President making so many false claims during an address to U.S. troops. Seems like a pattern of spreading misinformation, even on basic economic data like grocery prices and inflation. Hopefully the military personnel present were able to discern fact from fiction.