Donald Trump delivered an 18-minute address to the nation last night, during which he made a false claim approximately every 22 seconds, according to a fact-checking analysis. The speech, part of his 'affordability tour,' was seen as an attempt to shift blame for economic woes. Polls show his approval rating on the economy at a historic low of 31-36%.
Among the 50 outright lies identified, Trump claimed he inherited a mess and was fixing it. However, CPI inflation in January 2025 was 3%, not the highest in 48 years; it peaked at 9.1% in June 2022. The highest 12-month CPI rate in US history was 23.7% in June 1920.
Trump falsely stated that 25 million undocumented people entered the US under Biden. Estimates from the Centre for Immigration Studies put the total at around 14 million, an increase of 3.8 million from a Covid-era low. He also claimed 11,088 murderers entered illegally, but the figure of 13,099 non-citizens with murder convictions includes those who entered legally or were imprisoned before Biden.
On transgender issues, Trump said men were playing in women's sports. The NCAA reports fewer than 10 transgender athletes at that level. Crime was not at record levels; FBI data shows violent crime fell 4.5% from 2023-24. Trump's claim that his administration brought the most positive change was contradicted by his 36% job approval rating.
Trump's election win was not a landslide; his popular vote margin was 1.48 points, smaller than Biden's 4.5-point margin in 2020. Other false claims included the number of undocumented people and the banning of 'law enforcement' language.
