Fact-Checking Trump’s Claims Before State of the Union Address

As President Trump prepares to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday, many of his recent public statements about the economy, immigration, and crime contain inaccuracies or misleading information. While the economy has shown strength in some areas, Trump's claims about investment figures, crime statistics, and energy policies don't align with available data.

As President Donald Trump prepares to address the nation during Tuesday’s State of the Union speech, his second-term agenda continues to focus on economic growth, border security, criminal justice, energy policy, and national defense matters.

Over the past year, Trump has regularly promoted his administration’s achievements while criticizing former President Joe Biden’s record. However, many of these public statements contain inaccuracies and distortions that may resurface during his national address.

The following examines several misleading statements Trump has made during recent public events.

Trump frequently describes America as “the hottest country anywhere in the world” following what he calls years as a “dead country.” However, the U.S. economy was far from dormant when Trump began his second presidency. While his current term has shown generally solid economic performance, it started with some challenges.

During 2024, Biden’s final presidential year, America’s gross domestic product expanded by 2.8% when adjusted for inflation, outpacing every other developed nation except Spain. The economy also maintained steady growth throughout 2021-2023.

Economic growth contracted during 2025’s first quarter for the first time in three years. While recovery occurred mid-year, momentum slowed again in the final quarter, resulting in 2.2% annual GDP growth for 2025.

Inflation measurements reached nearly a five-year low in January using one key indicator. Nevertheless, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge shows prices remain high for items including furniture, clothing, and food products.

Employment growth has also declined significantly. Businesses created only 181,000 new positions in 2025, marking the smallest increase outside of a recession since 2002. Economic analysts point to several causes: Trade tariff uncertainty and artificial intelligence developments likely made companies hesitant to expand their workforce. Many businesses also hired extensively after the pandemic and have since stopped creating additional roles.

While U.S. stock markets performed well last year, they lagged behind many international markets. The S&P 500 index rose 17%, a solid performance that still fell short of South Korea’s 71% jump, Hong Kong’s 29% increase, Japan’s 26% rise, Germany’s 22% gain, and the United Kingdom’s 21% growth.

Trump has consistently stated that America has attracted up to $18 trillion in investments, yet he has provided no documentation supporting such an enormous figure. This number appears either greatly inflated, highly speculative, or both.

The White House website lists a much smaller amount at $9.6 trillion, and this total seemingly includes investment pledges made during Biden’s presidency.

Research published in January questioned whether more than $5 trillion in investment promises made last year by major U.S. trading partners will actually come to fruition and raised concerns about how such funds would be utilized if they do materialize.

Immigration enforcement represents a central component of Trump’s administrative priorities, although the president frequently relies on incorrect information to justify his positions.

Trump has consistently argued that immigrant arrivals have caused crime rates to skyrocket. However, FBI data doesn’t categorize crimes by perpetrator immigration status, and no evidence supports claims of migrant-related crime increases either at the U.S.-Mexico border or in cities receiving large numbers of migrants, such as New York. Research indicates that individuals residing illegally in America face arrest for violent, drug, and property offenses at lower rates than native-born citizens.

The president also regularly mentions approximately 300,000 migrant children who are supposedly missing. This distorts findings from an August 2024 Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report, which criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement for inconsistently “monitoring the location and status of unaccompanied migrant children” after their release from federal custody.

Trump repeatedly praises coal as an optimal energy source, describing it as “beautiful, clean coal.” While coal production has become cleaner compared to historical standards, it cannot be considered truly clean.

Carbon dioxide emissions from coal operations have declined over three decades, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data. However, United Nations-supported research indicates that global coal production must decrease dramatically to combat climate change.

Beyond carbon dioxide, coal combustion releases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that create acid rain, smog, and breathing problems, the EIA reports.

The president also frequently criticizes wind energy, arguing it costs too much and that wind turbines kill birds.

Onshore wind ranks among the most affordable electricity generation methods, with new wind installations expected to produce power at approximately $30 per megawatt hour, based on July Energy Information Administration projections.

Wind turbines can threaten bird populations like all infrastructure projects. However, the National Audubon Society, devoted to bird protection, believes developers can address these dangers and considers climate change a more serious threat.

As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Trump has resumed asserting that he won the 2020 presidential race.

This represents a clear falsehood that has been repeatedly debunked — the 2020 election was not fraudulent.

Biden’s victory has been confirmed through recounts, audits, and examinations in contested battleground states where Trump challenged his 2020 defeat. He and his supporters lost numerous court cases regarding the election, and his own attorney general stated that no widespread fraud occurred that would have changed the outcome.

Biden secured 306 electoral votes compared to Trump’s 232. He also received more than 7 million additional popular votes.

Furthermore, the president boasts that his 2024 victory constituted a “landslide.” However, Trump’s winning margin was smaller than he suggests.

He captured the electoral vote 312 to 226, sweeping all seven swing states, according to Federal Election Commission records. The popular vote was much tighter, with Trump earning 49.8% with 77,302,580 votes compared to Democrat Kamala Harris’ 75,017,613 votes (48.32%).

Trump claims responsibility for substantial violent crime reductions during 2025, stating that America’s murder rate fell to its lowest point in 125 years. This characterization is misleading since crime had already been declining in recent years.

January research from the Independent Council on Criminal Justice, which gathered information from 35 American cities regarding homicides, documented a 21% homicide rate decrease from 2024 to 2025.

The study noted that when the FBI releases comprehensive national data for all jurisdiction sizes later this year, homicides in 2025 will likely drop to approximately 4.0 per 100,000 residents. This would represent the lowest rate ever documented in law enforcement or public health records dating to 1900.

FBI statistics for 2023 and 2024 demonstrate substantial violent crime reductions.

Crime increased during the coronavirus pandemic, with homicides rising nearly 30% in 2020 compared to the previous year, representing the largest single-year increase since FBI record-keeping began. However, violent crime fell to near pre-pandemic levels around 2022 during Biden’s presidency.

The pandemic-era violent crime surge defied simple explanations, and experts similarly note that last year’s historic violence decline resists easy analysis despite elected officials from both parties claiming credit.

Among Trump’s most common talking points is his claim to have “solved” eight wars, a figure that is greatly exaggerated. While he has helped facilitate diplomatic relations between various nations, his influence isn’t as decisive as he portrays.

The disputes Trump includes among those he has resolved involve Israel and Hamas, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, India and Pakistan, Serbia and Kosovo, Rwanda and Congo, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Cambodia and Thailand.