President Donald Trump ‘s Tuesday night address to a joint session of Congress highlighted several of the initiatives he’s began in his first six weeks in workplace, however a lot of his feedback included false and deceptive data.
Right here’s a have a look at the info.
He overstated the numbers on his immigration crackdown
TRUMP: “Illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded. Ever.”
THE FACTS: Trump wrote in a Reality Social submit on Saturday that Border Patrol apprehended 8,326 individuals on the U.S.-Mexico border final month. However U.S. authorities information present that Border Patrol routinely averaged under that quantity within the Sixties.
Whereas February marked the bottom arrest complete in many years, Border Patrol averaged lower than February 2025 for the primary seven years of Sixties. The federal government web site doesn’t observe U.S.-Mexico border totals earlier than 1960. Border Patrol’s month-to-month common was 1,752 arrests in 1961.
He inflated the quantity of people that entered the U.S. illegally below President Joe Biden
TRUMP: “Over the past four years, 21 million people poured into the United States. Many of them were murderers, human traffickers, gang members.”
THE FACTS: That determine, which Trump cites frequently, is very inflated. U.S. Customs and Border Safety reported greater than 10.8 million arrests for unlawful crossings from Mexico from January 2021 by means of December 2024.
However that’s arrests, not individuals. Below asylum restrictions in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals crossed greater than as soon as till they succeeded as a result of there have been no authorized penalties for getting turned again to Mexico. So the variety of individuals is decrease than the variety of arrests.
There is no such thing as a proof different nations are sending their criminals or individuals with psychological sickness throughout the border, regardless of this frequent line from Trump.
Economists differ with Trump on tariffs
Trump: “Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again. And it’s happening. And it will happen rather quickly. There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re OK with that. It won’t be much.”
THE FACTS: Trump is banking on the concept that taxing imports is the street to riches for the USA. Most economists say Trump’s tariffs would harm the nation, as they’re tax will increase that might elevate the prices of products in ways in which may additionally hurt financial progress. Trump means that the impression on inflation could be minimal.
When the Yale College Price range Lab seemed on the tariffs that Trump imposed Tuesday on Canada, Mexico and China, it discovered that inflation would improve a full share level, progress would fall by half a share level and the typical family would lose about $1,600 in disposable earnings.
There’s no proof Social Safety cash is being paid to many individuals over age 100
TRUMP: “Believe it or not, government databases list 4.7 million Social Security members from people aged 100 to 109 years old. It lists 3.6 million people from ages 110 to 119. … 3.47 million people from ages 120 to 129. 3.9 million people from ages 130 to 139. 3.5 million people from ages 140 to 149. And money is being paid to many of them, and we are searching right now.”
THE FACTS: The databases might record these individuals, however that doesn’t imply they’re getting paid advantages.
Moreover, a sequence of experiences from the Social Safety Administration’s inspector basic in March 2023 and July 2024 state that the company has not established a brand new system to correctly annotate dying data in its database, which included roughly 18.9 million Social Safety numbers of individuals born in 1920 or earlier however weren’t marked as deceased. This doesn’t imply, nevertheless, that these individuals have been receiving advantages.
The company determined to not replace the database due to the fee to take action, which might run upward of $9 million. As of September 2015, the company routinely stops funds to people who find themselves older than 115 years outdated.
Trump didn’t inherit an ‘economic catastrophe’
TRUMP: “Among my very highest priorities is to rescue our economy and get dramatic and immediate relief to working families. As you know, we inherited from the last administration an economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare.”
THE FACTS: Inflation peaked at 9.1% in 2022 below President Joe Biden, however Trump didn’t inherit a disastrous financial system by any measure. The unemployment price ticked all the way down to a low 4% in January, the month he took workplace, whereas the financial system expanded a wholesome 2.8% in 2024. Inflation-adjusted incomes have grown steadily since mid-2023. And inflation, whereas exhibiting indicators of stickiness in latest months and nonetheless elevated at 3% in January, is down from its 2022 peak.
Trump’s reference to an ‘EV mandate’ is inaccurate
TRUMP: “We ended the last administration’s insane electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto workers and companies from economic destruction.”
THE FACTS: There was no federal mandate to pressure the acquisition of EVs, as Trump has falsely claimed many occasions earlier than.
Biden had arrange a non-binding aim that EVs make up half of recent vehicles bought by 2030. Trump issued an government order on his first day in workplace revoking that aim.
Biden’s insurance policies tightened restrictions on air pollution from gas-powered vehicles and vehicles in an effort to encourage People to purchase EVs and automobile firms to shift from gas-powered automobiles to electrical vehicles.
A more in-depth have a look at Military recruitment numbers
TRUMP: “I am pleased to report that in January, the U.S. Army had its single best recruiting month in 15 years.”
THE FACTS: Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Military’s recruiting turnaround is tied to his time in workplace.
In reality, in response to Military information, recruiting numbers have been growing steadily over the previous yr, with the best complete coming in August 2024 — earlier than the November election. Military officers carefully observe recruiting numbers.
A big driver of the recruiting success was the Military’s choice to launch the Future Soldier Prep Course at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in August 2022. That program provides lower-performing recruits as much as 90 days of educational or health instruction to assist them meet navy requirements and transfer on to primary coaching.
Related Press writers Melissa Goldin in New York, Matt Daly, Chris Rugaber, Will Weissert, Josh Boak and Rebecca Santana in Washington, Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, and Elliot Spagat in San Diego, contributed to this report.
Initially Revealed: March 5, 2025 at 1:07 AM EST
