Trump’s Congressional Address: A Fact-Check Analysis
On Tuesday night, former President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress, highlighting his initial actions in office. However, scrutiny reveals several misleading and false claims embedded within his pronouncements concerning immigration, economic performance, and government spending.
Immigration Crackdown and Border Crossings:
Trump boasted about achieving the "lowest ever recorded" illegal border crossings in a single month. While February’s apprehension numbers were indeed low compared to recent decades, data suggests that Border Patrol regularly recorded lower averages in the early 1960s. Trump’s claim of 8,326 apprehensions in February, touted on Truth Social, is higher than the average monthly apprehensions during the first seven years of the 1960s. His frequent assertion that over 21 million individuals “poured” into the US during the Biden administration is also a significant exaggeration. CBP data records over 10.8 million arrests during this period, a figure inflated by repeat crossings due to asylum restrictions under Title 42. It’s crucial to differentiate between arrests and individual people. Furthermore, Trump’s insinuation that other countries are deliberately sending criminals and individuals with mental illnesses across the border lacks evidentiary support.
Financial Claims and Economic Impact:
Trump cited a $59 million expenditure on "illegal alien hotel rooms in New York City" as an example of government waste. This figure misrepresents the actual situation. The city received federal reimbursements under the Shelter and Services Program, designed to support local governments and NGOs aiding noncitizens released by immigration authorities. While the reimbursement totaled $58.6 million, only $19 million was allocated for hotel costs. Trump’s assertion about the economic benefits of tariffs is also disputed by experts. Contrary to his claim that tariffs make America rich, economists argue that such taxes raise the cost of goods, potentially harming economic growth and increasing inflation. The Yale University Budget Lab, analyzing Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, projected a 1% inflation increase, a 0.5% growth decline, and an average household loss of $1,600 in disposable income.
Social Security and Economic Inheritance:
Trump’s claim that Social Security pays benefits to millions of people over the age of 100 is based on a misunderstanding of the Social Security database system. The presence of millions of entries for individuals over 100 is a result of an outdated COBOL-based system that defaults to a distant reference point for incomplete birthdate entries. Although reports from the Social Security Administration’s inspector general highlight a database issue with death information annotation, this does not equate to benefit payments to deceased individuals. Payments are automatically stopped for individuals over 115 years old. Trump’s portrayal of inheriting an "economic catastrophe" from the Biden administration is also inaccurate. While inflation peaked at 9.1% in 2022 under Biden, the unemployment rate was low at 4% when Trump took office in January 2025, and the economy grew by 2.8% in 2024. Inflation-adjusted incomes have seen steady growth since mid-2023.
Electric Vehicle Mandate and Army Recruitment:
Trump’s claim of ending an “insane electric vehicle mandate” is misleading. There was no federal mandate requiring EV purchases. The Biden administration had set a non-binding goal of 50% EV sales by 2030, a goal Trump revoked. Biden’s policies focused on tightening pollution restrictions for gas-powered vehicles to incentivize EV adoption. Trump also linked improved Army recruitment numbers to his presidency. However, data shows a steady increase in recruitment over the past year, with the highest numbers recorded in August 2024, before the November election. The Army’s Future Soldier Prep Course, launched in August 2022, is considered a significant factor in the recruitment success.
Conclusion:
Trump’s Congressional address contained a series of misleading and false claims. Fact-checking these assertions reveals a pattern of exaggeration and misrepresentation of data relating to immigration, economics, and government programs. A careful examination of available data and expert analysis provides a more accurate understanding of the issues discussed.
