US President Donald Trump drew a vivid portrait of his first six weeks in office in a high-stakes address to Congress. However, a closer examination of his statements reveals a different reality than what his thoughts caused.
Trump’s immigration assault:” Bothest always” border crossings?
Trump:” The lowest number of border crossings ever recorded was by far next month.” Previously”.
Sounds outstanding, doesn’t it? However, here’s the catch: Trump cited an 8, 326 apprehensions number for the month of August, but historical records indicate that the US-Mexico border experienced also lower figures in the 1960s. In fact, Border Patrol made only 1,752 arrests per month in 1961. Trump’s claim that recent data is the “lowest always” is untrue is even though recent data may be the lowest in a long time.
” 21 million refugees flooded in,” you say? No entirely correct
Trump:” Over the past four decades, 21 million people have poured into the United States. Many of them were gang members, murderers, and individual traffickers.
Although it’s a shocking claim, here’s the truth: Between 2021 and 2024, there were 10.8 million arrests at the southern border according to Customs and Border Protection ( CBP ) data. However, arrests don’t make someone distinct; many people cross several times. And the say that different nations are knowingly sending thieves? No proof supports that claim.
Taxes: The golden ticket to financial rise
Trump asserts that “tariffs are about rebuilding America’s wealth and restoring it’s greatness.” And it is taking place.
But will it? The funds lab at Yale University discovered that Trump’s tariffs could cause inflation to rise by a full percentage point, slow down financial growth by a half percentage point, and reduce the average household’s income by$ 1,600. Therefore, economists warn of potential monetary turmoil while Trump promises wealth.
Are social security checks also being issued to those over 100 million?
Trump:” Believe it or not, millions of Social Security people over 100 are listed in state directories, and many of them receive payment.”
It’s a crazy claim, but reality is much less serious. Often outdated database software defaults to invalid birth years, giving the impression that millions of centenarians are collecting checks. However, payment to people over 115? That ended many years back.
Was Trump’s election a” crisis” for the business?
Trump:” We inherited an inflation problem and an economical crisis.”
Reality check: By the time Trump took office, inflation had fallen to 3 %, up from its peak of 9.1 % in 2022. In 2024, economic growth reached 2.8 %, and unemployment was at a low of 4 %. Scarcely a disaster.
The ‘electric vehicle mandate’ that never was
Trump:” We put an end to the previous administration’s crazy electric vehicle mandate.”
Except that there was no federal EV authority. By 2030, Nissan had set a goal ( not a requirement ) for EVs to account for 50 % of all new car sales. Trump just removed a non-binding destination as his only object.
Did military recruiting figures increase dramatically under Trump?
Trump:” I’m pleased to report that the US Army had its second best recruiting fortnight in 15 years.”
That is only the beginning of the story. Throughout the entire year of 2024, military enrollment numbers had been steadily increasing, with August, not January, being the month with the greatest increase. What actually aided in hiring? A 2022 Army training regimen that gave sluggish recruits time to meet educational and health needs.
Trump made numerous strong claims in his speech, but as the figures reveal, the image is much more complicated. Although his thoughts may inspire adherents, the data reveals a different perspective.
