
Trump makes false claims about the economy, elections and crime in State of the Union.
On Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump delivered a State of the Union speech that contained numerous statements that were inaccurate or misleading.
Many of the claims repeated assertions he has made before at rallies, in interviews, and on social media — points that have already been widely challenged. These included allegations questioning the integrity of U.S. elections, his claim that he brought conflicts to an end that were either never wars or never actually concluded, and his invented figure of “$18 trillion” in supposed investment in the United States during the past year.
His greatest number of inaccuracies concerned the economy. He exaggerated the economic performance during his current term, overstated the level of inflation he says he inherited from the Biden administration, relied on misleading numbers about gasoline prices, and incorrectly stated — twice — that tariffs are paid by foreign countries rather than by American importers.
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**Fact check: Trump inaccurately states the U.S. has attracted “$18 trillion” in investments**
Donald Trump again repeated his claim that the United States has secured $18 trillion in investment commitments since he returned to office, saying, “Within 12 months, I obtained commitments totaling more than $18 trillion coming in from around the world.”
The figure is not supported by evidence. As of the night of the speech, the White House’s own website listed about $9.7 trillion in what it called “major investment announcements” during this term — and even that number appears inflated. A detailed review conducted by CNN in October found the administration was including trillions of dollars in loosely defined pledges, arrangements related to trade cooperation rather than direct U.S. investment, and broad statements that did not clearly qualify as firm commitments.
— Adapted from reporting by CNN’s Daniel Dale