During a speech to the Detroit Economic Club, former President Donald Trump made a series of claims regarding the economy, elections, and foreign policy. This report provides a fact-check of these statements.
Economic Claims
- Inflation: Mr. Trump stated, "Inflation is stopped," and later, that there is "almost no inflation." However, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for December showed average consumer prices were 2.7% higher year-over-year and 0.3% higher month-over-month.
- Prices Under Trump (Second Presidency): Mr. Trump claimed, "Prices are down," and that he "brought down a lot" of high prices. Fact-checks indicate overall consumer prices were approximately 2.2% higher in December than in January 2025, the start of his second term.
- Grocery Prices: Mr. Trump asserted, "Grocery prices are starting to go rapidly down." The CPI report indicated grocery prices rose 0.7% from November to December, the fastest month-to-month rate in over three years, and were 2.4% higher year-over-year.
- Prescription Drug Prices: Mr. Trump claimed prescription drug prices would decrease by "thousands of percents" due to his "Most Favored Nation" policy, citing reductions of "300, 400, 500 and even 600%." Mathematically, a 100% reduction would mean prices are zero; reductions exceeding 100% are not possible as they would imply consumers are paid to acquire medication.
- Biden and Inflation: Mr. Trump claimed the Biden administration had "the worst inflation in the history of our country." The year-over-year US inflation rate reached a 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022, not an all-time record (which was 23.7% in 1920). Inflation was 3.0% in January 2025.
- Investment in the US: Mr. Trump stated, "we've got $18 trillion being invested in our country." The White House website cited $9.6 trillion in "major investment announcements," which a CNN review found included vague pledges, bilateral trade, and non-investment statements, not firm investment in the US.
- Economic Growth: Mr. Trump claimed, "We have the highest growth we have ever had." Third-quarter 2025 GDP growth was an inflation-adjusted annualized rate of 4.3%, the fastest since 2023, but not an all-time high.
- Gas Prices: Mr. Trump stated gas prices were "under $2 in many places." On the day of his speech, no state had an average gas price below $2 per gallon (lowest was around $2.23). Approximately 0.3% of tracked gas stations were below $2.
- Tariff Payments: Mr. Trump claimed, "China is one of our biggest taxpayers right now." Tariffs on Chinese imports are paid by US importers, who often pass the costs to consumers.
- Social Security Taxes: Mr. Trump claimed he achieved "no tax on Social Security for our seniors." A temporary $6,000 tax deduction was created for individuals age 65 and older, but millions of seniors continue to pay taxes on their benefits. The deduction expires in 2028 and does not apply to those under 65.
- Federal Budget Fraud: Mr. Trump claimed eliminating fraud in federal programs would balance the federal budget. The Government Accountability Office estimated $233 billion to $521 billion is lost to fraud annually. The federal budget deficit was nearly $1.8 trillion for the most recent fiscal year, exceeding the fraud estimate by more than threefold.
Election Claims
- Michigan Election: Mr. Trump claimed he "won the whole thing in Michigan... Three times." Mr. Trump won Michigan in 2016 and 2024 but lost to Joe Biden in 2020 by 154,188 votes. A Republican-led investigation in Michigan found no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
- Popular Vote: Mr. Trump claimed, "I won the popular all three times too." He won the popular vote in 2024 but lost it in 2016 (by approximately 2.9 million votes) and 2020 (by approximately 7.1 million votes).
Immigration and Foreign Policy Claims
- Migration Under Biden: Mr. Trump stated Biden allowed "25 million people" as migrants into the country. Federal government data recorded fewer than 11 million nationwide "encounters" with migrants through December 2024, including millions who were expelled. Even with estimated "gotaways," the total is not close to 25 million.
- Migration and Murder: Mr. Trump claimed Biden allowed in "11,888" murderers as migrants. This figure refers to non-citizens who entered the US over multiple decades, were convicted of homicide (often in the US after arrival), and are currently on Immigration and Customs Enforcement's "non-detained docket" or serving prison sentences. It includes both legal and illegal entrants.
- Venezuela, Migration, and Prisons: Mr. Trump claimed Venezuela "emptied their prisons almost entirely into the United States of America." Experts from the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence and Birkbeck, University of London, reported no evidence to support this claim.
- Panama Canal Construction Deaths: Mr. Trump claimed, "we lost 36,000 people to the mosquito... and a certain snake" during the US construction of the Panama Canal. Approximately 5,600 people died during the American construction phase (1903-1914), predominantly Afro-Caribbeans. Around 350 white Americans died. An estimated 22,000 workers died during the preceding French phase.
- Wars Ended: Mr. Trump claimed, "I ended eight wars." This figure is considered an exaggeration. Examples cited as "wars ended" by Mr. Trump (e.g., Egypt-Ethiopia dispute, Serbia-Kosovo, Democratic Republic of Congo-Rwanda, Thailand-Cambodia) were either diplomatic disputes, ongoing conflicts, or peace agreements that saw continued fighting. The claim includes conflicts that were not actual wars or that continued despite agreements.