Review of Claims Made by Former President Donald Trump in Recent Speeches

Fact-Checking Donald Trump's Recent Public Claims

Former President Donald Trump made a series of claims during recent public addresses, including at the Detroit Economic Club and a State of the Union-style speech. These claims covered various topics such as the economy, election integrity, and foreign policy, and have been reviewed against available data and expert assessments.

Economic Claims

During his speeches, Mr. Trump presented several statements regarding economic conditions:

Mr. Trump stated that "inflation is stopped" and that there is "almost no inflation." He also claimed the Biden administration oversaw "the worst inflation in the history of our country."

Fact-Check: Data from the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for December showed average consumer prices were 2.7% higher year-over-year and 0.3% higher month-over-month. The year-over-year US inflation rate reached a 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022; however, the all-time record was 23.7% in 1920. Inflation was 3.0% in January 2025.

Mr. Trump asserted that "prices are down" and that he "brought down a lot" of high prices, specifically claiming "grocery prices are starting to go rapidly down."

Fact-Check: Overall consumer prices were approximately 2.2% higher in December than in January 2025. The CPI report showed grocery prices rose 0.7% from November to December, which was the fastest month-to-month rate in over three years, and were 2.4% higher year-over-year.

He 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%."

Fact-Check: Mathematically, a 100% reduction would mean prices are zero; reductions exceeding 100% are not possible.

Mr. Trump stated that "$18 trillion [is] being invested in our country" and that $18 trillion in global investments were "pouring in."

Fact-Check: The White House website cited $9.6 trillion in "major investment announcements," which a CNN review indicated included pledges, bilateral trade agreements, and non-investment statements, rather than firm investments in the US. The White House website also lists total U.S. and foreign investments at $9.7 trillion.

Mr. Trump claimed, "We have the highest growth we have ever had," and that the U.S. economy was "the hottest country anywhere in the world" with "more jobs, more people working today than ever before."

Fact-Check: Third-quarter 2025 GDP growth was an inflation-adjusted annualized rate of 4.3%, which was the fastest since 2023, but not an all-time high. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that job gains in 2025 slowed, with 181,000 jobs added, a figure lower than typical non-pandemic years.

He stated gas prices were "under $2 in many places," and "below $2.30 a gallon in most states and in some places, $1.99 a gallon."

Fact-Check: On the day of his speech, no state had an average gas price below $2 per gallon, with the lowest around $2.23. Approximately 0.3% of tracked gas stations were below $2. AAA reported that only Oklahoma had average gas prices near $2.30 a gallon ($2.374), with some states experiencing prices exceeding $4.60. An environmental policy reversal enacted by his administration, the repeal of the endangerment finding, is projected to increase gas prices according to administration data and analysis.

Mr. Trump claimed, "China is one of our biggest taxpayers right now."

Fact-Check: Tariffs on Chinese imports are paid by US importers, who often pass the costs to consumers.

He claimed he achieved "no tax on Social Security for our seniors."

Fact-Check: 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.

Mr. Trump claimed eliminating fraud in federal programs would balance the federal budget.

Fact-Check: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) 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.

Mr. Trump suggested energy prices were decreasing.

Fact-Check: The average U.S. household energy bill increased by 6.7% from 2024 to 2025. Since he re-entered office, utility companies have sought or implemented rate increases totaling at least $92 billion, affecting 112 million electric and 52 million gas customers, according to the Center for American Progress. Data from Energy Innovation predicts that clean energy policy changes under his administration could increase electricity rates by up to 18% by 2035. His administration eliminated tax credits for home energy-efficiency upgrades and attempted to eliminate the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which serves 6 million low-income Americans. LIHEAP faced hindrance due to staff layoffs and government shutdowns, leading to aid disbursement delays, though the program survived.

Election-Related Statements

Regarding past elections, Mr. Trump made the following assertions:

Mr. Trump claimed he "won the whole thing in Michigan... Three times."

Fact-Check: 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.

He claimed, "I won the popular all three times too."

Fact-Check: He won the popular vote in 2024 but lost it in 2016 by approximately 2.9 million votes and in 2020 by approximately 7.1 million votes.

Immigration and Foreign Policy Claims

Mr. Trump also commented on immigration and international affairs:

Mr. Trump stated the Biden administration allowed "25 million people" as migrants into the country.

Fact-Check: 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.

Mr. Trump claimed Biden allowed in "11,888" murderers as migrants. Additionally, Mr. Trump stated that the individual who killed Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian woman, was "a hardened criminal set free to kill in America came in through open borders."

Fact-Check: The "11,888" 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. The man arrested and charged with the crime of killing Iryna Zarutska, DeCarlos Brown Jr., is not an immigrant. Data suggests U.S.-born citizens are more likely to be arrested for violent and drug crimes than undocumented immigrants.

Mr. Trump claimed Venezuela "emptied their prisons almost entirely into the United States of America."

Fact-Check: Experts from the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence and Birkbeck, University of London, reported no evidence to support this claim.

He claimed, "we lost 36,000 people to the mosquito... and a certain snake" during the US construction of the Panama Canal.

Fact-Check: 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.

Mr. Trump claimed, "I ended eight wars," and "ended eight wars in his first 10 months."

Fact-Check: The U.S. participated in six peace agreements, some of which did not specifically credit Mr. Trump, and others were not classified as wars.

Examples cited by Mr. Trump included the Egypt-Ethiopia dispute, Serbia-Kosovo, Democratic Republic of Congo-Rwanda, and Thailand-Cambodia. These were described as either diplomatic disputes, ongoing conflicts, or peace agreements that saw continued fighting.

While involved in efforts for a Gaza ceasefire, Israeli actions against Palestinian civilians continued after a truce announcement. One conflict Mr. Trump claimed to resolve was the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, over which he presided over a ceasefire signing in October, linking it to trade talks. However, the underlying issues remained unresolved, the ceasefire collapsed weeks later in November, and fighting resumed in December, displacing half a million people.