WASHINGTON, D.C.: During his State of the Union address, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on inflation, immigration, tariffs, and matters of war and peace, and presented a frequently distorted account of the state of the nation and various achievements that didn't pass scrutiny.

Trump has spent the last year boasting of his accomplishments while mocking the record of his predecessor, Joe Biden. But much of this bluster has been based on misinformation.

The Economy

CLAIM: "When I last spoke in this chamber 12 months ago, I had just inherited a nation in crisis, with a stagnant economy."

THE FACTS: Not exactly. Many voters were upset about high inflation in the 2024 election, but the U.S. economy was not stagnant. After adjusting for inflation, the country's gross domestic product grew by 2.8 percent in 2024. That was stronger than the 2.2 percent growth during the first year of Trump's second term.

TRUMP: "Incomes are rising fast, the roaring economy is roaring like never before."

THE FACTS: That is not accurate. After-tax incomes, adjusted for inflation, increased by only 0.9 percent in 2025. In 2024, the increase was 2.2 percent, during Biden's final year in office. The gain in Trump's first year was the smallest since 2022, when high inflation caused real incomes to fall.

Wages and salaries account for most people's incomes. Their growth has slowed because companies have reduced hiring.

Investment

CLAIM: "I secured commitments for more than US$18 trillion pouring in from all over the globe."

THE FACTS: There is no evidence to support this number. The White House website lists a much lower figure of $9.6 trillion, and that amount seems to include some investment promises made during the Biden administration.

A study published in January questioned whether more than $5 trillion in investment commitments made last year by major U.S. trading partners will actually happen.

Jobs

CLAIM: "More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country."

THE FACTS: This is true in raw numbers, but the population has also grown. A more meaningful measure is the percentage of Americans who have jobs. That percentage has declined over the past 25 years, partly because the population is aging and more people are retired.

The share of Americans with jobs reached its highest level, 64.7 percent, in April 2000. It was 59.8 percent in January.

The unemployment rate is low at 4.3 percent. However, it was even lower at 4 percent when Biden left office in January 2025, and it reached 3.4 percent during his presidency.

Foreign Wars

CLAIM: "My first 10 months, I ended eight wars."

THE FACTS: This claim is greatly overstated. In at least two cases, Trump mentions, there were no actual wars to end — between Serbia and Kosovo, and between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, where there was tension but no fighting.

The other conflicts involve Israel and Hamas, Israel and Iran, India and Pakistan, Rwanda and Congo, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Cambodia and Thailand. His role and influence were different in each of these situations and were limited.

Tariffs

CLAIM: "Tariff revenues are "saving our country, the kind of money we're taking in."

THE FACTS: Although Trump raised import taxes significantly, the revenue is not large enough to significantly reduce the federal budget deficit.

Before the Supreme Court blocked his tariffs that were based on an emergency declaration, the Congressional Budget Office estimated they would raise $3 trillion over 10 years, or about $300 billion per year.

CLAIM: "Tariffs paid for by foreign countries will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax."

THE FACTS: This is unlikely. Under Trump, tariff revenue increased from $77 billion to $195 billion in the budget year that ended September 30. Even so, tariffs made up less than 4 percent of total federal revenue. Income taxes and payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare account for about 84 percent.

Crime

CLAIM: "Last year, the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history. This is the biggest decline. Think of it in recorded history, the lowest number in over 125 years."

THE FACTS: Trump credits himself for a major drop in violent crime in 2025 and says the murder rate is at its lowest in 125 years. However, crime had already been decreasing in recent years.

A January study by the independent Council on Criminal Justice, using data from 35 U.S. cities, found that the homicide rate fell by 21 percent from 2024 to 2025.

Immigration

CLAIM: "We will always allow people to come in legally, people who will love our country and will work hard to maintain our country."

THE FACTS: In reality, Trump has taken several steps to limit immigration, often citing national security as the reason. On his first day in office, he suspended the refugee program. In October, he restarted it, but only in limited numbers for white South Africans.

He has also restricted travel or immigration from nearly 40 countries, many of them in Africa.

Taxes

CLAIM: "With the great big beautiful bill, we gave you no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security."

THE FACTS: The claim about Social Security is not true for everyone. Not all beneficiaries qualify for the deduction, which is available only until 2029.

Those who cannot claim it include low-income seniors who already do not pay taxes on Social Security benefits, people who start receiving benefits before age 65, and individuals with income above a certain level. The deduction gradually decreases as income rises.