CNN Fact-Checks Trump's Misleading Claims in Congressional Speech
In his speech to Congress, President Trump made several false or misleading statements. CNN fact-checked these claims, finding inaccuracies on topics like the economy, climate change, and immigration.
Here are some of the main false claims.
1. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
Trump claimed that DOGE, an initiative led by Elon Musk, saved "hundreds of billions of dollars" by removing fraud. However, the official figures from DOGE only cite about $105 billion in savings, and many of these reported savings were either from previous administrations or uncorroborated.
2. Transgender Mice
Trump falsely claimed that the government spent “$8 million” on making mice transgender. In reality, the NIH funded research on hormone therapy for monkeys, not mice, and the actual spending was far lower than what Trump suggested.
3. Tariffs and Economic Impact
Trump repeated his claim that tariffs on imports would bring “trillions of dollars” to the US economy. However, tariffs are paid by US importers, not foreign countries, and the cost is often passed down to consumers.
4. Small Business Optimism
Trump said that small business optimism experienced the “single-largest one-month gain ever recorded,” with a 41-point jump. This was a temporary surge, mostly tied to optimism after the election, but the overall small business index later fell in the months following.
5. Egg Prices
Trump blamed President Biden for the rise in egg prices. However, the spike in egg prices was due to the spread of avian flu, a factor that was ongoing during both the Trump and Biden administrations.
6. Green New Deal
Trump called Biden's climate policies the "Green New Scam." He falsely claimed they cost the US $9 trillion. In reality, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act. This act focuses on clean energy, not the "Green New Deal" Trump mentioned.
7. Paris Climate Agreement
Trump falsely claimed the US was paying "trillions" for the Paris Climate Agreement. In reality, the US contribution was much lower, and no country met the global climate finance goal.
8. Illegal Border Crossings
Trump claimed that illegal border crossings were at their lowest level “ever recorded.” This was inaccurate.
While recent figures show a reduction in border encounters, historical data from the early 1960s shows even lower numbers of migrant encounters during that period.
9. Autism Rates
Trump exaggerated the rise in autism diagnoses. He claimed it went from "1 in 10,000 children" to "1 in 36 children." The real increase is due to better diagnosis and awareness, not more cases.
10. Aid to Ukraine
Trump claimed the US spent $350 billion on Ukraine’s defense, but the actual amount was around $183 billion by December 2024. Europe provided more aid than the US.