This year’s State of the Union address was over two hours long, the longest State of the Union in American history. President Donald Trump spoke on many of America’s fears and expressed how well the country is progressing. But is all that he said true? Let’s talk about a few of Donald Trump’s main points.
Immigration:
Donald Trump and his administration told American citizens at the State of the Union that, “We now have the strongest borders in history and zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.” This statement has been made time and time again by the Trump administration, with statements from both Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It is stated that illegals crossing the border have dropped to the lowest levels since 1970, daily encounters dropping 95%, and Border Patrol numbers for the first year of this administration are significantly lower than the average under the previous administration. But, PBC says that the White House and Fox News have been posting misleading information. The posts use inconsistent numbers; they use total numbers of border encounters for Biden’s last seven days in office, and then Trump’s daily average for the first seven days in office. Border officials encountered migrants trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border 20,086 times during Biden’s last seven days in office, with an average of 2,869 times a day. During Trump’s first seven days, border patrol officials encountered migrants trying to cross the border 7,287 times, with a daily average of 1,041. “That’s a 60 percent drop, not a 95 percent drop as the White House claimed in its Instagram post.” This is most likely due to how the number of refugee applications has lowered due to the refugee ceiling put in place by the current administration, and due to the indefinite pause on all asylum application processing as of December 2025.
Drugs:
The president stated at the Union, “Fentanyl flow across the border has decreased 56% in one year, murder rate had the largest decrease in history in one year.” Though it does seem that the flow of fentanyl has decreased between 2024 and 2025 since its 2023 peak, we can assume that there is a decreased demand in the US for fentanyl, as well as the increased actions by both Mexico’s and China’s governments to limit the amount of fentanyl trafficked. The decline in smuggling coincides with the decrease in overdose deaths, which began in 2023. But despite the decrease, the vast majority of fentanyl is smuggled through US ports.
Trump has claimed to have “ended inflated prescription drugs.” But according to The Annenberg Public Policy Center, “Trump’s efforts may have lowered prices for some consumers buying certain drugs. But experts told us there’s no guarantee of substantial savings for Americans in general.” Trump’s efforts have gained price negotiations for sixteen companies, though the details are still unclear. Under these negotiations, companies have promised to offer discounts on select drugs “to people who pay cash and are not using insurance.” In exchange, companies have been promised exemptions from tariffs, as well as other benefits.
Inflation:
One of Trump’s biggest topics was that “Biden gave us the worst inflation in the history of America.” This accusation is completely false; the inflation under the Biden administration was the highest in the last forty-year period, but it wasn’t the highest in all of American history. There were much higher rates recorded in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1910s. During the Biden administration, year-over-year inflation peaked to 9.1%, the highest since the early 1980s, but inflation was much higher in previous eras. While the inflation surge post-pandemic was substandard, it was not as extreme as World War I. Trump also stated, “Inflation is at its lowest in the past five years at a rate of 1.7%.” This is untrue; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation in January 2026 was at 2.4%, which was the lowest since May 2025. But the core CPI, excluding food and energy, rose 2.5% over the year.
This was one of the many statements made, as well as mortgage rates being the lowest now than in the last four years, but again, this is untrue. Mortgage rates in March 2026 are not an all-time low in the last four years, but they have dropped to their lowest point since September 2022 and have fallen below the 6% line for the first time in three years. The mortgage rate is down significantly from the 2023/2024 highs.
Stock Market and Global Cost:
It is true that the stock market has met record highs in January 2026, and is 20% higher than this time last year. The stock market seems to be growing due to ballooning tech valuations, robust corporate earnings, and the hope of lower interest rates.
At the State of the Union, one of Trump’s topics was the $18 trillion in global investments earned by the U.S., but this claim is ultimately false. He has made claims ranging from $17 trillion up to $20 trillion, but the White House website values “major investment announcements” at around $8.8 trillion, which is barely half of Trump’s claim. According to CNN, “The White House list doesn’t show that $8.8 trillion is ‘being invested now in the United States.’” Instead the list shows items such as, $600 billion from “EU firms,” $600 billion from Saudi Arabia, $500 billion from India, $1.2 trillion from Qatar, $1.4 trillion from the United Arab Emirates, $1 trillion from Japan, $450 billion from South Korea, and more than $1 trillion in vague corporate pledges that analysts say likely include normal operational spending and previously planned investments. But many of these “investments” are not considered investments by other countries, and are instead taken out of context. For example, CNN states, “$600 billion from Saudi Arabia even though the Saudis’ vague $600 billion pledge encompasses both “investments and trade,” not simply Saudi investment in the US.”
Trump demanded Congress pass the No Insider Trading Act without delay, and urged lawmakers to send the bill to his desk. The legislation that Trump is currently supporting would restrict Congress members, spouses, and dependents from purchasing new individual stock. Whether this bill will be passed “without delay” is uncertain due to the internal debates and legislative changes occurring; many House Democrats are against this, and some lawmakers are pushing for stricter legislation. This includes the No Getting Rich in Congress Act or other measures to require complete transparency and divestment.
Gas:
Trump claimed the average price for a gallon of gas was $2.30 during the State of the Union, as well as a low of $1.85 a gallon in Iowa. The only state in February with the gas price of $2.30 a gallon was Oklahoma, and the average price for a gallon of gas in February 2026 was $2.57.
During the State of the Union, Donald Trump made the claim that we had seized 80 million barrels of oil from Venezuela. This claim has not been confirmed or denied as of current news, though the claim of 80 million barrels is being questioned by industry analysts who speculate that these claims are false. It is estimated that only around 30 million barrels of oil had been distributed by January 2026; this includes other nations, not just the United States.
U.S natural gas production is at an all-time high, as stated by President Donald Trump. With 2025 reaching a new record and all-time high, averaging about 118.5 billion cubic feet per day. This growth is driven by major basins such as the Appalachia and the Permian.
Jobs:
According to statements made by the White House in late 2025 and early 2026, 100% of new jobs are in the private sector. This was characterized by the massive increase in private hiring while the federal government was shrinking. Since August 2025, thousands of private sector jobs have been added to the federal government, and the growth has been concentrated in health care and construction. But according to the Trump administration’s own data, this isn’t true. The data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from January to August, shows the year-by-year totals for private sector jobs, showing that 2025 was the worst for the private sector job market since 2021.
In early 2025, Trump signed an executive order to terminate diversity, equality, and inclusion programs. Orders were issued to terminate all DEI, DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility), and environmental justice offices and positions within the federal government. Previous executive orders were revoked that required federal contractors to have affirmative action plans. Colleges were ordered to dismantle DEI training and programs, including those that distinguish students by race, and restricted funding for institutions.
