Fact-checkers had a field day with President Trump's address to Congress


When presidents address joint sessions of Congress, they "generally are careful not to stretch the truth," say Glenn Kessler and Michelle Ye Hee Lee at The Washington Post. But despite the high-profile stage, "President Trump's maiden address to Congress was notable because it was filled with numerous inaccuracies," including several he "trots out on a regular, almost daily basis." There are a handful of "four Pinocchio" whoppers sprinkled in among the 13 notable claims Kessler and Lee fact-check, but generally the verdict — as at similar reality checks by CNN, The New York Times, PolitiFact, and USA Today — is "true but misleading."
A widely cited example is Trump's technically accurate but practically absurd claim that 94 million Americans are out of the labor force. Some 75 percent of those people (pretty much every American over 15 without a job) are students, stay-at-home parents, disabled people, and retirees who aren't looking for work; the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the number of unemployed people at 7.6 million in January. Trump's claim that the U.S. has spent $6 trillion on wars in the Middle East is also wildly inflated, counting the $1.6 trillion to $3.8 trillion the U.S. has spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 plus future spending for three decades on veterans' care, interest on the debt, and other costs. This unspent money could not, obviously, have been used to rebuild America's infrastructure. There were other hard-to-verify statements like this:
Mostly, though, Trump exaggerated or cherry-picked data. He claimed credit for military cost cuts in the works long before he was elected, for instance, and U.S. jobs that companies decided to fill before the election — though, notes CNN's Julia Horowitz, "there are signs he urged along the process in cases." He suggested that the major driver of lost factory jobs was free-trade agreements rather than automation technology, and strongly oversold the problems facing the Affordable Care Act. Trump also falsely suggested America has an open border, exaggerated the crime risk and economic costs of immigration, and neglected to mention that overall violent crime is still near historical lows. If you want more information, you can read any of the embarrassment of fact-checks above.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Doom: The Dark Ages – an 'exhilarating' prequel
The Week Recommends Legendary shooter adds new combat options from timed parries to melee attacks and a 'particularly satisfying' shield charge
-
7 US cities to explore on a microtrip
The Week Recommends Not enough vacation days? No problem.
-
Crossword: May 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group
-
White Afrikaners land in US as Trump-declared refugees
speed read An exception was made to Trump's near-total ban on admitting refugees for the white South Africans
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
Trump, UK's Starmer outline first post-tariff deal
speed read President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer struck a 'historic' agreement to eliminate some of the former's imposed tariffs
-
Fed leaves rates unchanged as Powell warns on tariffs
speed read The Federal Reserve says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment are increasing under Trump's tariffs
-
Denmark to grill US envoy on Greenland spying report
speed read The Trump administration ramped up spying on Greenland, says reporting by The Wall Street Journal
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members