President Donald Trump delivered his first State of the Union address of his second term on February 24, 2026, using the nationally televised address to declare a “golden age” for America while claiming a sweeping list of first-year achievements — from border security and inflation reduction to ending eight international conflicts and a secret military strike on Iran’s nuclear program. The roughly 90-minute speech was punctuated by emotional ceremonies awarding Congressional Medals of Honor on the House floor, political jabs at Democrats who remained seated during multiple standing ovations, and the announcement that a Supreme Court ruling on tariffs had just been handed down days before — one Trump called “unfortunate” but pledged to work around using alternative legal statutes. The address drew sharp partisan divisions throughout, with Republican members cheering and some Democrats holding protest signs, shouting back from the floor, or refusing to stand during moments Trump clearly expected to be unifying. Assistance from Claude AI.
Participants
Key figures present or acknowledged:
- President Donald J. Trump — 47th President of the United States; sole speaker
- Speaker Mike Johnson — addressed directly in opening remarks
- Vice President JD Vance — acknowledged in opening; named to lead a new “war on fraud”
- First Lady Melania Trump — acknowledged; presented a Congressional Medal of Honor during the ceremony
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio — thanked for diplomatic work, including Gaza hostage negotiations
- Steve Witkoff — Special Envoy; thanked for Gaza hostage deal alongside Jared Kushner
- Jared Kushner — Former senior adviser; thanked for Gaza diplomacy
- General James Seward — presented Purple Hearts to Guard members
- General Jonathan Braga — presented Congressional Medal of Honor to CWO5 Eric Slover
Special Guests in the Gallery (named by Trump):
- Buddy Taggart — 99-year-old WWII veteran, upcoming 100th birthday on July 4, 2026
- Scott Ruskin / Petty Officer Ruskin — Coast Guard rescue swimmer; awarded Legion of Merit
- Millie Kate McClelland — 11-year-old Texas flood survivor rescued by Ruskin
- Megan Hemhauser — Pennsylvania waitress and mother; used to illustrate tax cut benefits
- Catherine Rayner — first beneficiary of new prescription drug pricing website
- Rachel Wiggins — Houston mother who lost 20 home bids to investment firms
- Sage Blair & Michelle Blair — Virginia teenager subjected to school gender transition without parental consent; now attending Liberty University
- Cierra Burns & Everest Nevermont — youth participants in Melania Trump’s AI education initiative
- Erika Kirk — widow of Charlie Kirk, described as “violently murdered by an assassin”
- Anya Zarutska — mother of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee stabbed on a Charlotte train
- Delilah Coleman & Marcus Coleman — five-year-old girl hit by an allegedly undocumented truck driver; now a first-grader learning to walk
- Jacqueline Medina — mother of Lizbeth Medina, a 16-year-old murder victim
- Gary and Evalea Beckstrom — parents of Sarah Beckstrom, a National Guard soldier killed near the White House
- Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe & Melody Wolfe — Guard member shot in same attack as Beckstrom; miraculously recovering
- CWO5 Eric Slover & Amy Slover — helicopter pilot who flew a Venezuela raid while wounded; received Congressional Medal of Honor
- Captain Royce Williams — 100-year-old Navy fighter ace; received Congressional Medal of Honor
- Alejandro Gonzalez & Uncle Enrique — Venezuelan-American; uncle released from prison following U.S. military raid on Maduro
- Brad Gerstner — investor credited with helping launch Trump Accounts program
- U.S. Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team — gold medalists, introduced to the chamber
- Connor Hellebuyck — team goaltender; announced for Presidential Medal of Freedom
Full Topic-by-Topic Breakdown
Opening: “The Golden Age of America”
Trump opened with a sweeping declaration that the United States had undergone a complete turnaround in his first 12 months back in office. He addressed Speaker Johnson, Vice President Vance, the First and Second Ladies, members of Congress, and “my fellow Americans.”
“Our nation is back, bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,” he said, framing the speech around the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence on July 4, 2026.
He contrasted what he described as the chaos he inherited — “a stagnant economy, inflation at record levels, a wide-open border, horrendous recruitment for military and police, rampant crime at home and wars and chaos all over the world” — with what he called a transformation “like no one has ever seen before.”
“This is the golden age of America,” he declared, a phrase he returned to throughout the speech.
Economy: Claims of Records on Multiple Fronts
Trump offered a long string of economic claims, framing the year as a historic turnaround.
On inflation: He said his administration had “driven core inflation down to the lowest level in more than five years,” and that in the final three months of 2025 it ran at 1.7 percent. He blamed Biden-era policy for what he called “the worst inflation in the history of our country.”
On gas prices: He claimed gasoline was now “below $2.30 a gallon in most states and in some places $1.99,” and described seeing $1.85 per gallon in Iowa. Under Biden, he said, prices reached over $6 in some states.
On housing: He said mortgage rates were “the lowest in four years and falling fast” and that the annual cost of a new mortgage was “down almost $5,000 just since I took office.”
On the stock market: “The stock market has set 53 all-time record highs since the election.” He said this benefited pensions, 401(k)s, and retirement accounts. He also noted the Dow Jones broke 50,000 and the S&P hit 7,000 “four years ahead of schedule.”
On investment: He claimed his administration had secured “commitments for more than $18 trillion” in new investment in 12 months, compared to “less than $1 trillion” over the full Biden term. “What a difference a president makes,” he said.
On employment: “More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country,” he said. He added that “100 percent of all jobs created under my administration have been in the private sector.”
On food stamps: “We have lifted 2.4 million Americans, a record, off of food stamps” in one year.
On food prices: “The price of eggs is down 60 percent.” He listed other categories including chicken, butter, fruit, hotels, automobiles, and rent as also declining, and said “even beef… is starting to come down significantly.”
He also thanked an unnamed “Madam Secretary” for the egg price decline — presumably Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins or another cabinet official present.
Tax Cuts: The “Big Beautiful Bill”
Trump thanked Republican majorities in Congress for passing what he called “the largest tax cuts in American history,” delivered through what he termed the “Great Big, Beautiful Bill.” He noted that “all Democrats, every single one of them, voted against” it.
Key provisions he highlighted:
- No tax on tips for service workers
- No tax on overtime pay
- No tax on Social Security for seniors
- Interest on auto loans tax deductible — but only for cars manufactured in America
- An expanded child tax credit
To illustrate the impact, he introduced Megan Hemhauser, a Pennsylvania mother who home-schools her children during the day and waits tables at night while her husband works overtime operating heavy equipment. He said the combined provisions would put “more than $5,000 extra” in her and her husband’s pockets this year, cutting their tax bill by more than half.
He also announced Trump Accounts — “tax-free investment accounts for every American child.” He insisted he did not name the program himself. He said the accounts would be “prefunded courtesy of the U.S. Treasury” and private donors. He highlighted Michael and Susan Dell, who he said donated $6.25 billion to fund accounts for 25 million children, and Brad Gerstner, “who was behind it right from the beginning.” He said the accounts could grow to over $100,000 by age 18 and directed viewers to TrumpAccounts.gov.
Tariffs and Trade: A Supreme Court Complication
In one of the speech’s most newsworthy moments, Trump acknowledged a Supreme Court ruling handed down just four days before — which he called “an unfortunate ruling” — that appeared to limit his tariff authority.
He framed the context: tariffs had brought in “hundreds of billions of dollars” and allowed him to make trade deals he said left countries “happy” even as the U.S. benefited more. “Countries that were ripping us off for decades are now paying us hundreds of billions of dollars.”
On the ruling: “Almost all countries and corporations want to keep the deal that they already made,” he said, because they fear the alternative — a new deal negotiated under full presidential authority — could be “far worse for them.” He said the existing tariff arrangements would “remain in place under fully approved and tested alternative legal statutes… a little more complex, but they’re actually probably better.”
He added: “Congressional action will not be necessary.” He did not identify the specific legal statutes or the exact scope of the ruling.
Looking ahead, he predicted tariffs would eventually “substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax,” echoing a long-standing theme from his campaign.
Border Security and Immigration: “Zero Illegal Aliens” Claim
Trump devoted extensive time to the border, calling it the signature achievement of his first year.
His core claim: “In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.” He said the border was now “the strongest and most secure… in American history by far.”
On fentanyl: “The flow of deadly fentanyl across our border is down by a record 56 percent in one year.”
On crime: “Last year the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history — the lowest number in over 125 years.”
He then escalated into a sharp political attack, saying Democrats “would do it all over again if they ever had the chance” and open borders to “some of the worst criminals anywhere in the world.” He said: “The only thing standing between Americans and a wide-open border right now is President Donald J. Trump and our great Republican patriots in Congress.”
Funding fight: He accused Democrats of having “cut off all funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” calling it “another Democrat shutdown.” He said the shutdown was also preventing the government from helping communities deal with a major snowstorm happening outside at that moment. “We’d love to give you a hand at cleaning it up, but you gave no money.”
Policy requests to Congress:
- Pass the Save America Act to stop non-citizens from voting in federal elections and require voter ID and proof of citizenship for all voters, with mail-in ballots restricted to illness, disability, military, or travel. He said the policy polls at “89 percent, including Democrats.”
- Pass the Delilah Law, named for Delilah Coleman — a 5-year-old girl who was badly injured when an 18-wheel truck driven by an allegedly undocumented immigrant plowed into her family’s stopped car. The law would bar states from granting commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.
- End sanctuary cities and enact “serious penalties for public officials who block the removal of criminal aliens.”
Stories used to illustrate the issue:
- Delilah Coleman — shown in the gallery, now a first-grader learning to walk after doctors said she never would.
- Jacqueline Medina — mother of Lizbeth Medina, a 16-year-old cheerleader stabbed 25 times in 2023 by a previously arrested undocumented immigrant.
- Iryna Zarutska — a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who fled the war only to be stabbed on a Charlotte, NC, train by a repeat offender released under no-cash-bail policy.
He also referenced an “Angel Moms” ceremony at the White House the day before the speech.
On the broader immigration theme, he made inflammatory remarks about “members of the Somali community” in Minnesota having “pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American taxpayer,” describing it as the kind of corruption that “shreds the fabric of a nation.” He also referenced welfare fraud in California, Massachusetts, and Maine.
Healthcare: Obamacare Criticism and Drug Pricing
Trump called the Affordable Care Act (which he referred to as “Obamacare”) a “rip-off” that enriched insurance companies. He said insurance stocks had soared between 1,000 and 1,700 percent since its passage while the government paid companies “hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars a year.”
His proposed alternative: eliminate payments to big insurance companies and “give that money directly to the people so they can buy their own health care, which will be better health care at a much lower cost.” He said this would include “maximum price transparency.”
He accused Democrats of “immediately terminated” his first-term transparency requirements, knowing “they were doing a very bad thing for the people.”
On prescription drug prices, he said he had enacted Most Favored Nation (MFN) agreements that would shift American drug prices from “by far the highest prices of any nation anywhere in the world” to “the lowest price anywhere in the world.” He said the resulting price differences could be “300, 400, 500, 600 percent and more.” He directed viewers to a new website called trump.gov to access discounts.
He illustrated the program with Catherine Rayner, described as the “very first customer” of the new pricing system. A drug she needed for IVF treatment had cost her $4,000; she got it for under $500 through the website — a reduction of more than $3,500. He asked Congress to “codify my Most Favored Nation program into law.”
AI and Tech: Ratepayer Protection Pledge
Trump raised concerns shared by many Americans that energy demand from AI data centers could drive up electricity bills. His solution: the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, an agreement with “major tech companies” that they must provide for their own power needs.
“They can build their own power plants as part of their factory, so that no one’s prices will go up, and in many cases, prices of electricity will go down for the community.” He said the existing electrical grid was too old to handle the energy demand AI infrastructure requires.
He also mentioned students and educators joining First Lady Melania Trump’s efforts in a Presidential AI Challenge, positioning America’s youth to compete in the AI-driven future.
Housing: Wall Street Investment Firm Ban
Trump said he had signed an executive order to ban large Wall Street investment firms from buying single-family homes in bulk. He called on Congress to make that ban permanent.
He told the story of Rachel Wiggins, a Houston mother who had placed bids on 20 homes and lost all of them to investment firms that “bypassed inspection, paid all cash, and turned those houses into rentals.” He said corporations were “stealing away her American dream.”
“We want homes for people, not for corporations.”
Retirement and Insider Trading
Trump announced a new initiative to give workers without employer-sponsored retirement plans access to a federal retirement option. “My administration will give these often forgotten American workers access to the same type of retirement plan offered to every federal worker,” including a government match of up to $1,000 per year.
He also called on Congress to pass the Stop Insider Trading Act to prevent members of Congress from using non-public information to make profitable trades. This drew a standing ovation from Republicans — Trump remarked, “I wasn’t sure if anybody, even on this side, was going to applaud for that” — but he also noted with pointed sarcasm whether Nancy Pelosi had stood up (she apparently did not).
He said the typical 401(k) balance is now “up by at least $30,000” since he took office.
Education and Parental Rights
Trump introduced Sage Blair and her mother Michelle, recounting how in 2021, when Sage was 14, Virginia school officials had “sought to socially transition her to a new gender, treating her as a boy and hiding it from her parents.” After Sage ran away from home, a judge refused to return her to her parents because they would not affirm that their daughter was their son, and she was placed in an all-boys state home.
Trump framed this as a government overreach that no parent should face: “No state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents’ will.” He said it should be banned immediately.
He noted that Sage had been accepted to Liberty University on a full-ride scholarship.
When Democrats in the chamber declined to stand during this segment, Trump repeatedly said: “Look, nobody stands up. These people are crazy.”
Faith and Charlie Kirk
Trump spoke about what he called “a tremendous renewal in religion, faith, Christianity and belief in God,” particularly among young people. He credited his “great friend Charlie Kirk” — founder of Turning Point USA — as a significant force in this renewal. He then said Kirk had been “violently murdered by an assassin and martyred, really martyred for his beliefs.” His widow Erika Kirk was present in the gallery. Trump asked the nation to “totally reject political violence of any kind” in Kirk’s memory.
(Note: This was the first public confirmation from the presidential podium of Kirk’s death. The specifics of the assassination were not elaborated on during the address.)
Crime and Domestic Security
Trump said he had deployed National Guard and federal law enforcement to cities including Memphis, New Orleans, and Washington, DC, calling it “stunning turnarounds” in each city.
On Washington specifically: “Crime in Washington is now at the lowest level ever recorded, and murders in DC this January were down close to 100 percent from a year ago.”
He honored the memory of Army National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of West Virginia, who he said was shot in the head while on patrol near the White House by a man from Afghanistan “who didn’t like people wearing our uniform.” She died from her wounds. He honored her parents, Gary and Evalea Beckstrom, who were in the gallery.
Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, shot in the same attack, was also present. He had been given almost no chance of survival, but his mother Melody Wolfe had told Trump on the night of the shooting: “He’s going to be OK.” He is now on the path to a miraculous recovery. General James Seward presented Purple Hearts to Wolfe and the Beckstrom family during the address.
International Affairs: Eight Wars Ended, Iran Strike Revealed
Trump claimed his administration had ended eight international conflicts in his first 10 months:
- Cambodia and Thailand
- Pakistan and India — he said 35 million people “would have died” including Pakistan’s prime minister without his intervention
- Kosovo and Serbia
- Israel and Iran
- Egypt and Ethiopia
- Armenia and Azerbaijan
- The Congo and Rwanda
- Gaza — “which proceeds at a very low level. It’s just about there.”
He thanked Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for diplomatic work, especially on Gaza. He praised Rubio as potentially “the best [Secretary of State] ever” and noted with amusement that even some Democrats who had confirmed him were now expressing regret.
Gaza hostages: “Under the ceasefire I negotiated, every single hostage — both living and dead — has been returned home.” He said 28 bodies were recovered, calling it something “nobody thought was possible.” He described the emotional process of recovering each body, including the families’ reaction to getting their loved ones back.
Russia-Ukraine war: He said he was “working very hard to end” this conflict, in which “25,000 soldiers are dying each and every month.” He said it “would have never happened if I were president.”
The Iran Nuclear Strike: “Operation Midnight Hammer”
In what may be the address’s most significant foreign policy disclosure, Trump revealed — or re-confirmed to a large public audience — that the United States military had conducted a strike on Iranian soil that “obliterated Iran’s nuclear weapons program” in what he called Operation Midnight Hammer, which he said occurred in June of the previous year.
He described Iran as having killed and maimed “thousands of American service members” with roadside bombs, and said the regime had continued pursuing nuclear ambitions “despite all warnings.” He also referenced killing General Qasem Soleimani in his first term as a milestone in this broader conflict.
“After Midnight Hammer, they were warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons program… yet they continue starting it all over again.”
He said the U.S. is currently “in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘we will never have a nuclear weapon.’” He said his preference was diplomacy but pledged that “I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon.”
Venezuela: Military Raid, Maduro’s Capture
Trump described what he called “one of the most spectacular feats of military competence and power in world history” — a January raid that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and brought him to face “American justice.” He said they were working with a new president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, to forge a new economic relationship.
He introduced Alejandro Gonzalez, a Venezuelan-American whose uncle Enrique had been imprisoned by Maduro after opposing him politically. In a surprise moment, Enrique — who had just been released from prison following the raid — walked down the aisle to reunite with his niece live on television.
The centerpiece military figure was Chief Warrant Officer Five Eric Slover, who had piloted the lead Chinook helicopter in the raid, been shot four times in the leg and hip by enemy machine guns, but continued flying and landing the helicopter safely to deliver commandos before telling his copilot, “Take over. I’m about ready to pass out.” Trump said Slover’s legs had been “shredded into numerous pieces.”
General Jonathan Braga presented Slover — still recovering from his wounds — with the Congressional Medal of Honor on the House floor. Trump also announced that 10 other warriors from the same mission would receive medals at a private White House ceremony.
Military and NATO
Trump announced a $1 trillion defense budget passed by Republicans in Congress, calling it a “record” investment. He said every branch of the armed forces was “setting records for recruitment.”
He announced that every service member had recently received a “warrior dividend” of $1,776 — paid for, he said, with tariff revenue. He said the amount was originally going to be $1,775, but he personally insisted on adding one dollar to make it $1,776.
On NATO, he said alliance members had agreed at his “very strong request” to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP — compared to the 2 percent they had previously pledged but largely not met. He said he secured the commitment “really easily with one meeting.”
He also said: “Everything we send over to Ukraine is sent through NATO and they pay us in full.”
Congressional Medal of Honor Ceremonies (Multiple)
Two Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded live during the address:
- CWO5 Eric Slover — for his actions during the Venezuela/Maduro raid, presented by General Jonathan Braga
- Captain Royce Williams, 100 years old — a Navy fighter pilot who in 1952 during the Korean War shot down four Soviet jets while being outnumbered 7-to-1, taking 263 bullets to his own plane. His story was classified for over 50 years. His medal was presented by First Lady Melania Trump
A Legion of Merit was also awarded on the floor to Petty Officer Scott Ruskin, the Coast Guard rescue swimmer who saved 165 lives during the 2025 Texas flood disaster.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom was announced for Olympic hockey goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who made 46 saves in the gold medal game against Canada.
Purple Hearts were presented to Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe and the family of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom by General James Seward.
Space, Olympics, and American Pride
Trump mentioned his administration securing both the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2026 FIFA World Cup — framing them as achievements he claimed credit for. He said Los Angeles would be safe for the Olympics and compared it to Washington, DC, now being “one of the safest cities in the country.”
He introduced the U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team, gold medalists who had beaten Canada in overtime. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen them get up,” he joked as the team entered the chamber to a standing ovation.
He referenced Space Force as “my baby” and expressed pride in how it had grown in importance.
Closing: 250 Years and the American Promise
Trump closed with a sweeping historical meditation on the 250th anniversary of independence arriving this July 4, 2026. He traced the arc of American history from 13 colonies to what he called “the pinnacle of human civilization” — connecting WWII liberations, westward expansion, industrialization, space exploration, and now AI leadership.
He used the presence of two centenarians — Buddy Taggart (turning 100 on July 4, 2026) and Captain Royce Williams (already 100) — to note that “just a single long human lifespan separates the giants who declared and won our independence from the heroes who stand among us tonight.”
He concluded: “The revolution that began in 1776 has not ended; it still continues because the flame of liberty and independence still burns in the heart of every American patriot. And our future will be bigger, better, brighter, bolder and more glorious than ever before.”
Notable Partisan Moments and Disruptions
Throughout the address, Democratic members of Congress demonstrated in several ways:
- Holding signs protesting various policies
- Shouting back or heckling from the floor at several points
- Remaining seated — sometimes as a group — during standing ovations for moments Trump highlighted as universally American (border security, protecting American citizens, honoring military)
- Several members left the chamber entirely at points during the speech
Trump responded repeatedly and directly to seated Democrats: “You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up.” He called Democrats “crazy” on multiple occasions and said, “Democrats are destroying our country, but we’ve stopped it just in the nick of time.”
One moment of bipartisan standing came during the call to pass the Stop Insider Trading Act, which Trump expressed surprise about.
MLA Citation
Trump, Donald J. “Speech: Donald Trump Delivers the State of the Union Address.” Roll Call Factba.se, 24 Feb. 2026, rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-speech-state-of-the-union-february-24-2026/.
Fact-Check: Trump’s 2026 State of the Union Address
Rating key used throughout:
- ✅ TRUE / MOSTLY TRUE — Supported by data, with minor caveats
- ⚠️ MISLEADING / EXAGGERATED — Contains a kernel of truth but requires significant context
- ❌ FALSE — Contradicted by available evidence or authoritative data
THE ECONOMY
“The Biden administration gave us the worst inflation in the history of our country.”
Rating: ❌ FALSE
The Biden administration did preside over a 40-year high in inflation — the Consumer Price Index peaked at 9.1% in June 2022 — but that is far from the worst in U.S. history. The all-time record inflation rate was 23.7%, set in 1920. Inflation in the late 1970s and early 1980s also regularly exceeded Biden-era peaks, reaching 13.5% in 1980. Additionally, when Trump returned to office in January 2025, inflation was already back down to 3.0% — a figure well within historical norms.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Historical Data; Scripps News, February 24, 2026.
“My administration has driven core inflation down to the lowest level in more than five years.” / “In the last three months of 2025, it was down to 1.7 percent.”
Rating: ⚠️ MISLEADING — and the 1.7% figure is unverified
Core inflation (which strips out food and energy) did decline to approximately 2.5% by January 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. That is the lowest since March 2021 — roughly five years ago — so the general claim has some support. However, the specific 1.7% figure for the final quarter of 2025 does not match publicly available data: core inflation ran at 2.6% in both November and December 2025, per the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Federal data for October 2025 is missing due to the 2025 government shutdown. The source of Trump’s 1.7% figure is unclear. It’s worth noting that the U.S. economy grew 2.2% in 2025 — lower than any year of the Biden presidency (2.8% in 2024).
Sources: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Inflation Nowcasting; CBS News Fact Check, February 24, 2026; CNN Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
“In 12 months, I secured commitments for more than $18 trillion pouring in from all over the globe.”
Rating: ❌ FALSE
This is one of the most thoroughly debunked claims in the speech. The White House’s own website lists total investment commitments at approximately $9.6 trillion — less than the $18 trillion Trump cited. Independent analysts found even that figure inflated: Bloomberg Economics determined that more than $2.5 trillion of the White House’s total doesn’t represent actual investment, roughly $3.5 trillion comes from opaque sovereign pledges whose materialization is uncertain, and $2.9 trillion of the corporate investment is planned for data centers over many years. The Peterson Institute for International Economics calculated credible verified pledges at around $5 trillion from identified trading partners. In context, U.S. GDP is approximately $31 trillion — $18 trillion would represent more than half the entire U.S. economy in new investment in a single year.
Sources: Bloomberg Economics analysis, November 2025; Peterson Institute for International Economics, January 2026; NBC News Fact Check, February 25, 2026; NPR Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
“The stock market has set 53 all-time record highs since the election.”
Rating: ⚠️ NEEDS CONTEXT
The stock market did hit record highs after the 2024 election, and Trump’s claim that the Dow broke 50,000 and the S&P hit 7,000 is consistent with market data. However, independent analysts note that overall market performance in 2026 has been less successful than international competitors, and the market has experienced significant volatility related to the tariff policy uncertainty — particularly around the Supreme Court ruling on tariffs that Trump mentioned in the same speech.
Sources: Multiple financial news outlets; SOTU 2026 Fact Check review, sundayguardianlive.com, February 25, 2026.
“More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country. 100% of all jobs created under my administration have been in the private sector.”
Rating: ⚠️ MISLEADING
The raw number — approximately 158.6 million employed Americans as of January 2026 — is accurate and does represent an all-time record high. But the framing is misleading. The total number of employed people has risen steadily for decades as the U.S. population grows; this metric virtually always sets a new record over time, making it a poor measure of economic health. The more meaningful metrics tell a different story: the employment-population ratio actually declined slightly under Trump, from 60.1% in January 2025 to 59.8% in January 2026. The unemployment rate increased from 4.0% to 4.3% over the same period, hitting a four-year high of 4.5% in November before easing. Job growth in 2025 (approximately 359,000 jobs, or 0.2%) was dramatically lower than Biden’s final year (1.2 million jobs, or 0.8%). The manufacturing sector shed 108,000 jobs in 2025 despite Trump’s tariff-driven push.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation Summary, January 2026; FactCheck.org, February 24, 2026; CBS News Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
“We have added 70,000 new construction jobs in just a very short period of time.”
Rating: ❌ FALSE (EXAGGERATED)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that from January 2025 through January 2026, approximately 44,000 construction jobs were added — significantly fewer than the 70,000 Trump claimed.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics; NBC News Fact Check, February 25, 2026.
“Gasoline is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states.”
Rating: ❌ FALSE
According to AAA, the national average gas price as of February 24, 2026 was approximately $2.95 per gallon. Only one state — Oklahoma — had an average price around $2.30. According to GasBuddy, which tracks approximately 150,000 stations nationwide, only the cheapest 10% of all gas stations in the country were priced at $2.30 or below. Only about eight gas stations nationwide were selling gas under $2.00. Trump specifically mentioned seeing $1.85 per gallon in Iowa; AAA data showed Iowa’s average was approximately $2.50.
Sources: AAA Gas Prices, February 24, 2026; GasBuddy data; CBS News Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
“The price of eggs is down 60%.”
Rating: ✅ MOSTLY TRUE
Egg prices did fall sharply from their peak. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, average retail egg prices were down approximately 59% from their March 2025 peak of $6.23 per dozen to around $2.55 by January 2026. However, eggs were also elevated when Trump took office (around $4.95 per dozen in January 2025 due to a bird flu outbreak), so the decline from his inauguration is somewhat smaller than from the peak. It should also be noted that the bird flu outbreak — not policy decisions — drove both the spike and much of the subsequent decline.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics; CBS News Fact Check, February 24, 2026; Scripps News, February 24, 2026.
“The cost of chicken, butter, fruit, hotels, automobiles, rent is lower today than when I took office by a lot.”
Rating: ⚠️ MISLEADING
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics tells a more complicated story. Whole chicken prices were essentially flat ($2.06 vs. $2.04 per pound from March 2025 to January 2026). Boneless chicken breast was also flat ($4.16 vs. $4.17). Butter declined about 9% ($4.82 to $4.38). Fresh fruit fell less than 1% year-over-year. New vehicle prices were essentially unchanged. Rent of primary residences increased 2.3%. Meanwhile, beef prices hit all-time highs, with ground beef reaching $6.75 per pound in January 2026 — up nearly 22% from a year earlier. Trump said beef was “starting to come down”; the data show the opposite.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics; CBS News Fact Check, February 24, 2026; NBC News Fact Check, February 25, 2026.
“American oil production is up by more than 600,000 barrels a day.”
Rating: ⚠️ EXAGGERATED
U.S. crude oil production did set an annual record in 2025, but the increase was approximately 400,000 barrels per day from 2024 — not 600,000 as Trump claimed. Furthermore, this was not a new trend initiated by Trump; crude output rose for four consecutive years before he took office. It is also expected to decline by approximately 100,000 barrels per day in 2026 due to low oil prices and a global oversupply. On natural gas, Trump’s claim is accurate — the Energy Information Administration forecasts record natural gas production in 2026 and 2027.
Sources: Energy Information Administration; NPR Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
“We have lifted 2.4 million Americans — a record — off of food stamps.”
Rating: ⚠️ NEEDS CONTEXT
Trump’s administration did reduce the number of Americans on SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called food stamps) by approximately 2.4 million. However, the context is critical: the “Big Beautiful Bill” signed last year included significant cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, meaning many people were removed from the rolls through policy changes and new eligibility restrictions — not because their economic circumstances improved. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that as many as 10 million people could eventually lose Medicaid coverage under those provisions. There are approximately 42 million Americans still relying on SNAP.
Sources: NBC News Fact Check, February 25, 2026; NPR Fact Check, February 24, 2026; STAT News, February 24, 2026.
“Tariffs are paid for by foreign countries.”
Rating: ❌ FALSE (REPEATED CLAIM)
Trump made this claim twice during the address. It is consistently contradicted by economic evidence. Tariff payments are made by U.S. importers, not foreign governments. A February 2026 analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that nearly 90% of the economic burden of Trump’s tariffs fell on U.S. businesses and consumers. Importers often pass those costs on to consumers in the form of higher prices. While foreign exporters sometimes lower prices to stay competitive, the vast majority of the cost falls domestically. According to the Congressional Research Service, tariffs have not accounted for more than 2% of federal revenue in 70 years — far short of replacing the income tax system as Trump suggested.
Sources: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, February 2026; Congressional Research Service; CNN Fact Check, February 24, 2026; Scripps News, February 24, 2026.
TAX CUTS
“We passed the largest tax cuts in American history.”
Rating: ❌ FALSE
An analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation ranked the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” as the sixth largest tax cut in U.S. history, not the largest. The cuts total approximately $4.8 trillion, or 1.3% of GDP over a decade, according to the latest Congressional Budget Office analysis. While the bill does include new tax benefits on tips, overtime, and Social Security, the CBO found that the bulk of the tax savings will flow to higher-income households. Middle-income households are expected to see a modest benefit of $500 to $1,000 per year. For families making under $55,000, the loss of government benefits (particularly Medicaid and SNAP cuts included in the same bill) will likely outweigh any tax savings.
Sources: Tax Foundation, November 2025; Congressional Budget Office, February 2026; NPR Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
IMMIGRATION AND BORDER
“In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.”
Rating: ❌ FALSE
Illegal border crossings have fallen dramatically under Trump’s second term — to their lowest level since 1970 in fiscal year 2025, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. But the number has never reached zero. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, there were approximately 237,538 illegal crossings in 2025. In January 2026 alone, Border Patrol apprehended roughly 6,000 migrants after illegal southern border crossings. “Zero” is impossible to verify even in principle, since undocumented crossings by definition may go undetected.
Sources: U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Pew Research Center; ABC News Fact Check, February 24, 2026; NPR Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
“The flow of deadly fentanyl across our border is down by a record 56 percent in one year.”
Rating: ⚠️ NEEDS CONTEXT
Seizures of fentanyl by U.S. Customs and Border Protection did drop by roughly half over the past year compared to Biden’s final year, consistent with Trump’s claim. However, fentanyl seizures do not indicate how much fentanyl is being sent to the U.S., nor how much is crossing the border undetected. A decrease in seizures can mean less fentanyl is crossing — or that interdiction patterns have changed. Most fentanyl that is seized enters through legal ports of entry, not between ports where border patrol focuses enforcement.
Sources: CBP data; PolitiFact; Scripps News, February 24, 2026.
Iryna Zarutska’s killer “came in through open borders.”
Rating: ❌ FALSE — One of the most significant factual errors in the speech
This is one of the clearest factual errors in the entire address. Trump said that the man who murdered Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train in August 2025 had “come in through open borders.” The suspect, 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown Jr., is a U.S. citizen born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, who attended West Charlotte High School and had a lengthy local criminal history. The Charlotte Observer, NPR, CNN, and multiple other news organizations had confirmed Brown’s American citizenship before the speech was delivered. Trump accurately described Brown as having been arrested more than a dozen times and released — a legitimate criminal justice policy critique — but the claim that he was an illegal immigrant is false.
Sources: Charlotte Observer; NPR Fact Check, February 24, 2026; CNN Live Updates, February 24, 2026; Newsweek, February 25, 2026; Spectrum Local News Charlotte, February 25, 2026.
“Members of the Somali community have pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American taxpayer” in Minnesota.
Rating: ⚠️ HIGHLY MISLEADING
Trump’s $19 billion figure appears to derive from a misreading of a prosecutor’s public statement that roughly half of the approximately $18 billion in federal funds that supported various Minnesota social service programs since 2018 “could be” fraudulent. That was a speculative maximum estimate — not an established finding. The actual fraud confirmed through charges is dramatically smaller. The Justice Department, which began its investigation under the Biden administration, has brought charges alleging approximately $300 million in fraudulent payments related to a COVID-era food assistance program. As of December 2025, a top prosecutor suggested the total could be $9 billion or more — still far less than $19 billion, and still under investigation. Furthermore, Trump’s framing of this as a “Somali community” problem is ethnically inflammatory: while approximately 82 of the 92 people charged in announced cases were of Somali descent, they represent a tiny fraction of the estimated 100,000 Somali Americans living in Minnesota, the vast majority of whom are U.S. citizens.
Sources: U.S. Department of Justice; NBC News Fact Check, February 25, 2026; CBS News Fact Check, February 24, 2026; ABC News Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
“The cheating is rampant in our elections. It’s rampant.”
Rating: ❌ FALSE
All available evidence indicates that voter fraud — including noncitizen voting — is extremely rare in U.S. elections. A comprehensive 2024 audit of Georgia’s voter rolls (8.2 million registered voters) found 20 noncitizens registered, with 9 who actually cast a ballot. An Iowa audit of 2.3 million voters found 87 instances of noncitizens casting ballots. According to the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research, allegations of large-scale voter fraud typically arise from “misunderstandings, mischaracterizations, or outright fabrications.” During Trump’s second term, the federal government used the SAVE verification system to check 49.5 million voter registrations; approximately 10,000 were flagged as potentially noncitizen — about 0.02% — and even those flags turned out to be largely inaccurate upon county-level investigation.
Sources: Center for Election Innovation & Research; FactCheck.org, February 24, 2026; NPR Fact Check, February 24, 2026; ABC News Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
“They poured in by the millions and millions — from prisons, from mental institutions. There were 11,888 murders.”
Rating: ⚠️ NEEDS CONTEXT — The prison claim is unsupported
It is true that approximately 10 million people entered the U.S. illegally during the Biden administration — a historically high figure. However, the specific claim that “millions” entered from prisons and mental institutions has no evidentiary basis. No credible data source supports the idea that a significant share of the 10 million came directly from prisons or psychiatric facilities of other countries. The “11,888 murderers” figure has been cited by Trump previously and refers to people convicted of homicide who were encountered by CBP — but the framing “came from prisons” describes the history of those individuals, not the source of their migration.
Sources: U.S. Customs and Border Protection; ABC News Fact Check, February 24, 2026; NBC News Fact Check, February 25, 2026.
HEALTHCARE
“Americans who have for decades paid by far the highest prices of any nation anywhere in the world for prescription drugs will now pay the lowest price anywhere in the world.”
Rating: ❌ FALSE / GREATLY OVERSTATED
The first half is well-supported: a 2024 RAND Organization study found that U.S. prescription drug prices averaged 2.8 times higher than in 33 other nations, with brand-name drugs averaging 4.22 times as much. Trump’s Most Favored Nation (MFN) policy — which ties U.S. prices to the lowest price charged in other wealthy countries — is a real initiative that has produced some voluntary agreements with 16 pharmaceutical companies. However, policy experts across the political spectrum say the claim that Americans now pay “the lowest price anywhere in the world” is false and unsupported by data. Key limitations: the MFN deals cover only select drugs, primarily for cash-paying patients not using insurance. The details of the agreements remain confidential, and no independent review has confirmed the price reductions claimed. Brand-name drug list prices continued to rise in January 2026 — the median increase was 4%, the same as in 2025, according to the research firm 46brooklyn. A USC health policy expert called the “lowest in the world” claim “total fiction.” Industry group PhRMA opposed the policy entirely.
Sources: RAND Organization, 2024; FactCheck.org, February 24, 2026; KFF Health Policy Analysis; Axios, February 24, 2026; USC Schaeffer Center; PBS NewsHour, February 24, 2026.
Trump’s pledge to “protect Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid.”
Rating: ⚠️ CONTRADICTED BY PRIOR ACTIONS
Trump said “we will always protect Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid.” But the “One Big Beautiful Bill” he signed into law last summer enacted significant cuts to Medicaid, with the CBO estimating as many as 10 million people could lose Medicaid coverage through the bill’s work requirements and other restrictions. Trump made no mention of these cuts in his speech.
Sources: Congressional Budget Office; STAT News, February 24, 2026; NPR Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
FOREIGN POLICY
“In my first 10 months I ended eight wars.”
Rating: ⚠️ HIGHLY EXAGGERATED
Trump has played a real role in brokering ceasefires and reducing tensions in several international conflicts. However, independent foreign policy analysts and multiple news organizations say the claim of “eight wars ended” significantly overstates his record. Several key issues: Some of the listed conflicts (such as the Ethiopia-Egypt dispute over the Nile dam) were not active wars but diplomatic disputes. Some conflicts Trump claimed to have ended have since resumed — fighting between Cambodia and Thailand reignited in December 2025, killing 100 people before a second ceasefire; violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo continued after the June 2025 Washington peace deal. Trump’s own continued discussion of Iran’s nuclear ambitions contradicts the “Israel and Iran” war being truly ended. No long-term peace treaties have been ratified in any of the listed conflicts.
Sources: CBS News Fact Check, February 24, 2026; ABC7 Chicago, February 24, 2026; NPR Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
“The United States military obliterated Iran’s nuclear weapons program.”
Rating: ⚠️ OVERSTATED
Combined U.S. and Israeli strikes in June 2025 (Operation Midnight Hammer) did inflict major damage on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure — that much is broadly confirmed. However, Trump’s characterization of having “obliterated” the program is disputed by weapons experts and international inspectors. Rafael Grossi, head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a recent interview that much of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium likely remains intact at the struck facilities. Iran has not allowed international inspectors to fully assess the damage, making definitive conclusions impossible. The fact that Trump himself announced new rounds of potential strikes against Iran’s nuclear program during the same speech strongly suggests the program was not fully destroyed.
Sources: International Atomic Energy Agency; ABC7 Chicago, February 24, 2026; NPR Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
“We haven’t heard those secret words — ‘we will never have a nuclear weapon’” from Iran.
Rating: ❌ FALSE
Iran has repeatedly and explicitly stated that it does not seek and will not seek nuclear weapons. Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted on social media just hours before Trump’s speech: “Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear: Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated before the UN General Assembly: “I hereby declare once more before this Assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb.” Whether those statements are credible is a separate policy debate — but Trump’s factual claim that Iran has not made such a declaration is false.
Sources: Iranian Foreign Ministry; UN General Assembly records; ABC News Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
“Every single hostage — both living and dead — has been returned home” from Gaza.
Rating: ✅ MOSTLY TRUE
This claim is largely accurate. Under the Gaza ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration, all 28 bodies of deceased hostages were recovered and repatriated in addition to the surviving hostages — something widely considered unlikely at the outset. However, some context is important: the ceasefire has not fully held, and Israel has continued to conduct airstrikes that have killed hundreds of Palestinians since the truce was announced. The ceasefire was brokered with significant involvement from Qatar and Egypt in addition to U.S. special envoys.
Sources: NPR; PBS NewsHour; multiple diplomatic sources.
NATO now paying “5 percent of GDP for military defense.”
Rating: ⚠️ NEEDS VERIFICATION / LIKELY EXAGGERATED
NATO previously had a target of 2% of GDP for member defense spending, which most members had not met. Trump did pressure NATO allies to significantly increase spending in 2025, and there were reports of a new, higher commitment. However, 5% of GDP would be an extraordinarily high figure — higher than the U.S. itself spends — and independent analyses have not confirmed a formal binding NATO commitment at that level. The 5% figure appears to have originated from a Trump announcement rather than a formal NATO communiqué that has been independently verified.
Sources: NATO data; multiple international news sources.
CRIME AND DOMESTIC SAFETY
“Last year, the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history — the lowest number in over 125 years.”
Rating: ✅ MOSTLY TRUE (WITH CAVEATS)
This is one of Trump’s most well-supported major claims — and one of the few rated TRUE by CBS News. A January 2026 study by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ), a nonpartisan think tank, found a more than 20% drop in the homicide rate between 2024 and 2025 in 35 cities reporting data, suggesting a “strong possibility” that the 2025 homicide rate would be the lowest recorded since approximately 1900. The FBI’s official annual crime report for 2025 has not yet been released, so the claim cannot be definitively confirmed. Important context: violent crime and homicides have been trending downward for years after a COVID-era spike. Experts note that the decline defies easy explanation, and multiple factors including local policy changes, demographic shifts, and law enforcement practices contributed — and were already underway before Trump’s specific 2025 deployments.
Sources: Council on Criminal Justice, January 2026; CBS News Fact Check, February 24, 2026; ABC News Fact Check, February 24, 2026.
“Crime in Washington is now at the lowest level ever recorded, and murders in DC this January were down close to 100% from a year ago.”
Rating: ⚠️ EXAGGERATED
Crime in Washington, D.C., has declined significantly, and homicides have fallen sharply. However, the Metropolitan Police Department’s year-to-date figures show violent crime down approximately 29% and homicide down approximately 67% as of early February — significant declines, but not “close to 100%.” The “lowest level ever recorded” claim is not supported by the MPD’s data. It is also worth noting that crime in DC was already falling before the August 2025 deployment of National Guard forces; the Justice Department reported in December 2024 that DC violent crime fell in 2024 to its lowest level in more than 30 years.
Sources: Metropolitan Police Department; ABC News Fact Check, February 24, 2026; ABC7 Chicago, February 24, 2026.
“No state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents’ will.”
Rating: ❌ FALSE as a general legal claim
While the story of Sage Blair — whose situation appeared to involve a Virginia judge making a contested custody decision related to gender identity — is real and disputed, Trump’s framing suggests that states have laws allowing them to remove children from parents for the purpose of gender transition surgery without parental consent. That is not the case. There are no state laws that permit removing a child from parental custody specifically to provide gender-affirming care over parental objection. In fact, most states (including many blue states) require parental consent for any medical care involving minors, including gender-affirming treatments. The Sage Blair case involved a specific judicial decision, not a standing state law authorizing what Trump described.
Sources: CBS News Fact Check, February 24, 2026; legal experts.
Budget can be balanced by eliminating fraud: “If we’re able to find enough of that fraud, we will actually have a balanced budget overnight.”
Rating: ❌ FALSE
The federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2025 was approximately $1.78 trillion. The Government Accountability Office estimates total federal government fraud losses at between $233 billion and $521 billion annually — a substantial figure, but well under 30% of the annual deficit even at the high end. Eliminating all fraudulent spending would not balance the budget, let alone do so “overnight.”
Sources: Government Accountability Office, 2024 report; Congressional Budget Office, February 2026 Budget Outlook; FactCheck.org, February 24, 2026.
WHAT WAS NOT MENTIONED
Several major policy developments from Trump’s first year were notably absent from the speech:
- The Medicaid cuts in the “Big Beautiful Bill” that could affect up to 10 million Americans were not mentioned, even as Trump pledged to “protect Medicaid.”
- The killings of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents last month were not mentioned.
- Manufacturing job losses of 108,000 in 2025 were absent despite Trump’s emphasis on the manufacturing revival.
- Major layoffs at HHS, the FDA, CDC, and NIH — including cuts to substance abuse and mental health programs — were not discussed in the health care segment.
- The scope and cost of immigration enforcement — nearly $100 billion combined for expanded detention and border wall construction — was not addressed.
SUMMARY TABLE
| Claim | Rating | Key Finding |
|---|---|---|
| “Worst inflation in U.S. history” under Biden | ❌ False | Peak was 9.1% (40-yr high), not all-time; all-time record was 23.7% in 1920 |
| Core inflation at 1.7% in Q4 2025 | ❌ Unverified | Fed data shows 2.6% in Nov/Dec 2025; source unclear |
| $18 trillion in new investment secured | ❌ False | White House own site shows $9.6T; analysts say even that is inflated |
| 70,000 new construction jobs | ❌ False | BLS shows 44,000 |
| Gas below $2.30 in most states | ❌ False | National avg was $2.95; only ~1 state averaged near $2.30 |
| Eggs down 60% | ✅ Mostly True | Down ~59% from March 2025 peak; bird flu was primary driver |
| Chicken, butter, rent lower “by a lot” | ❌ False | Data shows mostly flat; beef hit all-time highs |
| Oil production up 600,000 barrels/day | ⚠️ Exaggerated | EIA says ~400,000 bbl/day increase; expected to decline in 2026 |
| Record employment | ⚠️ Misleading | Raw number is true, but unemployment rose; employment-population ratio fell |
| “Largest tax cuts in history” | ❌ False | Tax Foundation ranks it 6th largest |
| Tariffs paid by foreign countries | ❌ False | ~90% of burden falls on U.S. businesses/consumers (NY Fed, Feb. 2026) |
| Zero illegal border crossings in 9 months | ❌ False | ~237,538 crossings in 2025; ~6,000 in January 2026 alone |
| Iryna Zarutska’s killer “came through open borders” | ❌ False | Suspect DeCarlos Brown Jr. is a U.S. citizen born in Charlotte |
| Somali community stole “$19 billion” in Minnesota | ⚠️ Highly Misleading | Confirmed fraud charges: ~$300M; maximum estimate: ~$9B; attributed to individuals, not a community |
| “Cheating is rampant” in elections | ❌ False | Noncitizen voting is extremely rare; multiple state audits confirm this |
| Drug prices now “lowest in the world” | ❌ False | MFN deals cover limited drugs; brand-name prices rose 4% in Jan 2026 |
| Trump “protected Medicaid” | ⚠️ Contradicted | “Big Beautiful Bill” cut Medicaid; up to 10M could lose coverage |
| Iran has never said it won’t seek nuclear weapon | ❌ False | Iranian FM said it hours before the speech |
| Iran nuclear program “obliterated” | ⚠️ Overstated | Major damage confirmed; full destruction disputed by IAEA |
| “Ended 8 wars” | ⚠️ Exaggerated | Some ceasefires brokered; some conflicts resumed; none are fully resolved |
| All Gaza hostages returned | ✅ Mostly True | All confirmed returned; ceasefire has not fully held |
| Murder rate lowest in 125 years | ✅ Mostly True | CCJ data strongly suggests this; FBI official report pending |
| DC murders “down close to 100%” in January | ⚠️ Exaggerated | MPD data shows ~67% decline; significant but not “close to 100%” |
| No state laws allow gender transition against parents’ will | Contextual: Trump’s framing overstated | No such laws exist; case involved a specific judicial ruling |
| Balanced budget possible through fraud elimination | ❌ False | GAO estimates max fraud at $521B/yr; deficit is $1.78T |
MLA Citations for Fact-Check Sources
Timm, Jane C., and Adam Edelman. “Fact-Checking Trump’s 2026 State of the Union Address on Inflation, Tax Cuts, Immigration and More.” NBC News, 25 Feb. 2026, www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/state-of-union-fact-check-trump-speech-2026-rcna259900.
“Fact Check: Trump Makes False Claims About the Economy, Elections and Crime in State of the Union.” CNN Politics, 24 Feb. 2026, www.cnn.com/2026/02/24/politics/fact-check-state-of-the-union.
“Fact Checking Trump’s 2026 State of the Union Address and Spanberger’s Response.” CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026, www.cbsnews.com/news/fact-check-state-of-the-union-2026/.
Wamsley, Laurel, et al. “Read NPR’s Annotated Fact Check of President Trump’s State of the Union.” NPR, 24 Feb. 2026, www.npr.org/2026/02/24/nx-s1-5716277/trump-state-union-fact-check.
“Fact-Checking Trump’s State of the Union Address.” ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026, abcnews.com/Politics/fact-checking-trumps-state-union-address/story?id=130459365.
“Live Fact-Checking Trump’s 2026 State of the Union Address.” PBS NewsHour, 24 Feb. 2026, www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/live-fact-checking-trumps-2026-state-of-the-union-address.
“FactChecking Trump’s State of the Union Address.” FactCheck.org, 24 Feb. 2026, www.factcheck.org/2026/02/factchecking-trumps-state-of-the-union-address/.
Owens, Caitlin. “The Biggest Challenge to Trump’s Drug Price Claims? Reality.” Axios, 24 Feb. 2026, www.axios.com/2026/02/24/trump-drug-prices-sotu-speech.
“Trump Misleads on Drug Pricing Deals.” FactCheck.org, 19 Feb. 2026, www.factcheck.org/2026/02/trump-misleads-on-drug-pricing-deals/.
“Fact Check: Ukrainian Refugee’s Death in Charlotte Wasn’t Caused by Open Borders.” Yahoo News / CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026, www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fact-check-ukrainian-refugee-death-044043993.html.
“Scripps News Fact-Checks President Trump’s State of the Union Address.” Scripps News, 24 Feb. 2026, www.scrippsnews.com/politics/the-president/scripps-news-fact-checks-president-trumps-state-of-the-union-address.