Assistance from Claude AI. For a summary of the event, click here.
Summary Assessment
Trump’s Thanksgiving call mixed accurate information about the tragic death of Sarah Beckstrom with multiple false, misleading, or unverifiable claims. The most significant factual errors involved:
- Characterizing Lakanwal as “unvetted” when he underwent multiple layers of security screening and worked with the CIA for years
- Blaming Biden for Lakanwal’s asylum status when Trump’s own administration granted asylum in April 2025
- Mischaracterizing investment pledges as completed payments when these are disputed commitments from private sector actors that foreign governments cannot necessarily enforce
- Making unverifiable or exaggerated claims about zero border crossings, Biden attempting to end Space Force, and complete destruction of Iran’s nuclear capabilities
The claims about trade deals particularly misrepresent the nature of these agreements, presenting aspirational private-sector investment commitments as direct government payments already received.
CLAIM 1: Sarah Beckstrom’s Death and Circumstances
Trump’s Statement: “Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we’re talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person, started service in June of 2023, outstanding in every way. She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us.”
VERDICT: TRUE
The basic facts about Sarah Beckstrom’s death are accurate. U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was one of two West Virginia National Guard members wounded in a targeted shooting near the White House on Wednesday, and she died on Thursday. Beckstrom was from Summersville and entered service on June 26, 2023, assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade of the West Virginia Army National Guard.
CLAIM 2: The Shooter Was “Unvetted” Under Biden
Trump’s Statement: “DHS has confirmed that the suspect is an Afghan national, flown here by the previous administration… They came in un-vetted, they were unchecked.”
VERDICT: FALSE – MISLEADING
This claim is contradicted by multiple sources and the findings of Trump’s own administration. Afghans admitted to the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome underwent extensive vetting. A senior U.S. official stated that Lakanwal would have been vetted in 2021 before being allowed to enter the U.S., and in terms of vetting, nothing came up—he was clean on all checks.
The CIA said that Lakanwal previously worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar that ended in 2021 following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. DHS said the Afghans underwent rigorous vetting to ensure they did not pose a national security threat. Some 400 personnel across U.S. agencies conducted the checks which involved biometric and biographic screenings conducted by intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism professionals.
The June 2025 DOJ Inspector General report that Trump might have been referencing actually found that DHS, in coordination with DOD, DOS, and the U.S. Intelligence community including the FBI, established a unique process to screen and vet Afghan evacuees through a multi-layered review conducted by intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism professionals. While the report noted challenges due to the rushed evacuation, it did not conclude evacuees were completely “unvetted.”
CLAIM 3: Asylum Granted by Biden Administration
Trump’s Implicit Claim: Trump repeatedly blamed the Biden administration for Lakanwal’s presence, implying Biden granted him permanent status.
VERDICT: FALSE – HIGHLY MISLEADING
Lakanwal was granted asylum in April 2025 under President Trump’s administration. Multiple law enforcement sources confirmed that Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and his application was granted in April 2025. Lakanwal was granted asylum in April by the Trump administration after applying in 2024, according to multiple law enforcement officials.
While Lakanwal did enter the U.S. in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome during the Biden administration, the asylum decision that gave him permanent legal status was made by Trump’s own administration.
CLAIM 4: “Nine months now where we had nobody coming in. Zero.”
Trump’s Statement: “We had nine months now where we had nobody coming in. Zero… Nobody came in.”
VERDICT: CANNOT VERIFY – LACKS CREDIBLE SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
This claim about literally zero border crossings for nine consecutive months is extraordinary and not supported by publicly available Customs and Border Protection data. While border crossings have decreased significantly during Trump’s second term, claiming absolutely zero crossings for nine months would be unprecedented and implausible given the 2,000-mile border’s geography and the reality of ongoing enforcement operations.
Border security officials and military personnel would not be needed if there were truly zero attempted crossings. The claim appears to be significant hyperbole rather than statistical fact.
CLAIM 5: Trade Deals with Japan, South Korea, and EU
Trump’s Statement: “We made deals with Japan, we made deals with South Korea, we made deals with the European Union where they pay us hundreds of billions of dollars… Japan, $650 billion. South Korea, $350 billion. European Union, $950 billion.”
VERDICT: MISLEADING – MISCHARACTERIZES INVESTMENT PLEDGES
Trump’s characterization of these agreements is misleading in several critical ways. South Korea will invest $350 billion and Japan will invest $550 billion in U.S. projects selected by the U.S. government. Note that Trump stated $650 billion for Japan in the call, but the actual deal was for $550 billion.
More importantly, these are investment commitments over multiple years, not direct payments to the U.S. government. Japan described the deal as involving a mix of investments and loan guarantees totaling a maximum of up to $550 billion. Tokyo’s top trade negotiator said claims that Japan is simply handing over $550 billion are completely off the mark.
The EU signaled that it does not have the authority to enforce the investments since they would come from the private sector, an area outside the European Commission’s purview. These commitments are merely aspirational.
Furthermore, South Korea’s National Security Adviser stated their position is not a negotiating tactic—it’s objectively and realistically not a level they are able to handle. They are not able to pay $350 billion in cash. These deals have faced significant implementation challenges and are not the completed transactions Trump suggests.
CLAIM 6: B-2 Bomber Strike on Iran Achieving “Total Obliteration”
Trump’s Statement: “The Atomic Energy Commission said it was total obliteration… every single bomb hit its mark.”
VERDICT: CANNOT FULLY VERIFY
I was unable to find independent verification from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA, which Trump may have meant when he said “Atomic Energy Commission”) or other authoritative sources confirming either the specific B-2 bomber strikes Trump described or claims of “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
While the U.S. has conducted military operations in the region, claims about complete destruction of Iran’s nuclear program would be major news that would require independent verification from international monitoring agencies, which was not found in available sources.
CLAIM 7: Stock Market All-Time Highs – “48 Times”
Trump’s Statement: “We have the stock markets just hit for the 48th time an all-time high during the nine months that I’ve been here.”
VERDICT: CANNOT VERIFY SPECIFIC NUMBER
While U.S. stock markets have indeed reached new highs during 2025, I could not independently verify the specific claim of exactly 48 all-time highs in Trump’s nine months in office. Stock market data would need to be analyzed to confirm this precise number, and the claim should be treated as approximate rather than exact without such verification.
CLAIM 8: Space Force Nearly Terminated by Biden
Trump’s Statement: “Biden came in, he wanted to terminate Space Force. He thought it was funny… the military didn’t think it was funny, and he was met with a great force.”
VERDICT: CANNOT VERIFY
I found no credible reporting from Biden’s presidency indicating he seriously attempted to eliminate the Space Force or that military leaders blocked such an effort. The Space Force continued operating throughout the Biden administration without reported threats to its existence. This claim appears to be unsubstantiated.
CLAIM 9: DOJ IG Report Showing “Thorough Vetting”
Reporter’s Challenge: “Your DOJ IG just reported this year that there was thorough vetting by DHS and by the FBI of these Afghans.”
VERDICT: PARTIALLY TRUE
The June 2025 DOJ Inspector General report did document that vetting processes were conducted, though it also noted challenges. DHS described the screening and vetting process as a multi-layered review conducted by intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism professionals of evacuee biometric and biographic data.
However, the report also noted that according to the FBI, the need to immediately evacuate Afghans overtook the normal processes required to determine whether individuals pose a threat to national security, which increased the risk that bad actors could try to exploit the expedited evacuation. The report noted 55 individuals evacuated from Afghanistan under OAW were later identified on terrorism watch lists.
The report’s conclusion was nuanced—vetting did occur, but it was expedited and imperfect given the emergency circumstances.