In his 108-minute State of the Union address on February 24, 2026—the longest in history—President Trump made several claims regarding the economy, immigration, and crime that fact-checkers have analyzed for accuracy.

 

Fact-checking Trump's State of the Union address

In his 108-minute State of the Union address on February 24, 2026—the longest in history—President Trump made several claims regarding the economy, immigration, and crime that fact-checkers have analyzed for accuracy.

 

Economy & Inflation

Inflation: Trump claimed he inherited "record" inflation and that it is now "plummeting".

Fact: Inflation hit a 40-year high of 9.1% in 2022 but had fallen to 2.9% by the time Biden left office. As of January 2026, it sat at 2.4%, which is a modest dip rather than a "plummet".

Gas Prices: He claimed gasoline is below $2.30 a gallon in most states and that he saw it for $1.85 in Iowa.

Fact: According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), no state averaged below $2.30; Oklahoma was the lowest at $2.37. In Iowa, the average was $2.57, and a local station near his speech venue was charging $2.69.

Investment: Trump boasted of securing $18 trillion in new investments.

Fact: This figure is widely considered "fiction" by experts as it represents nearly 60% of U.S. GDP. The White House’s own website listed a much lower $9.7 trillion, which itself included vague pledges and projects started under the previous administration.

 

Immigration & Border Security

Illegal Entries: Trump stated that in the past nine months, "zero illegal aliens" have been admitted to the U.S..

Fact: While encounters at the southern border dropped significantly (from ~61,000 in Jan 2025 to ~10,000 in Jan 2026), they are not at zero.

Criminal Migrants: He claimed Biden allowed 11,888 murderers to enter the country.

Fact: This figure refers to non-citizens with homicide convictions on ICE’s "non-detained docket" who entered the U.S. over multiple decades, including during Trump's first term.

Murder Rates: Trump claimed the murder rate saw its largest decline in history and is at its lowest level in 125 years.

Fact: Experts agree 2025 likely saw the largest one-year decline (about 20%), but the "125 years" claim is uncertain due to non-comparable data before 1960.

Food Stamps (SNAP): He claimed to have lifted 2.4 million Americans off food stamps.

Fact: This number refers to those projected to lose benefits due to stricter work requirements in the One Big Beautiful Bill, not necessarily those who no longer need assistance.

Election Fraud: Trump repeated claims that "cheating is rampant" in U.S. elections.

Fact: Extensive audits in states like Georgia and Iowa have found non-citizen voting to be extremely rare (e.g., 9 instances out of 8.2 million voters in Georgia).

 

Health & Prescription Drugs

Drug Prices: Trump promoted TrumpRx.gov, claiming it provides discounts of up to 600%.

Fact: This is mathematically impossible, as a 100% discount would make a drug free. Most discounts are for weight-loss and fertility drugs often not covered by insurance, and many have cheaper generic versions elsewhere