What is really true? "Swinging like never before"? The fact check on Trump's big show
Donald Trump painted a picture of an America in permanent triumph before Congress. A closer look at inflation, the economy, migration and security shows that many key statements do not stand up to scrutiny.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Before Congress, Donald Trump painted a picture of a nation chosen by God that only "wins" under his leadership.
- His economic superlatives ignored the fact that unemployment has risen recently - especially among young people.
- With a pathetic "No, no, no", an ice hockey team as proof of victory and a medal joke, he went for maximum self-dramatization.
In his 2026 State of the Union address, US President Donald Trump painted a picture of an America that is "roaring like never before". He spoke of record investments, historic tax cuts, virtually halted migration, an extinguished Iranian nuclear threat and an economy soaring.
But on closer inspection, many of the president's core claims do not stand up to scrutiny.
blue News does the big fact check.
Inflation: not a record inheritance, not a miracle year
Trump claimed that he had inherited "record inflation" - the "worst in the history of our country". In fact, inflation was around 3% when he took office in January 2025. The peak had already been reached in June 2022 at 9.1 percent. Historically, inflation was even over 20 percent in 1920 - significantly higher than during the Biden years.
The inflation rate has now fallen to around 2.4 percent. However, this decline began before Trump took office. In addition, core inflation figures continue to show stubborn price increases. The US Federal Reserve therefore remains cautious with further interest rate cuts.
Economy: "Roaring"? The figures are more sober
Trump spoke of an economy that was "roaring like never before". The data paints a more nuanced picture.
Economic growth in 2025 was around 2.2 percent - weaker than in the previous year. The unemployment rate rose slightly from 4.0 to 4.3 percent. A total of 181,000 new jobs were created last year - significantly fewer than in the previous year.
It is true that, at around 159 million people, more people are working than ever before. But the population is also larger than ever before. The employment rate remained virtually unchanged.
"18 trillion dollars in investments": Figure without a reliable basis
Trump's claim that he had secured investments of "over 18 trillion dollars" sounded particularly spectacular. However, this figure is not substantiated. Even much lower official sums include vague declarations of intent, bilateral "economic exchanges" and informal promises without binding contracts.
Some of the amounts announced even exceed the economic output of the countries involved. Experts therefore doubt that these pledges will actually be realized in the amounts claimed.
Taxes: Not the biggest cut in history
Trump once again described his tax and domestic policy package as the "biggest tax cut in American history". Measured as a proportion of gross domestic product, however, the legislation only ranks sixth or seventh since the Second World War.
The statement "no tax on social security" is also an exaggeration. In fact, a temporary additional deduction rule was introduced, which applies until 2028 and does not include all recipients. Millions of recipients - especially those under 65 - do not benefit from this.
Migration: Significantly fewer crossings - but not "zero"
Trump said that "zero illegal migrants" had entered the country in the past nine months. This is false. The number of illegal border crossings has fallen massively, but is still in the four-digit range per month.
It is true that the number of crossings has fallen to a level that has not been reached for decades. However, the decline had already begun towards the end of the Biden administration.
Trump's claim that only "criminal migrants" are being deported does not hold up either. A large proportion of those detained have no criminal convictions.
Crime: down - but not an all-time low
Trump declared that Washington D.C. has "virtually no crime anymore" and that murders were down "almost 100 percent" in January. In fact, two homicides were reported in January - a significant drop, but not zero.
The murder rate has also fallen nationwide. It was 5.0 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024 and is likely to have fallen to around 4.0 in 2025. However, the downward trend had already begun before Trump took office.
Iran: "wiped out" is too much to say
Trump claimed that a US military action had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program. It is true that important facilities were severely damaged. However, intelligence and inspector reports assume that parts of the infrastructure and significant quantities of enriched uranium still exist.
There can be no question of complete destruction.
Eight wars ended? The balance sheet is more complicated
Trump declared that he had "ended eight wars". In fact, his government brokered ceasefires or diplomatic rapprochements in several conflicts - for example between Armenia and Azerbaijan or between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
However, fighting has flared up again in several of these regions or tensions remain unresolved. In other cases, these were not formal wars. The figure of "eight" is therefore clearly exaggerated.
Elections: No evidence of "extreme fraud"
Once again, Trump spoke of "rampant cheating" in US elections. However, extensive audits in several states revealed only isolated cases of illegal voting. Investigations show that voter fraud accounts for a negligible proportion of all votes cast.
