{"id":309163,"date":"2026-02-25T08:32:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T08:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/309163\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T08:32:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T08:32:17","slug":"fact-checking-trumps-state-of-the-union-address","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/309163\/","title":{"rendered":"Fact checking Trump\u2019s State of the Union address"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1a2qsv001s27p5bfiv3gtx@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/politics\/president-donald-trump-47\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Donald Trump<\/a> made numerous false or misleading claims in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/24\/politics\/takeaways-donald-trump-state-of-the-union-address\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">State of the Union address<\/a> on Tuesday night.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1muuwp00053b63yljqe10t@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Many of them were long-debunked falsehoods familiar from his rallies, interviews and social media posts. These include various lies disparaging the fairness of US elections, his false claim that he ended wars that were never actually wars or never actually ended, and his fictional \u201c$18 trillion\u201d figure for supposed investment in the US over the past year.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1mva6c00083b63klxvkfkg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The subject on which he was most frequently inaccurate was the economy. Among other things, Trump overstated the performance of the economy during this presidential term to date, overstated the inflation he inherited from the Biden administration, used highly misleading figures when discussing gasoline prices, and wrongly asserted, twice, that foreign countries are paying the tariffs that are actually being paid by US importers.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1mvcs5000a3b63yd1fcqfl@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Here is a fact check of some of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/interactive\/2026\/02\/politics\/donald-trump-sotu-address-vis\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Trump\u2019s remarks<\/a>:\n    <\/p>\n<p>        Economy and inflation<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1fp9ez000j3b6334brrtjj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump repeated his regular false claim that he has secured $18 trillion in investments in the US since returning to office, saying, \u201cIn 12 months, I secured commitments for more than $18 trillion pouring in from all over the globe.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1fp9f0000k3b63ea1ouleu@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The\u202f$18 trillion\u202ffigure is fiction. As of the night of Trump\u2019s address, the White House\u2019s\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/investments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">own website<\/a>\u202fsaid the figure for \u201cmajor investment announcements\u201d during this Trump term was \u201c$9.7 trillion,\u201d\u202fand even that is a major exaggeration; a\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/10\/11\/politics\/fact-check-trump-17-trillion-investment\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">detailed CNN review<\/a>\u202fin October found the White House was counting trillions of dollars in vague investment pledges, pledges that were about \u201cbilateral trade\u201d or \u201ceconomic exchange\u201d rather than investment in the US and vague statements that didn\u2019t even rise to the level of pledges.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1fp9f0000l3b630ctzfim2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Daniel Dale\n    <\/p>\n<p>       <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gettyimages-2222971588.jpg\" alt=\"A gas pumping nozzle is seen at a Valero gas station on June 30, 2025, in Austin, Texas.\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1331\" width=\"2000\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1fysd2000r3b63zldm1wji@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump claimed gas prices are \u201cnow below $2.30 a gallon in most states, and in some places, $1.99 a gallon.\u201d But no state had an average gas price on Tuesday below $2.37 per gallon, <a href=\"https:\/\/gasprices.aaa.com\/state-gas-price-averages\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">according to AAA<\/a>; only two states had an average below $2.50 per gallon. And while there are some individual gas stations selling gas for below $2 per gallon, they are scarce; Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for the firm GasBuddy, said during the speech that the firm found just four stations across the country below $2 (aside from special discounts) out of the roughly 150,000 stations the firm tracks, so about 0.003% of the total.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1fysd2000s3b63vmlskd35@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump could fairly say gas prices have fallen during this presidency. They have declined from a national average of $3.12 per gallon on his inauguration day in January 2025, according to AAA, to a national average <a href=\"https:\/\/gasprices.aaa.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">of $2.95 per gallon on Tuesday<\/a>.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1fysd2000t3b63mc3rdpq4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            In addition, Trump claimed, \u201cAnd when I visited the great state of Iowa just a few weeks ago, I even saw $1.85 a gallon for gasoline.\u201d We don\u2019t know what Trump saw, but the average price for a gallon of regular gas in Iowa on the day of the <a href=\"https:\/\/rollcall.com\/factbase\/trump\/transcript\/donald-trump-speech-economy-energy-clive-iowa-january-27-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">January 27 speech<\/a> was $2.57, according to data published that day by AAA \u2013 and Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, told CNN at the time that GasBuddy found just four stations in the state selling for $1.97 per gallon (aside from special discounts) out of 2,036 total stations the firm tracks, so 0.19% of the total.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1fysd2000u3b63t4399fft@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump was fact-checked on this subject by an attendee at the Iowa speech he was referring to. When he\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?si=eqsmnum25ULBF2t0&amp;t=1847&amp;v=AD8HxPr23sM&amp;feature=youtu.be\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">spoke<\/a>\u202fof gas in Iowa being $1.95 or $1.85 per gallon, someone in the crowd shouted, \u201cNo, $2.63,\u201d according to CNN reporter Steve Contorno, who was on scene. Contorno saw that the gas station right outside the venue where Trump spoke was selling for $2.69 per gallon.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1fysd2000v3b63lr5hufq7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Daniel Dale\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1fzxan000z3b63fjh4jjvr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump falsely claimed that when he gave his previous address to Congress early last year, he had \u201cjust inherited \u2026 inflation at record levels.\u201d He added a bit later that former President Joe Biden and his congressional allies \u201cgave us the worst inflation in the history of our country.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1fzxan00103b63luoxu6cs@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump didn\u2019t inherit the worst inflation in US history, and Biden never had the worst inflation in US history. The year-over-year inflation rate in Biden\u2019s last full month in office, December 2024,\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/01\/15\/economy\/us-cpi-consumer-price-index-december\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">was 2.9%<\/a>, and the rate in the month in which Trump took over partway through, January 2025,\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/12\/business\/us-cpi-consumer-inflation-january\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">was 3.0%<\/a>; the most recent rate, for January 2026, is 2.4%. The rate did hit a 40-year high,\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/07\/13\/economy\/cpi-inflation-june\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">9.1%,<\/a>\u202fin June 2022, but that was far from the\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/opub\/mlr\/2014\/article\/one-hundred-years-of-price-change-the-consumer-price-index-and-the-american-inflation-experience.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">all-time high of 23.7%<\/a>, which was set in 1920. Regardless, the rate then fell sharply over Biden\u2019s last two-and-a-half years in office.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1fzxan00113b632v4sy2ib@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Daniel Dale\n    <\/p>\n<p>       <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gettyimages-2193525129-20251027142553256.jpg\" alt=\"President Joe Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House, on January 15, 2025.\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1600\" width=\"2400\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1g8xzg00193b63msvbnbjs@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump claimed that he inherited a \u201cstagnant economy\u201d from the Biden administration and that it is now \u201croaring like never before.\u201d Though there is no firm definition of \u201cstagnant\u201d or \u201croaring,\u201d the facts don\u2019t corroborate the suggestion that he has presided over a massive economic boom since returning to office in January 2025. The US economy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/20\/economy\/us-gdp-economy-q4\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">grew 2.2% in 2025<\/a>, which was lower than in any year of the Biden presidency; there was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bea.gov\/news\/2026\/gdp-advance-estimate-4th-quarter-and-year-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2.8% growth in 2024<\/a>. (The fall 2025 government shutdown likely reduced growth in late 2025.) The <a href=\"https:\/\/fred.stlouisfed.org\/series\/UNRATE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">unemployment rate<\/a>, meanwhile, increased from 4.0% in January 2025 to 4.3% in January 2026.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1g8xzg001a3b63ln08txbc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The year-over-year Consumer Price Index inflation rate did fall from 3.0% in January 2025 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/13\/economy\/us-inflation-cpi-consumer-prices-january\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2.4% in January 2026<\/a>, and Trump certainly has some other positive data points to cite. But his story about taking the economy from deceased to scorching is just not supported by the overall numbers.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1g8xzg001b3b63n3264jol@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Daniel Dale\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1n482m000i3b631r06apd5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump repeated his regular false claim that tariffs are \u201cpaid for by foreign countries.\u201d In fact, tariff payments are made by importers in the US, not foreign countries, and those importers often pass on some of their costs to consumers. While foreign exporters may sometimes drop their prices to try to keep their products competitive, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/articles\/who-pays-trumps-tariffs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">various<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kielinstitut.de\/publications\/news\/americas-own-goal-americans-pay-almost-entirely-for-trumps-tariffs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">analyses<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/12\/business\/trump-tariffs-consumers-nightcap\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">have found<\/a> that the overwhelming majority of the costs of the tariffs Trump has imposed this term are being covered by a combination of US businesses and US consumers.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1n50th000n3b63kjuctktd@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            In an analysis released in February, officials at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York <a href=\"https:\/\/libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org\/2026\/02\/who-is-paying-for-the-2025-u-s-tariffs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">wrote<\/a>, \u201cWe find that nearly 90 percent of the tariffs\u2019 economic burden fell on U.S. firms and consumers.\u201d The nonpartisan federal Congressional Budget Office wrote in a February <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbo.gov\/publication\/62105\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">report<\/a> that \u201cthe net effect of tariffs is to raise U.S. consumer prices by the full portion of the cost of the tariffs borne domestically (95 percent),\u201d from a combination of price hikes by US businesses that are importing tariffed products and price hikes by US businesses that are facing less foreign competition because of the tariffs.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1n56vz000p3b63czgzj6ek@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Daniel Dale\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1n83r8001g3b631ssh0mkj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump repeated his regular claim that there are more people working today in the US than ever before. That\u2019s true, but the claim needs context: the number of people working <a href=\"https:\/\/fred.stlouisfed.org\/series\/CE16OV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">tends to rise over time<\/a> because the US population tends to rise over time. Economists say there are far better measures of the health of the labor market.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1n8oqp001k3b63quyou2y6@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The <a href=\"https:\/\/fred.stlouisfed.org\/series\/EMRATIO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">employment-population ratio<\/a>, which measures the percentage of the population that is employed, is down slightly this presidential term so far, going from 60.1% in January 2025, the month Trump returned to office, to 59.8% in January 2026. The <a href=\"https:\/\/fred.stlouisfed.org\/series\/UNRATE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">unemployment rate<\/a>, which measures unemployment as a percentage of the labor force, has increased, going from 4.0% in January 2025 to 4.3% in January 2026; it hit a four-year high of 4.5% in November before easing. The <a href=\"https:\/\/fred.stlouisfed.org\/series\/CIVPART\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">labor force participation rate<\/a>, which measures the percentage of the population that is employed or actively looking for work, has been almost unchanged, ticking down 62.6% in January 2025 to 62.5% in January 2026.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1n8wbv001m3b63buz03427@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Daniel Dale\n    <\/p>\n<p>        Taxes and the budget<\/p>\n<p>       <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gettyimages-2263407465.jpg\" alt=\"President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the US Capitol on February 24, 2026, in Washington, DC.\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1600\" width=\"2353\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1gpglo001h3b630tclhbjh@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump once again claimed that the sweeping domestic policy agenda that he signed into law last summer\u202fcontained\u202fthe largest tax cuts in American history. But\u202fthat is not actually the case.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1gpglo001i3b63fusa8z0t@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The\u202fso-called big, beautiful bill made\u202fnumerous\u202fpermanent and temporary changes to the tax code, including\u202feliminating taxes on tips\u202fand overtime, giving\u202fadditional\u202ftax relief to\u202fsenior citizens and parents of young\u202fchildren\u202fand\u202fallowing companies to deduct certain investments more quickly.\u202fThe tax cuts amount to $4.8 trillion, or 1.3% of the nation\u2019s gross domestic product (GDP), over\u202fa decade,\u202faccording to the\u202flatest\u202fCongressional Budget Office\u202fanalysis, released earlier this month.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1gpglo001j3b63yap3nbnf@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            However,\u202fthe bill\u202fis not the largest tax cut in history,\u202fexperts said.\u202fIt\u202franks\u202fseventh in terms of share of GDP\u202fsince\u202f1918,\u202faccording to Chris Towner, policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan watchdog group.\u202fThe largest\u202fwas former President Ronald Reagan\u2019s 1981 tax package,\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.crfb.org\/blogs\/president-trumps-tax-cut-largest-history-yet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">which\u202fcost 2.9% of GDP over four years<\/a>. (Looking\u202fat revenue changes as a share of GDP is a common way to assess the size of tax cuts because it shows the changes relative to the size of the economy. It allows for comparisons across time despite shifts in inflation and population, for example.) Similarly,\u202fthe Tax Foundation, a right-leaning think tank,\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/taxfoundation.org\/blog\/obbba-largest-tax-cut-in-american-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">found<\/a>\u202fthat\u202fthe bill\u202fis\u202fthe sixth largest tax cut\u202fsince 1940, in terms of\u202fshare of GDP.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1gpikj001l3b632bb6zy9u@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Tami Luhby\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1jdliw00393b63s0t807nj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump again falsely claimed that he eliminated taxes on Social Security, one of his key campaign promises in 2024.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1jdliw003a3b630tuwl6yt@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cWith the great \u2018big, beautiful bill,\u2019 we gave you no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security,\u201d he said during his State of the Union address on Tuesday.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1jdliw003b3b63ncgturqn@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The massive domestic policy package that Trump signed last summer did create an additional, temporary $6,000-per-year tax deduction for individuals age 65 and older (with a smaller deduction for individuals earning $75,000 per year or more). But as the White House itself has implicitly\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/06\/28\/politics\/fact-check-trump-big-beautiful-bill\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">acknowledged<\/a>, millions of Social Security recipients age 65 and older will continue to pay taxes on their benefits \u2013 and that new deduction, which expires in 2028, doesn\u2019t apply to the Social Security <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssa.gov\/benefits\/retirement\/planner\/agereduction.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">recipients who are younger than 65<\/a>.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1jdliw003c3b63a0ai92ph@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Tami Luhby\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1je8j8003i3b63ijh8ho8x@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump baselessly claimed that eliminating fraud in federal programs would balance the federal budget, saying, \u201cIf we\u2019re able to find enough of that fraud, we will actually have a balanced budget overnight. It\u2019ll go very quickly.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1je8j8003j3b63rffhsf72@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The annual budget deficit far exceeds the estimated amount of money the federal government loses to fraud each year.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1je8j8003k3b63ht1cpcla@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            A first-of-its-kind\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/products\/gao-24-105833\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">estimate<\/a>\u202fthat the federal Government Accountability Office released in 2024 found that between $233 billion to $521 billion is lost to fraud annually. But the federal budget deficit came in at\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/fiscal.treasury.gov\/files\/reports-statements\/mts\/mts0925.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">just under $1.8 trillion<\/a>\u202ffor the most recent fiscal year, which ended in September, according to the Treasury Department \u2013 more than triple the highest estimated fraud total.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1je8j8003l3b63s40y3hoy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Tami Luhby\n    <\/p>\n<p>        Immigration and foreign affairs<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1gsir9001r3b63hk8j6lhe@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            While criticizing the Biden administration\u2019s border policies, Trump repeated his regular claim that the Biden administration allowed 11,888 murderers to enter the US as migrants \u2013 saying, \u201cThey were murderers, 11,888 murderers. They came into our country.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1gsir9001s3b63kilo3p3i@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump was inaccurately describing federal data. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/09\/29\/politics\/fact-check-trump-harris-immigrants-homicide\/index.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Department of Homeland Security and independent experts have noted<\/a> that the figure it appears Trump was referring to when he uses the \u201c11,888\u201d number is about non-citizens who entered the US not just under Biden but over the course of multiple decades, including during Trump\u2019s own first administration. They were convicted of homicide at some point, usually in the US after their arrival, and are still in the US while being listed on Immigration and Customs Enforcement\u2019s \u201cnon-detained docket\u201d \u2013 which includes people who are currently serving their prison sentences, not roaming free as Trump has also claimed.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nz1fd003s3b63g4rcey20@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            You can read more\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/09\/29\/politics\/fact-check-trump-harris-immigrants-homicide\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1gsir9001t3b63mabdeijz@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Daniel Dale\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1n9tt2001u3b6353xiujb6@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump repeated a familiar false claim about his role in foreign affairs: \u201cMy first 10 months, I ended eight wars.\u201d While Trump has played a role in resolving some conflicts (at least temporarily), the \u201ceight\u201d figure is a\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/09\/24\/world\/seven-unendable-wars-trump-intl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">clear exaggeration<\/a>.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nacsb001w3b63z4l3ys6v@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/09\/23\/politics\/fact-check-un-speech-claims-trump\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">explained<\/a> during the speech\u202fthat his list of supposed wars settled includes a war between Egypt and Ethiopia, but that wasn\u2019t actually a war; it is a long-running diplomatic dispute about a\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/09\/09\/africa\/ethiopia-launches-massive-hydropower-dam-intl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">major Ethiopian dam project<\/a>\u202fon a tributary of the Nile River. Trump\u2019s list also included\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c5y3599gx4qo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">another supposed war that didn\u2019t actually occur<\/a>\u202fduring his presidency, between Serbia and Kosovo. (He has sometimes\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/rollcall.com\/factbase\/trump\/transcript\/donald-trump-remarks-foreign-ministers-democratic-republic-congo-rwanda-june-27-2025\/#50\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">claimed<\/a>\u202fto have prevented the eruption of a new war between those two entities, providing few details about what he meant, but that is different than settling an actual war.) And his list included a war involving the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, but that war\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.criticalthreats.org\/briefs\/congo-war-security-review\/february-20-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">has continued<\/a>\u202fdespite a peace agreement brokered by the Trump administration in 2025 \u2013 which was never signed by the leading rebel coalition doing the fighting.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nadcp001y3b63xz3m74r0@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump\u2019s list also included an armed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, where fighting\u202ftemporarily <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/12\/13\/asia\/thailand-cambodia-fighting-donald-trump-ceasefire-hnk-intl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">erupted again<\/a>\u202fin December despite a peace agreement brokered by the Trump administration\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/11\/10\/asia\/thailand-suspends-peace-accord-cambodia-intl-hnk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">earlier in 2025<\/a>.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nas8q00203b63ok1ulh49@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            One can debate the importance of Trump\u2019s role in having ended the other conflicts on his list, or fairly question whether some have truly ended; for example, killing\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/01\/31\/middleeast\/gaza-death-toll-ceasefire-intl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">continued<\/a>\u202fin Gaza after the October ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and Trump said in the speech, \u201cThe war in Gaza, which proceeds at a very low level; it\u2019s just about there.\u201d Regardless, Trump\u2019s \u201ceight\u201d figure is obviously too big.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1naz2a00223b63fudsphq7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Daniel Dale\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1ni0xk002p3b637ph2p8s0@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump repeated his claim that before he prodded NATO members to spend more on defense, the US was \u201cpaying for almost all of NATO.\u201d That\u2019s an exaggeration. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/content\/dam\/nato\/webready\/documents\/finance\/def-exp-2025-en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NATO figures<\/a>\u202fshow that in 2016, the year before Trump took office the first time, US defense spending made up about 72% of total NATO defense spending; in 2024, the year before he returned to office, it was about 63%. Both figures are big, of course, but \u201calmost all\u201d is a stretch\u201d \u2013 and the US contributes a smaller percentage to NATO\u2019s own organizational budget. Under an agreed formula, the US provided\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/en\/what-we-do\/introduction-to-nato\/funding-nato\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">about 16%<\/a>\u202fof that budget at the time Trump returned to office in 2025. When he took office in 2017, the US was contributing\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/primer-for-president-trump-how-nato-funding-really-works\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">about 22%<\/a>\u202fof the budget.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1ni0xk002q3b63s5yvta6i@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            In addition, Trump touted NATO members\u2019 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/en\/what-we-do\/introduction-to-nato\/defence-expenditures-and-natos-5-commitment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">commitment<\/a> to spend 5% of gross domestic product on defense-related and security-related spending by 2035 \u2013 including at least 3.5% of GDP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/07\/21\/business\/nato-defense-spending-europe-afford-intl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">on the \u201ccore\u201d defense requirements<\/a> that were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/en\/news-and-events\/events\/transcripts\/2025\/06\/05\/press-conference\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">covered<\/a> by the previous target of 2% of GDP \u2013 saying they agreed \u201cto pay 5% of GDP for military defense, rather than the 2% which they weren\u2019t paying \u2026 Now they\u2019re paying 5 (percent) as opposed to not paying 2 (percent).\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1ni0xk002r3b63mzw445gp@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            But most NATO members are not yet meeting the new higher target, which, again, they have given themselves a decade to meet. NATO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/content\/dam\/nato\/webready\/documents\/finance\/def-exp-2025-en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">estimates<\/a> show that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/aerospace-defense\/all-nato-members-hit-old-spending-target-only-three-meet-new-goal-2025-08-27\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">just three<\/a> members, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, were at or above 3.5% in core defense spending in 2025, though they may be <a href=\"https:\/\/eng.lsm.lv\/article\/society\/defence\/25.06.2025-latvia-takes-steps-toward-5-of-gdp-for-defence.a604418\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">joined<\/a> by others in 2026.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1ni0xk002s3b63zvwt0klg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cIt\u2019s absolutely not true that the Allies are currently \u2018paying 5%\u2019 on hard defense, and even by 2035 they\u2019ve only committed to 3.5%, in terms of their defense budget conventionally-understood. As of mid-2025, *no* Ally is spending 5%, in fact not even 4.5%,\u201d professor <a href=\"https:\/\/elliott.gwu.edu\/erwan-lagadec\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Erwan Lagadec<\/a>, who leads the NATO and European Union studies program at George Washington University\u2019s international affairs school, said in a January email.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1ni0xk002t3b63m5ws3v6p@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Lagadec added: \u201cIn 2025 the U.S. was \u2018only\u2019 at 3.2%, *down* from 2014 in terms of ratios to GDP (the only country in that situation). Hence the case can be made that the U.S. is now the \u2018laggard\u2019 going \u2018in the wrong direction\u2019; although of course the fact that the U.S. was spending a lower ratio in 2025 than 2014 on defense could be seen as a sign of success, i.e. the outcome of the other Allies doing more.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1ni0xk002u3b63ciuqvdfz@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump\u2019s claim that \u201cthey weren\u2019t paying\u201d when the target was 2% needs context. Although most NATO members were not hitting the 2% target as late as 2023, a majority hit the target in 2024; NATO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/content\/dam\/nato\/webready\/documents\/finance\/def-exp-2025-en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">figures<\/a> show that 18 member countries were at or above 2% out of 31 countries subject to the target.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1ni0xk002v3b63jz2p2ni4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Daniel Dale\n    <\/p>\n<p>        Elections and crime<\/p>\n<p>       <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ap25304132452060.jpg\" alt=\"Voting booths set up in a polling place in the West Village of New York on October 30, 2025, during early voting.\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1600\" width=\"2402\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1n6kac00103b63upkadeed@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump made a rapid-fire series of false claims about US elections while calling on Congress to pass a bill requiring voter identification and proof of citizenship when registering to vote.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1n78ht00153b63l99w71uf@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump falsely claimed, \u201cCheating is rampant in our elections. It\u2019s rampant.\u201d It\u2019s simply not; all evidence suggests fraud makes up a minuscule percentage of votes cast. Trump referred to \u201ccrooked mail-in ballots\u201d; the incidence of fraud is also tiny with mail-in ballots, though experts say it is slightly higher than with in-person voting, and there is no basis to categorically describe them as \u201ccrooked.\u201d And Trump said, \u201cThey have cheated, and their policy is so bad that the only way they can get elected is to cheat.\u201d That is a lie, as Democrats, like Republicans, are elected all the time in free and fair US elections.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1n79cp00173b638ji3lgxg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Daniel Dale\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nqgwc003e3b631fwldret@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump lamented the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/09\/09\/us\/charlotte-train-stabbing-ukrainian-victim\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">murder last summer<\/a> of a refugee from Ukraine, Iryna Zarutska, who was killed on public transit in Charlotte, North Carolina. But Trump added a false claim that the alleged killer had migrated to the US, saying Zarutska \u201chad escaped a brutal war only to be slain by a hardened criminal set free to kill in America \u2013 came in through open borders.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nqgwc003f3b6378pvfywr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            In reality, the man <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/09\/09\/us\/decarlos-brown-charged-charlotte-train-stabbing\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">charged with first-degree murder<\/a> over the killing was, according to all available evidence, from the US. The Charlotte Observer has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.charlotteobserver.com\/news\/local\/crime\/article312024785.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">reported<\/a> that the man\u2019s Facebook page said he was born in Charlotte and attended high school there, and the newspaper has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.charlotteobserver.com\/news\/state\/north-carolina\/article312057015.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">interviewed<\/a> his American mother.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nqgwc003g3b63yf508l78@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The Observer published its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.charlotteobserver.com\/news\/politics-government\/article314830300.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">own fact check<\/a> on Tuesday night noting Trump\u2019s claim was not true.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nqgwc003h3b63czw3ep4a@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Daniel Dale\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nj0rb00313b6396qaz467@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump claimed that after his takeover of law enforcement and deployment of the National Guard in Washington, DC, last summer, the capital is \u201cnow one of the safest cities in the country.\u201d That\u2019s not true. Nor is his claim that the capital has \u201calmost no crime anymore,\u201d as a cursory glance at <a href=\"https:\/\/crimecards.dc.gov\/all:crimes\/all:weapons\/1:month\/citywide:heat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">public data<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/mpdc.dc.gov\/newsroom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">police press releases<\/a> shows; more than 1,300 crimes were reported in the last month.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nj0rb00323b636vebaj65@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Crime data expert Jeff Asher told CNN in a February email: \u201cDC crime fell substantially in 2025 but it was not anywhere near the safest city in America.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nj0rb00333b6373keh17b@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Of the 50 largest cities tracked by Asher\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/realtimecrimeindex.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Real-Time Crime Index<\/a>, he said, \u201cDC had the 9th highest murder rate and 12th highest violent crime rate in 2025 of the 50 largest cities in the Real-Time Crime Index.\u201d Trump\u2019s intervention <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/politics\/live-news\/trump-presidency-dc-crime-08-11-25\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">happened in August<\/a>; in the period running from August through December 2025, Asher said, \u201cDC had the 18th highest murder rate and 17th highest violent crime rate.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nj0rb00343b63xbf4qt0v@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cEven in the post-intervention period, DC\u2019s murder rate was more than 5 times higher than San Diego and San Jose and roughly 3 times higher than cities like San Francisco, New York, and Seattle,\u201d he said. And he added that crime in the capital was \u201cfalling considerably\u201d prior to Trump\u2019s Guard deployment, and continued to fall after the deployment, \u201cin a way that is hard to determine the impact of the deployment itself.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nj0rb00353b632bbwuuo0@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump could have accurately said the capital has had some prolonged recent stretches without a murder; the Washington Post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/2026\/02\/01\/crime-dc-homicides-january\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">reported<\/a> that it began the year with a highly unusual three-week period with no homicides. But that stretch ended January 21.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1nj0rb00363b63hzmug01i@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Daniel Dale\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1hnfj700273b63ihj6jx2r@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump repeated his claim that Somali residents of Minnesota have committed $19 billion in fraud, saying: \u201cThere\u2019s been no more stunning example than Minnesota, where members of the Somali community have pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American taxpayer. We have all the information, and in actuality, the number is much higher than that.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1hnfj800283b639ype5sfb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            It\u2019s possible this \u201c$19 billion\u201d figure will be proven true, but nothing close to that figure has been proven to date.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1hnfj800293b63bbre7ass@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            In December, a federal prosecutor, Joseph Thompson, claimed that \u201chalf or more\u201d of $18 billion in federal funds billed by <a href=\"https:\/\/mn.gov\/governor\/newsroom\/press-releases\/?id=1055-711001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">14 Medicaid services in Minnesota<\/a> deemed at high risk for fraud \u2013 and now under a third-party audit ordered by Gov. Tim Walz \u2013 might be fraudulent.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1hnfj9002a3b63qaqmn6ih@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            But $9 billion is not $19 billion, Thompson didn\u2019t say all of the possible fraud was committed by Somali residents, and Walz\u2019s administration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kare11.com\/article\/news\/politics\/i-am-the-one-that-will-fix-it-gov-tim-walz-addresses-fraud-in-minnesota\/89-5ca32eb0-9207-4ca2-b896-acaaa293bc81\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">challenged<\/a> Thompson\u2019s claim.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1hnfj9002b3b6381eh8byf@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            One Walz administration official said in December that they had \u201cevidence of tens of millions of dollars in fraud to this point,\u201d not $9 billion; Walz himself said, \u201cYou should be equally outraged about $1 or whatever that number is, but they\u2019re using that number without the proof behind it.\u201d And Thompson \u2013 who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/10\/media\/don-lemon-minnesota-joseph-thompson-renee-good-ice\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">resigned in January<\/a> amid tension with the Trump administration over its handling of an ICE officer fatally shooting Ren\u00e9e Good \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/minnesota\/news\/billions-paid-out-by-medicaid-in-minnesota-may-be-fraudulent-us-attorney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">made clear<\/a> at the time that the \u201chalf or more\u201d comment was an early estimate rather than a firm number.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1hnfj9002c3b63cbhb4i14@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            From CNN\u2019s Daniel Dale\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmm1bmmbf00073b63ric9hgt1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            This article has been updated with additional items.\n    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Donald Trump made numerous false or misleading claims in his State of the Union address on Tuesday&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":309164,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-309163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/309164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}