Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Feb 25: US President Donald Trump delivered the longest address to Congress in modern history, speaking for one hour and 47 minutes, during which he declared that the “country is winning again”.
However, the 107-minute speech also featured several claims that were exaggerated, misleading, or not supported by available evidence. Many of the assertions repeated earlier disputed statements, while some were new.
On inflation, Trump said the previous administration had caused the “worst inflation in the history of our country” and claimed that his administration had reduced core inflation to 1.7 per cent in the last three months of 2025. While inflation had risen to a 40-year high of 9.1 per cent in June 2022 following global price shocks linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it was far below the historic US peak of 23.7 per cent recorded in 1920. By December 2024, inflation had fallen to 2.9 per cent, and it stood at 3.0 per cent in January 2025. The most recent figure for January 2026 was 2.4 per cent.
The president also claimed that he had secured more than $18 trillion in global investment commitments within 12 months. However, a White House tracker on new investment pledges in manufacturing, technology, and infrastructure lists commitments at about $9.7 trillion. Analysts have noted that even this figure includes pledges that may not fully materialise, with some proposed agreements facing delays.
Referring to the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump suggested that the accused attacker had entered through “open borders”. Available reports indicate that the man charged, DeCarlos Brown Jr, is American-born and a native of Charlotte. Data show that US-born citizens are more likely to be arrested for violent crimes than undocumented immigrants.
On tariffs, Trump said they are paid by foreign countries and could substantially replace income tax. Economists, however, state that tariffs are collected from US importers, who often pass costs on to consumers. An analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that nearly 90 per cent of the tariffs’ economic burden fell on US firms and consumers. The Congressional Budget Office has also concluded that tariffs raise consumer prices.
Trump further claimed that election cheating is “rampant” in the United States. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. A database maintained by the Heritage Foundation records 1,620 proven cases of election fraud nationwide since 1982, a small number compared with the billions of ballots cast over the same period.
The address, while historic for its length, has reignited debate over the accuracy of several of the president’s statements.