Read reports on and responses to Trump's first state-of-the-union speech of his second administration from nine reputable sources:
• ABC News
• BBC News
• CNN
• Factcheck.org
• The Guardian (UK)
• NBC News
• NPR
• PBS (fact-checking Democrats' responses)
• USA Today (focus on ending eight wars)
Selected examples:
TRUMP CLAIM: "In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States."
FACT CHECK: False, but crossings are down drastically.
TRUMP CLAIM: "In many cases, drug lords, murderers all over our country. They're blocking the removal of these people out of our country," Trump said of illegal immigrants and sanctuary cities.
FACT CHECK: Most DHS detainees have no criminal record.
TRUMP CLAIM: "I want to stop all payments to big insurance companies and instead give that money directly to the people so they can buy their own health care."
FACT CHECK: The first Trump administration halted direct federal payments, but "The Great Healthcare Plan" appears to reinstate the payments to insurers.
TRUMP CLAIM: "Moving forward, factories, jobs, investment and trillions and trillions of dollars will continue pouring into the United States of America because we finally have a president who puts America first."
FACT CHECK: (NPR:) President Trump argues that high tariffs will spark a renaissance in U.S. manufacturing. But it hasn't happened yet. Factories have been in a slump for most of the last year, shedding 108,000 jobs in 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
No doubt Trump's taxes on foreign imports have allowed some U.S. factories to raise their prices. But the vast majority of factory managers, many of whom rely on foreign components, say tariffs have been a drag on their business.
"Morale is very low across manufacturing in general," one unnamed factory manager told the Institute for Supply Management in December.
TRUMP CLAIM: "As time goes by, I believe the tariffs, paid for by foreign countries, will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern day system of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love."
FACT CHECK: (NPR:) "The Supreme Court struck down about half of Trump's tariffs last week, ruling that the president had exceeded his authority. Some of those levies are being replaced with alternative import taxes.
The Constitution gives Congress the power to levy tariffs, though lawmakers have delegated limited tariff powers to the executive branch.
Economists say the vast majority of tariff bills are being paid by businesses in the U.S. that import products. In some cases, those costs are being passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices.
Tariff revenue, while substantial, has fallen short of what the administration projected."
The vast majority of factory managers, many of whom rely on foreign components, say tariffs have been a drag on their business. "Morale is very low across manufacturing in general," one unnamed factory manager told the Institute for Supply Management in December.
TRUMP CLAIM: "The cheating is rampant in our elections, it's rampant."
FACT CHECK: False
TRUMP CLAIM: 'In my first ten months, I ended eight wars'
FACT CHECK (The Guardian): 'The White House lists the "wars" as ones between: Israel and Hamas, Pakistan and India, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Thailand and Cambodia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Serbia and Kosovo.
'Although Trump can claim credit for brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, it is not correct to say he has ended eight wars.
'A number of these "wars" had lasted just days, although they were the result of long-standing tensions.'
FACT CHECK (USA Today) Not all the conflicts happened in the first year in office, nor do all parties give him credit for the six peace agreements the U.S. has been a part of. In fact, not all of them are considered wars.
TRUMP CLAIM: The economy "is roaring like never before."
FACT CHECK: real GDP growth in 2025 was down to 2.2%, according to a federal estimate. Also, the unemployment rate has increased slightly under Trump. (FactCheck.org)
TRUMP CLAIM: TRUMP: "Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor — it was, quite honestly, a disaster — is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states, and in some places, $1.99 a gallon. And when I visited the great state of Iowa just a few weeks ago, I even saw $1.85 a gallon for gasoline."
FACT CHECK: "While the specific prices named by President Trump are exceptional rather than representative, gasoline is certainly cheaper now than it was before his inauguration. The national average gasoline price is currently at $2.92 a gallon, according to AAA, or about 22 cents cheaper than this time a year ago.
"Those prices are driven by global markets, and a worldwide oversupply of oil is the dominant force keeping prices in check. Presidents do not set gasoline prices. However, politics can be a factor in global markets, and Trump has put pressure on the oil cartel OPEC to keep oil prices down."
See the excellent chart in this Forbes article in 2023: Average Gasoline Prices Under The Past Four Presidents.
Also, Forbes in November 2025: Trump Falsely Says Gas Prices Have Reached A 20-Year Low—Here’s The Real Data: "Data from the Energy Information Administration, an agency within the Department of Energy, shows the average retail price for all gas grades and formulations reached $3.15 in November, well above the national average of about $2.42 in November 2005."
TRUMP CLAIM: Americans "will now pay the lowest price anywhere in the world for drugs."
FACT CHECK: The administration's negotiations with drug companies may have lowered prices for some specific drugs in certain situations, but there is no evidence of a widespread decline in prices.(FactCheck.org)
TRUMP CLAIM: Prices are "plummeting downward" because of his policies.
FACT CHECK: The annual rate of inflation has declined, but prices overall are still increasing.
The Guardian: 'Trump has lost the ability to entertain. Sadly, he hasn't lost the ability to offend.