President Donald Trump addressed Congress on Tuesday for his second State of the Union speech, highlighted his administration's record on the economy, immigration, energy policy and national security. However, several claims the president has made repeatedly in recent months do not align with available data or misrepresent established facts.

An examination of Trump's recent public statements reveals a pattern of exaggeration and selective presentation of economic indicators, immigration statistics and crime data that are likely to feature in his address.

Economic Performance

Trump frequently describes the U.S. economy as having been "dead" under his predecessor and now "the hottest country anywhere in the world." The characterisation does not match economic data from either period.

U.S. gross domestic product grew 2.8% in 2024, the final year of President Joe Biden's term, faster than any developed economy except Spain, according to official statistics. GDP contracted in the first quarter of 2025 for the first time in three years, rebounded mid-year, then slowed again in the fourth quarter. Annual growth for 2025 was 2.2%.

Job creation fell sharply last year. Employers added 181,000 positions in 2025, the weakest performance outside a recession since 2002. Economists attribute the slowdown to uncertainty over tariff policy and artificial intelligence disruption, along with companies pulling back after aggressive pandemic-era hiring.

The S&P 500 rose 17% in 2025, but lagged stock markets in South Korea (71%), Hong Kong (29%), Japan (26%), Germany (22%) and the United Kingdom (21%).

Investment Claims

Trump has stated the U.S. secured up to $18 trillion in new investments, a figure for which the White House has provided no supporting documentation. The administration's own website lists $9.6 trillion in investment commitments, a total that includes pledges made during the Biden administration.

A January study questioned whether more than $5 trillion in commitments announced last year by major trading partners would materialise, and raised doubts about how such funds would be deployed if they did.

Immigration and Crime

The president has repeatedly linked increased immigration to rising crime rates. FBI statistics, which do not categorise crimes by immigration status, show no evidence of such a connection. Cities with large migrant populations, including New York, have not experienced crime spikes attributable to immigration.

Research consistently finds that people living in the U.S. without authorisation are arrested for violent, drug and property crimes at lower rates than native-born Americans.

Trump also references roughly 300,000 missing migrant children. This figure misrepresents an August 2024 Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report, which criticised Immigration and Customs Enforcement for failing to consistently track unaccompanied minors after they leave federal custody. The report did not conclude these children are missing.

Energy Policy

Trump regularly praises coal as "beautiful, clean coal" while criticising wind power as expensive and harmful to birds. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal production has become cleaner than in previous decades, but burning coal still releases carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that contribute to climate change, acid rain and respiratory illness.

Onshore wind farms produce electricity at approximately $30 per megawatt hour, making wind one of the cheapest energy sources, according to July EIA estimates. The National Audubon Society, a bird conservation organisation, considers climate change a greater threat to bird populations than wind turbines.

Election and Crime Statistics

Trump continues to claim he won the 2020 presidential election. Biden received 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232 and won the popular vote by more than 7 million. Recounts, audits and court challenges in contested states affirmed Biden's victory.

Trump describes his 2024 win as a "landslide." He won 312 electoral votes to 226, but the popular vote was 49.8% to 48.3%, according to the Federal Election Commission.

The president attributes a decline in violent crime to his policies. The Independent Council on Criminal Justice reported a 21% drop in homicides from 2024 to 2025 across 35 cities. However, violent crime had already begun falling in 2022 under Biden after a pandemic-era surge. Homicides jumped nearly 30% in 2020, then declined to near pre-pandemic levels by 2022. Experts say the recent drop in violence, like the earlier increase, resists simple explanation.

Foreign Policy

Trump claims to have "solved" eight wars, including conflicts between Israel and Hamas, Israel and Iran, and several regional disputes. While the administration has participated in diplomatic efforts, the characterisation overstates the U.S. role and the resolution of these conflicts.

Tuesday's address will be closely watched for how the president frames these issues before a joint session of Congress and a national television audience.