Donald Trump was sworn in as the President of the United States on Monday, delivering a fervent inaugural speech that promised the dawn of “The Golden Age of America.”
“My recent election is a mandate to completely reverse a horrible betrayal and all these many betrayals that have taken place and give people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy, and indeed their freedom. From this moment on, America’s decline is over,” Trump said.
True to form, the speech featured sweeping rhetoric, but it was also marked by numerous unsubstantiated claims and factual inconsistencies.
Here’s a detailed fact-check by Invezz:
Claim 1: Migration policies protect dangerous criminals
What Trump said: In his inaugural address, Trump claimed the Biden administration “provides sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions, that have illegally entered our country from all over the world.”
Fact-check: Trump has previously alleged that foreign governments deliberately empty their prisons and mental institutions to send migrants to the US, but no evidence supports this claim. His campaign has not provided data to corroborate these accusations.
The president has sometimes tried to support his narrative by asserting that the global prison population is down. But that’s incorrect.
The World Prison Population List, compiled by experts in the UK, shows that the global prison population increased from approximately 10.77 million in October 2021 to 10.99 million in April 2024, contradicting any narrative of declining prison populations due to migration.
Context: While some migrants may have a history of incarceration or mental health treatment, there is no substantiated evidence to suggest a systemic effort by foreign governments to send such individuals to the US.
Claim 2: China controls the Panama Canal
What Trump said: “China is operating the Panama Canal… we gave it to Panama, and we are taking it back,” Trump declared in his speech.
Fact-check: The Panama Canal is operated by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), a government agency in Panama.
Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, leader of the ACP, confirmed to The Wall Street Journal earlier this month that “China has no involvement whatsoever in our operations.”
Trump’s claims likely stem from the fact that Chinese companies, such as the Hutchison Ports subsidiary Panama Ports Company, manage ports near the canal.
These companies operate the Balboa and Cristóbal ports, which serve as entry and exit points to the canal, under long-term leases.
Context: Although Trump’s assertion about China’s control of the canal is false, growing Chinese influence in global shipping and port infrastructure has raised bipartisan among US officials, who worry that the Chinese government could pressure private companies to disrupt commercial and military shipments during a conflict.
Claim 3: Biden-era inflation is ‘record-breaking’
What Trump said: Trump referred to inflation during Biden’s presidency as “record inflation,” promising to address it quickly.
“Next, I will direct all members of my Cabinet to martial the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices,” he said.
Fact-check: Inflation during Biden’s presidency peaked at 9% in June 2022, the highest level in 40 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
However, historical inflation rates in the 1970s and 1980s often exceeded 10%, with March 1947 witnessing a post-World War II inflation peak of 19.7%.
During Trump’s presidency, inflation peaked at 2.9% in mid-2018 and fell as low as 0.1% during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020.
Context: While Biden’s inflation rates were indeed high, framing them as “record-breaking” ignores historical context, particularly inflation spikes in prior decades due to varying economic conditions.
Claim 4: Tariffs enrich Americans and are paid by foreign countries
What Trump said: Trump reiterated his long-standing claim that tariffs imposed during his presidency were paid by foreign exporters, enriching the US.
Fact-check: Studies, including one by the bipartisan US International Trade Commission, have consistently shown that US importers, not foreign exporters, pay the tariffs.
These costs are often passed on to US consumers in the form of higher prices.
Specific examples include higher costs for household goods, electronics, and other imports from China during Trump’s first term.
Context: While Trump proposed the creation of an “External Revenue Service” to collect tariff revenue, the economic reality is that the burden of tariffs disproportionately falls on US businesses and consumers, not foreign governments.
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