In the two speeches delivered by President Trump after being sworn in for his second term, many of the statements he made were flagged as inaccuracies or falsehoods by various media outlets. These speeches, one at the Capitol Rotunda and another unscripted address at Emancipation Hall, contained multiple claims that were later fact-checked and debunked.
The most significant inaccuracies in the speeches involved topics such as the economy, immigration, foreign relations, and the electric vehicle mandate. For example, Trump claimed that the US was facing “record inflation” during President Biden's time in office, attributing it to overspending and escalating energy prices. However, while inflation did peak at 9.1% in 2022, it fell to 2.9% by December 2024, contradicting Trump's portrayal of an ongoing crisis.
Additionally, Trump continued to push the false narrative that China operates the Panama Canal. He suggested that the US was being overcharged for its use of the canal, but officials in Panama firmly denied this, confirming that the canal was operated by a consortium of companies, including some Chinese entities, but not controlled by China itself. His claims about the construction of the canal were also inaccurate, as he inflated the death toll from 5,600 to 38,000.
On immigration, Trump promised to end the practice of "catch and release," a term he used to describe the procedure of releasing immigrants into the US while awaiting hearings. However, the term is not tied to any specific law or policy, and its exact meaning remains unclear, with many experts deeming it a vague and misleading statement.
Trump's insistence on the false claim that the 2020 election was "rigged" also resurfaced in his second-term speeches. Despite numerous legal challenges and recounts confirming Joe Biden's victory, Trump continued to propagate the idea of widespread election fraud without presenting any substantiated evidence.
Other false claims included the notion that the US had “almost no” trade with the European Union, despite the fact that the EU remains one of the US's largest trading partners, with exports worth billions of dollars annually. Furthermore, Trump's repeated assertion that the US had provided sanctuary to "dangerous criminals" was also unsupported by any concrete evidence, as many immigrants enter the US legally or with temporary authorization while their cases are pending in courts.
Trump's speeches also revisited his plan to create an "External Revenue Services" to collect tariffs, a proposal that experts viewed as impractical and unrealistic. While Trump claimed it would bring massive amounts of money into the Treasury, economists noted that it would likely only shift the cost burden onto American consumers, not foreign entities.
Moreover, Trump criticized the US response to natural disasters and climate emergencies, claiming that the country was unable to deliver basic services in times of crisis. However, his statements about the recovery efforts in North Carolina and California were exaggerated, failing to reflect the complex and ongoing nature of disaster relief and recovery efforts.
When comparing these early inaccuracies to his record during his first term, it's clear that Trump's propensity for making false or misleading claims remains consistent. According to The Washington Post's analysis, Trump averaged 21 falsehoods per day during his first term, leading to a total of 30,573 false or misleading claims by the end of his presidency. The frequency of these false statements increased as his term progressed, particularly during election seasons.
Trump's first speeches as the 47th President of the US show that, while the pace of his inaccuracies has started off strong, there is still plenty of time for him to exceed his first-term record of lies, especially considering the patterns observed in his previous term. As his presidency moves forward, it is likely that the frequency of his false statements will increase, particularly as he faces mounting political pressure and contentious issues.
Ultimately, while Trump's second-term promises may be ambitious, his track record of misleading claims raises significant questions about the credibility of his statements moving forward. The American media will likely continue its role as a watchdog, ensuring that his claims are subjected to scrutiny and fact-checking, as they have been throughout his political career.
