President Donald Trump reiterated a number of inaccurate and deceptive claims he made throughout his campaign in his first speech following his inauguration on Monday. They contained assertions regarding the Panama Canal, electric cars, immigration, and the economy. Let’s examine the facts.
Trump repeats unfounded claim about immigrants
CLAIM: Republican Donald Trump claimed that the United States government fails to safeguard our wonderful, law-abiding citizens while offering asylum and protection to dangerous criminals, many of whom are from prisons and mental facilities that have illegally infiltrated our nation from all over the world.
THE FACTS: There is no proof that criminals or people with mental illnesses are being sent across the border by other nations.
This assertion was a recurring theme in Trump’s most recent campaign.
Inflation did not reach record highs under Biden
CLAIM: In order to combat record inflation and quickly lower expenses and prices, I will order every member of my Cabinet to use the extensive authority at their disposal.
THE FACTS: In the first 17 months of Democratic Joe Biden’s presidency, inflation increased steadily from a low of 0.1% in May 2020 to a peak of 9.1% in June 2022. According to the latest recent figures, it had dropped to 2.9% as of December.
According to the Federal Reserve, inflation has been greater in other historical eras, including 1980, when it was above 14%.
In recent years, there have been significant increases in the average cost of essential consumer products. A dozen large eggs, for instance, increased in value from $1.33 in August 2020 to $4.82 in January 2023. Due in part to a persistent avian flu outbreak that coincided with high demand during the Christmas baking season, their price dropped to $2.07 in September 2023 but is now back on the increase, at $4.15 as of December.
The price of a gallon of whole milk increased from $2.25 at the beginning of Biden’s term to $4.22 in November 2022. In December, the price was $4.10.
Under Trump, gas prices dropped as low as $1.77 per gallon. However, that price drop occurred while few people were driving due to lockdowns caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The global health crisis, not Trump’s policies, was the cause of the cheap costs.
In June 2022, gasoline hit a high of $5.06 under Biden. Since then, it has been declining; as of December, it was $3.15.
Promise of an External Revenue Service to collect tariffs
CLAIM: Trump claimed that enormous sums of money from overseas sources will be flooding our Treasury, promising to set up an External Revenue Service to collect all customs, duties, and revenues.
THE FACTS Almost every economist agrees that the tariffs would cost American consumers at least some, if not most, of their money. In addition to the dollar’s expected increase in value relative to the currencies of the tariffed countries, some exporters abroad may accept lower profits to partially offset the expense of the penalties.
However, unless the tariffs increase the cost of foreign-made goods for American customers, they will not have the intended effect of encouraging greater production in the United States.
Furthermore, a number of Trump’s fans and even some of his appointees contend that he primarily plans to use tariffs as a negotiating tactic to get concessions from other nations. However, it is clear that Trump expects to impose and collect a lot of taxes if an External Revenue Service is created.
Calls for revocation of EV mandate that doesn t exist
CLAIM: In order to preserve the car sector and honor my holy commitment to our wonderful American autoworkers, we will repeal the mandate for electric vehicles.
THE FACTS: To say that there is such a mandate is false. Strict restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from passenger cars were announced by the Environmental Protection Agency in April 2023. According to the organization, if 67% of new car sales are electric by 2032, these restrictions might be reached.
However, the proposed regulation would not compel automakers to directly increase sales of electric vehicles. It establishes emissions standards and gives automakers discretion over how to reach them.
As a U.S. senator, Kamala Harris co-sponsored the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act in 2019, which would have mandated that all newly sold passenger cars be zero-emission by 2040. The ownership of automobiles that emit emissions was not prohibited by the measure, which stalled in committee.
China does not operate the Panama Canal
CLAIM: Talking about his wish for the United States to reclaim the Panama Canal: The United States Navy is among the several American ships that are being unfairly punished and subjected to excessive charges. Above all, the Panama Canal is run by China.
THE FACTS: Trump’s allegations that China is running the canal and that the United States is being overcharged have been refuted by Panamanian officials. In an interview with The Associated Press, Ricaurte V. Squez, the canal’s administrator, stated that the fees are not discriminatory.
According to him, the pricing guidelines are clear and consistent for everyone who uses the canal.
He added that the canal was not run by China. He pointed out that a Hong Kong consortium that won a bidding process in 1997 included Chinese businesses that operated at the ports on either end of the canal. Other ports around the canal are also run by Taiwanese and American enterprises, he added.
V. Squez emphasized that according to a neutrality convention, the canal is unable to grant preferential treatment to ships flying the American flag. According to him, requests for exceptions are frequently denied as the procedure is transparent and arbitrary deviations are not permitted. American warships are the lone exception to the neutrality treaty, as they are granted expedited transit.
Trump has lamented the growing fees for ships using the canal, but he hasn’t ruled out using military force to take over the waterway.
In an effort to make it easier for military and commercial ships to move between its shores, the United States constructed the canal in the early 1900s. On Dec. 31, 1999, Washington gave up control of the waterway to Panama in accordance with a 1977 pact signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter.
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This report was written by Chris Rugaber in Washington and Melissa Golden in New York for the Associated Press.