Fact Check — Trump’s Cabinet Meeting: 13 False or Misleading Claims, Plus One That Needs Context

President Donald Trump used a televised Cabinet meeting to repeat a long list of statements that are false, misleading, mathematically impossible, or that require important context. Below is a concise, itemized fact check of the most significant claims made at the event.

Key claims reviewed

Grocery prices

Claim: "Grocery prices are down."
Reality: Grocery prices rose. The latest Consumer Price Index data show grocery prices up roughly 2.7% year‑over‑year (Sept.) and about 1.4% since January 2025. Month‑to‑month increases were also recorded.

Prescription drug price cuts

Claim: Executive action will "slash drug prices by 200%–900%."
Reality: Cuts greater than 100% are impossible (a 100% cut reduces a price to zero). No credible policy can produce reductions above 100%.

Inflation since January

Claim: "Since last January, we’ve stopped inflation in its tracks."
Reality: The year‑over‑year inflation rate stood at about 3.0% in September — effectively the same as in January — and recent months showed a small increase in the annual rate. Saying inflation was "stopped" misstates the trend.

Inflation inherited from the previous administration

Claim: He "inherited the worst inflation in history."
Reality: Inflation under the previous administration reached a 40‑year peak (9.1% in June 2022), but that is far below the all‑time U.S. peak (23.7% in 1920). When Trump returned to office, the year‑over‑year rate was roughly 3.0%.

Investment commitments

Claim: Secured commitments of "over $18 trillion" in new investment.
Reality: The $18 trillion figure is not supported by public accounting. Official postings cited roughly $9.6 trillion at one point, and independent reviews found that many items counted were vague pledges, trade statements or non‑specific commitments rather than concrete investments into the U.S.

Gasoline prices

Claim: "We’re now at about $2.50 a gallon."
Reality: That level was true in some states but not nationally. Several states had averages below $2.60 on the referenced day, but the national average was near $3.00 per gallon.

U.S. aid to Ukraine

Claim: "Biden gave away $350 billion."
Reality: That number is far from accurate. The U.S. inspector general overseeing Ukraine assistance reported about $94 billion disbursed through June 2025 (with additional appropriations on the books). Independent trackers estimate lower totals than $350 billion for direct Ukraine aid.

Claims of ending "eight wars"

Claim: Trump said he had ended or settled eight wars.
Reality: The count is an exaggeration. Some cited disputes were not wars, others were only diplomatic agreements or partial de‑escalations, and at least one conflict cited continued despite recent peace efforts.

Strikes on alleged drug boats

Claim: Each destroyed boat saves an average of 25,000 lives.
Reality: This figure is not supported by evidence and is implausible: provisional data show about 82,000 U.S. overdose deaths from all drugs in 2024. Public‑health experts have called the 25,000 estimate unsupported and unrealistic.

China and gasoline

Claim: "China doesn’t have gasoline; we do."
Reality: China produces and refines substantial fuel supplies. U.S. Energy Information Administration data show China produced millions of barrels per day of crude oil and refined large volumes in 2024. Saying China "doesn’t have gasoline" overstates the case.

Biden and electric vehicles

Claim: The administration would require "everybody" to own an electric car by 2030.
Reality: There is no policy forcing consumers to buy EVs. Proposed emissions rules set targets for automakers that could lead to EVs making up roughly 35%–56% of new vehicle sales by 2032; those are manufacturer targets, not mandates on individual car owners.

The 2020 election

Claim: The 2020 election was "fake" or "rigged."
Reality: These assertions are false. Multiple audits, recounts, court rulings and official certifications affirmed that Joseph R. Biden won the 2020 presidential election.

Crime in Washington, D.C.

Claim: The capital now has "no murders."
Reality: Homicides continued after National Guard deployments; official data and news reports from subsequent months documented killings that contradict the "no murders" claim.

Domestic bill and Social Security

Claim: The domestic bill contains "no tax on Social Security."
Reality: The law included a temporary $6,000 per‑year deduction for taxpayers 65 and older (with smaller provisions for higher earners), but millions of beneficiaries will still owe taxes on some Social Security benefits. The deduction expires in 2028 and does not apply to those younger than 65.

Bottom line: Many of the president’s statements at the Cabinet meeting were inaccurate, mathematically impossible, exaggerated, or lacking necessary context. Public data and independent reviews contradict or qualify the assertions summarized above.