CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale rapidly rebutted many of President Trump’s claims from his White House holiday address, calling several assertions recycled, exaggerated, or "total fiction." Dale disputed statements about inflation, an impossible "400–600%" drug-price cut, a claimed $18 trillion in investment, and overly optimistic gas-price figures. He also said immigration and crime statistics presented in the speech were greatly overstated and pointed readers to CNN.com for a full fact-check.
“I Don’t Have Time!” CNN’s Daniel Dale Calls Trump’s Holiday Address “Total Fiction” — Rapid Fact-Check
CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale delivered a rapid and blunt rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s White House holiday address, saying many of the president’s headline claims were recycled, exaggerated, or outright "total fiction." Delivered briskly amid Christmas decorations in the Diplomatic Reception Room, the speech blamed President Joe Biden for higher prices, immigration and crime while asserting that the Trump administration has already fixed the economy.
Why Dale Called It A “Fact-Check-It-Half-Asleep” Speech
Speaking on The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Dale described the address as "a fact-check-it-half-asleep kind of presidential speech," noting that many of the claims have been debunked repeatedly.
Economic Claims Examined
Dale took particular aim at the economic assertions. He disputed Trump’s claim that inflation has "stopped," pointing out that inflation was roughly 3% at the time and that September represented a continued month-to-month increase. He also rejected the notion that Trump "inherited the worst inflation in the history of the country," noting that the Biden-era peak was about a 40-year high—not the exaggerated 48-year figure—and far below historical peaks exceeding 20% in the distant past.
On prescription drugs, Dale ridiculed the president’s claim that prices were cut by "400 to 600%," calling that "mathematically impossible": "If you cut it by more than 100%, people would get paid to get their medications, which of course is not happening," he said.
While Trump acknowledged falling egg prices and claimed prices broadly were "falling rapidly," Dale pushed back: "Everything else is not falling rapidly. In fact, even our groceries in particular—far more products have increased in price this term than have decreased."
Investment, Fuel And Other Figures
One of the bolder claims in the address was that the administration had secured $18 trillion in investment this year. Dale was blunt: "That number is total fiction." He noted the White House itself uses a much smaller figure and that much of the touted investment rests on vague promises rather than concrete commitments.
Trump also pointed to states where gas was reportedly $1.99 per gallon. Dale countered: "The lowest state average today is closer to $2.40," noting that only about 100 stations out of roughly 150,000 nationwide have averages under $2.
Immigration, Crime And Other Claims
Dale called out Trump’s depiction of "an army of 25 million people" arriving under Biden as wildly inflated. "The number was not even close to 25 million. It was under 11 million and that counts millions of people who were rapidly expelled from the country," Dale said. He also dismissed claims of record-high crime and the assertion that Trump had "settled eight wars."
"I could go on. I don’t have time. So visit cnn.com and we’ll have a full list later," Dale said, cutting off his roll call of corrections.
Watch the segment via CNN for the complete rundown. For a comprehensive list of fact checks from the holiday address, see CNN's coverage.
