President Donald Trump’s address to the Detroit Economic Club included many incorrect or exaggerated statements about inflation, prices, tariffs, prescription drugs and several other topics. Below is a clear, sectioned fact check that corrects the key claims made in the speech using the latest government and independent data cited in the original report.
Inflation
Claim: “Inflation is stopped” / “almost no inflation.”
Reality: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) released the morning of the speech showed consumer prices were 2.7% higher in December year‑over‑year and rose 0.3% from November to December. Inflation continues, so the claim that it has stopped is false.
Overall Prices Since Trump Returned
Claim: “Prices are down.”
Reality: Aggregate consumer prices are higher, not lower, during Trump’s second presidency. On a seasonally adjusted basis, CPI was about 2.2% higher in December than in January 2025 (the month he returned to office). Some items fell, but many more rose.
Grocery Prices
Claim: “Grocery prices are starting to go rapidly down.”
Reality: December’s CPI showed grocery prices rose 0.7% month‑to‑month—the fastest monthly increase in over three years—and were 2.4% higher year‑over‑year. Sampling or data collection issues from a prior shutdown may have influenced some measurements, but there is no evidence of a broad, rapid decline in grocery costs.
Prescription Drug Prices
Claim: Cuts of “300, 400, 500 and even 600%” for prescription drugs under the Most Favored Nation policy.
Reality: These percentage claims are mathematically impossible. A 100% reduction means a drug would cost $0; reductions above 100% would imply consumers were being paid to take medicines. The hyperbolic figures are therefore false.
Biden‑Era Inflation
Claim: The Biden administration presided over “the worst inflation in the history of our country” (later modified to “49 years”).
Reality: Year‑over‑year inflation peaked at about 9.1% in June 2022—roughly a 40‑year high—not near the 1920 record of 23.7%. By January 2025, inflation had already fallen to about 3.0% before Trump returned to office.
Investment Claims
Claim: “We’ve got $18 trillion being invested in our country.”
Reality: The $18 trillion figure is incorrect. The White House listed about $9.6 trillion in so‑called major investment announcements for the term, and independent reviews found that number is inflated by including vague pledges, bilateral trade statements and nonbinding claims that do not represent concrete, on‑the‑ground U.S. investment.
Economic Growth
Claim: “We have the highest growth we have ever had.”
Reality: Real GDP grew at an annualized 4.3% rate in Q3 2025, a robust pace and the fastest since 2023, but not the fastest in U.S. history. Several prior quarters—especially during the post‑pandemic recovery in 2020–2021—exhibited higher growth rates.
Gasoline Prices
Claim: Gas prices are “under $2 in many places” with examples like $1.95 or $1.99.
Reality: No state had a statewide average below $2 per gallon on the day referenced; Oklahoma had the lowest state average at about $2.23. Some individual stations (roughly 464 according to GasBuddy) sold gas under $2, but that represented about 0.3% of tracked stations. It is accurate that national averages fell from about $3.08 at the January 2025 inauguration to about $2.82 on the referenced day, but the “many places under $2” line is misleading.
Who Pays Tariffs
Claim: “China is one of our biggest taxpayers right now.”
Reality: Tariffs on Chinese imports are paid by U.S. importers, who frequently pass added costs on to U.S. businesses and consumers. China does not directly pay U.S. tariffs.
Social Security Taxes
Claim: “No tax on Social Security for our seniors.”
Reality: A 2025 law created a temporary additional deduction of up to $6,000 for individuals 65+ (with limits for higher earners), but millions of Social Security recipients 65 and older will still pay taxes on benefits. The deduction expires in 2028 and doesn’t help under‑65 recipients.
Fraud And The Federal Budget
Claim: Eliminating fraud in federal programs would balance the federal budget.
Reality: The GAO estimated annual improper payments/fraud at $233 billion–$521 billion. The federal deficit for the most recent fiscal year was just under $1.8 trillion—more than triple the high‑end fraud estimate—so stopping fraud alone would not balance the budget.
Michigan, The Popular Vote, And Elections
Claims: Assertions that Trump “won Michigan three times” and “won the popular vote all three times.”
Reality: Trump won Michigan in 2016 and 2024 but lost in 2020 by about 154,188 votes (2.8 percentage points). He won the national popular vote in 2024 but lost it in 2016 and 2020 by millions of votes. Multiple reviews found no evidence of widespread fraud in Michigan’s 2020 result.
Migration And Crime Figures
Claims: Letting in “25 million” migrants and admitting “11,888” murderers under Biden.
Reality: Through December 2024 the government recorded under 11 million migrant encounters during the Biden administration; House Republican “gotaway” estimates add roughly 2.2 million—still far below Trump’s figures. The “11,888” number appears to conflate a decades‑spanning ICE list of noncitizens with homicide convictions (many convicted after arrival and some incarcerated); it does not represent newly admitted, roaming violent criminals in the way claimed.
Venezuela, Panama Canal, And Wars
Venezuela Prisons: There is no evidence Maduro “emptied prisons” to send prisoners to the U.S.; experts say they have seen no proof.
Panama Canal Deaths: Trump’s claim of 36,000 U.S. deaths is far too high. American construction fatalities are estimated at about 5,600 (the majority Afro‑Caribbean); earlier French efforts cost many more lives, perhaps 22,000, but not U.S. fatalities.
Wars Ended: The claim that he “ended eight wars” overstates results. Some cited disputes were diplomatic or unfinished conflicts; other items on the list are contested or continued despite negotiated agreements.
Conclusion
The speech mixed accurate short observations with numerous demonstrably false or misleading claims. Official statistics—CPI, GDP figures, state gas price averages, and GAO fraud estimates—along with independent reviews and historical research contradict many of the assertions made. Readers should treat broad or round‑number claims with skepticism and check primary data sources when possible.
Note: This piece consolidates and clarifies the fact checks and data cited in the original reporting.
