Trump's tall tales? US media fact-checks his first joint Congress address

Donald Trump made some big claims on savings made by DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), economy, climate, tariffs, illegal border crossings and his predecessor, Joe Biden

In his address to Congress on Tuesday (local time), US President Donald Trump laid out his goals for the next four years and highlighted his achievements during the first six weeks of his presidency. In his speech, which lasted one hour and 40 minutes, Trump made some big claims on savings made by DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), economy, climate, tariffs, illegal border crossings and his predecessor, Joe Biden.   

But were all of these claims true? Here's what fact-checking done by US media found:

 

  Claim: 'DOGE found hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud' 

 

Fact: A CNN fact check found that the claim lacks corroboration and requires context. DOGE stated on its website that its work has saved taxpayers an estimated $105 billion, but it has not provided evidence to support such a figure.

 

 

DOGE reported approximately 2,300 cancelled contracts across the federal government, claiming total savings of $8.9 billion. It also cited nearly 3,500 cancelled grants, estimating savings of $10.3 billion, but did not provide links or documentation to substantiate these figures. Additionally, it claimed $660 million in savings from canceled government leases.

 

However, DOGE’s public tally has contained errors and has been revised multiple times in recent weeks, with some contracts removed after CNN and other media outlets identified inaccuracies. This includes a previous claim of $8 billion in savings from cancelling a contract that was actually valued at a maximum of $8 million. Moreover, its website’s so-called “wall of receipts” has included contracts canceled during previous administrations.

 

Claim: 'Joe Biden especially let the price of eggs get out of control'

 

Fact: According to media reports, while egg prices did rise during President Joe Biden’s tenure, they have also surged recently under Donald Trump. The primary reason is bird flu, which has resulted in the deaths of 136 million birds since 2022, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

 

Claim: 'We ended the last administration's insane electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto workers and companies from economic destruction'

 

Fact: ABC News says there was no electric vehicle mandate put in place by the Biden administration. The Biden administration's Environmental Protection Agency introduced tailpipe emissions standards last March, setting an average emissions limit across a vehicle manufacturer's entire fleet, according to ABC News. The standards would have only impacted cars from model years 2027 to 2032.

 

Claim: 'I withdrew from the unfair Paris Climate accord, which was costing us trillions of dollars that other countries were not paying'

 

Fact: According to PolitiFact, this claim is untrue. The Trump administration defended withdrawing from the climate agreement, citing a NERA Economic Consulting study which projected that emission restrictions would raise production costs, leading to factory closures and job losses. This would reduce gross domestic product by $250 billion by 2025 and $3 trillion by 2040. However, the study did not account for offsetting job gains and economic growth from a clean tech transition.  Claim: '$8 million for making mice transgender.'  Fact: CNN fact check finds Trump falsely claimed $8 million was spent on ‘making mice transgender.' Between the financial years 2021 and 2022, the National Institutes of Health awarded a total of $477,121 to three projects that involved administering feminising hormone therapy to monkeys. It remains unclear where the $8 million figure originated or why Trump referenced studies in mice instead of monkeys. 

Claim: Since taking office, my administration has launched the most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history. And we quickly achieved the lowest numbers of illegal border crossers ever recorded. 

Fact: According to official federal statistics, there were months in the early 1960s when border patrol encounters with migrants at the southwest border were lower.