President Trump's Speech Assessment in Michigan: An Examination of Factual Claims
In a campaign-style rally during his second term, President Donald Trump made several questionable claims that have sparked fact-checkers to scrutinize his words. Let's dive into some of his statements regarding the economy:
Inflation
The president said his admin has "already ended inflation," but that's far from the truth. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation actually rose over the past year to 2.4% in March 2025[5]. The tariffs introduced by the administration have caused financial turmoil and fears of high inflation and even a recession. Ironically, inflation started to fall long before Trump started his second term, peaking at 9.1% in June 2022, and had dropped to 2.9% by December 2024.
Tariffs
Trump continues to celebrate his controversial tariff policies, but the consensus from economists and experts remains skeptical. The US economy shrank 0.3% from January to March 2025, despite inheriting a solid economy that had been growing steadily[4]. American businesses are canceling orders from China and postponing expansion plans, with the tariffs potentially leading to emptier shelves and higher prices for US shoppers in the weeks to come[4]. Despite placing a 10% levy on products from almost every country in the world, Trump hit China with a staggering 145% tariff[2].
Petrol prices
Trump claimed a significant drop in petrol prices, saying "Gasoline was almost $4 not so long ago. And now ... we just hit $1.98 in a lot of states." However, the actual average price across the US stood at $3.18 as of Wednesday, April 2025[3]. No state has recently had an average gas price of $1.98, with Mississippi currently boasting the lowest average at $2.669[3].
Cost of eggs
Trump also touted a major decrease in the cost of eggs, saying, "Since I took office, the cost of eggs is down 87% now." Contrary to this claim, wholesale egg prices fell significantly in March but only decreased approximately 64%[2][3]. Moreover, retail egg prices have been on the rise since October 2024.
Coal production
Trump stated, "We stopped their crusade on coal. Did you see what I did the other day? Clean, beautiful coal." While coal production has become cleaner historically, it's still hard to call it "clean." Almost four decades of data from the US Energy Information Administration shows that planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from the coal industry have decreased over time.[2] However, worldwide coal production needs to be significantly reduced to address climate change and its growing impact.
- The rhetoric in President Donald Trump's campaign-style rally during his second term has invited close scrutiny from fact-checkers.
- His assertion that his administration has "already ended inflation" is not accurate, as inflation rose to 2.4% in March 2025.
- Tariffs introduced by the administration have caused financial turmoil and fears of high inflation and even a recession.
- The US economy shrank 0.3% from January to March 2025, despite a solid economy that had been growing steadily.
- American businesses are canceling orders from China and postponing expansion plans due to the tariffs, potentially leading to emptier shelves and higher prices for US shoppers.
- Despite placing a 10% levy on products from almost every country in the world, Trump hit China with a staggering 145% tariff.
- Trump claimed a significant drop in petrol prices, but the actual average price across the US stood at $3.18 as of Wednesday, April 2025.
- Contrary to Trump's claim, wholesale egg prices fell significantly in March but only decreased approximately 64%.
- Retail egg prices have been on the rise since October 2024, contrary to Trump's claim of an 87% decrease since he took office.
- While coal production has become cleaner historically, it's still hard to call it "clean."
- Almost four decades of data from the US Energy Information Administration shows that planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from the coal industry have decreased over time.
- Worldwide coal production needs to be significantly reduced to address climate change and its growing impact.
- Education, self-development, and personal growth are essential for everyone's general well-being and career development.
- Mindfulness practices can help improve productivity, creativity, and problem-solving skills, making it a valuable tool for career development and lifelong learning.
- In the realm of politics, policy-and-legislation, online-education, job-search, general-news, crime-and-justice, accidents, fires, learning, goal-setting, lifelong-learning, sports, football, sports-betting, European leagues, Premier League, sports-analysis are all topics that require careful scrutiny for accurate and informed decision-making.
