x
Breaking News
More () »

Verify: Truth-testing the President's claims

President Trump called for unity during his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

President Donald Trump called for unity and boasted about his administration's accomplishments during his State of the Union address, Tuesday night.

CALL FOR UNITY

The President said he was presenting an American agenda and called on Republicans and Democrats to come together.

"Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of America's future.  The decision is ours to make," said President Trump.

FULL SPEECH: Stacey Abrams' Democratic response to the State of the Union

Obviously, it's impossible to verify personal feelings. However, it's worth pointing out that just hours before calling for unity, the President took to Twitter to attack his opponents. In this case, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

"I see Schumer is already criticizing my State of the Union speech, even though he hasn't seen it yet. He's just upset that he didn't win the Senate, after spending a fortune, like he thought he would. Too bad we weren't given more credit for the Senate win by the media!"

ECONOMY

The President said the U.S. economy is the envy of the world. However, one incorrect statement referred to the number of jobs created.

"(We) added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs. Something which almost everyone said was impossible to do," Trump claimed.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, there were 12,368,000 manufacturing jobs in the U.S. on the day President Trump took office. The most recent numbers show there are now 12,822,000 manufacturing jobs. That would be less than 500,000 new jobs created, more than 100,000 fewer than what the President claims.

FULL TEXT: Trump's State of the Union Address

ENERGY

"We have unleashed a revolution in American Energy – the United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world," President Trump said.

While this claim is true, it's also misleading. Especially, when the President uses the word "now." 

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. has been the top producer of oil and natural gas since 2013. That's when the U.S. passed Russia and Saudi Arabia.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES

"It's unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place," the President said.

This is a well-documented statement, that's actually used often by Democratic rivals, like Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Studies show American consumers pay anywhere from two to six times more for prescription drugs than consumers in other countries. One large reason why is there are no laws on the books in the U.S. regulating prices as there are in other countries.

President Trump called for legislation to end that practice.

THE WALL

During his speech, President Trump claimed most of the people in the room had already voted for a wall.

The vote he's referring to - the 2006 Secure Fence Act - authorized funding for more than 600 miles of fencing along the southern border.

The President himself has said there's a distinction between a wall, as he calls for, and a fence. So that claim is a little misleading.

ALSO READ 

Before You Leave, Check This Out