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Trump live: Fact checking claims on Iran war, Israel, birthright citizenship, affordability
Trump delivered his first major address since US-Israel strikes on Iran, outlining key claims now being examined and fact-checked.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday gave a prime-time speech from the White House in what is his first major address to the nation since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran led to escalation across the Middle East.
In this article, we will fact check the major claims made by the 79-year-old at the prime-time speech.
1. Trump claims Iran's military decimated
Trump claimed Iran was decimated, but data shows reduced—not eliminated—strikes. He said that amid the reduced numbers, capturing the Strait of Hormuz with support from allies "would be easy."
Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) said after a surge of Iranian strikes on March 1, with over 100 in a day, the number of strikes has since fallen to 50 a day, targeting key US bases in the Middle East.
Experts say Iran may be conserving weapons, remaining a resilient threat despite a slowdown in attacks
2. Regime Change Claim
The POTUS said: “Regime change was not our goal. We never said ‘regime change,’ but regime change has occurred because of the deaths of all of their original leaders. They're all dead.”
However, after the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba has taken over as the new Ayatollah. The Shia cleric rule with IRGC on the ground continues as before, despite the US-Israeli strikes.
3. Trump Claims US Imports “Almost No Oil” Vira Hormuz
Trump claim that US imports "almost no oil" via the Strait of Hormuz. The United States imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait and won't be taking any in the future," Trump said. But data shows that it is false.
Per US Energy Information Administration Data, 7% of US crude oil and 2% of petroleum liquids are imported via the Strait of Hormuz.
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How Trump Teased Tonight's Speech
The White House had kept the contents of the speech under wraps as no details about what it would be on were released. Sources in the White House cited in news reports stated that Trump could be talking about winding down the strikes in Iran in the next two to three weeks.
Steve Bannon, Trump's former advisor, said that the President could effectively declare victory in the Iran war and gradually decrease the ongoing operations in Iran.
But the President was asked about his plans for the much-anticipated address earlier on Wednesday. Instead of addressing the speculation of a big decision on the Iran war, Trump had said that he planned to tell everybody "how great I am.”
He attended an Easter Lunch at the White House earlier when he spoke about what to expect from the speech.
“Tonight, I’m making a little speech at nine o’clock, and basically I’m gonna tell everybody how great I am, what a great job I’ve done, what a phenomenal job, what a phenomenal job I’ve done,” Trump said. “But seriously, if you, if you didn’t have me, if you had some different type of a president, you wouldn’t have Israel.”
