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Trump GOP convention speech fact check: From ‘first-ever midterm convention’ to winning the presidency ‘three times’
Republicans kicked off their first midterm election convention in Dallas on Wednesday, September 9. President Donald Trump delivered tonight’s keynote address.
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Republicans kicked off their first midterm election convention in Dallas on Wednesday, September 9. President Donald Trump delivered tonight’s keynote address.
Several Republicans in tight races said they would not attend the GOP convention, which has been dubbed "Trump-a-palooza."
Before Trump’s speech, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., appeared in a video and introduced Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa.
Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Dan McKee could become the first sitting governor in the country to lose a primary in eight years. He seeks to fend off challenger Helena Foulkes, a former CVS executive.
Trump’s speech was marred by some misinformation and false claims. Here’s a fact-check of Trump’s GOP convention speech.
Fact checking Trump’s GOP convention speech
Trump claimed this was the first ever midterm convention: The President claimed tonight that this is the "first-ever midterm convention of any party." This is not true, as Democrats have held midterm conventions before. They hosted one in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1974, and another one in Memphis in 1978. The one in 1978 was attended by President Jimmy Carter, who even delivered remarks.
Trump claimed he won the presidency three times: Trump told the Dallas crowd that he has won the presidency three times, referring to his longtime claim, without evidence, that he won the 2020 election. "When I’m on the ticket, Republicans always do very well," Trump said. "We won the presidency three times."
Trump cited an inaccurate figure for outside investments: Trump said, “It's not even two years, but we have more money being spent from outside countries and companies, over $20 trillion dollars.” This is not true, according to Politifact. The White House website lists $11.2 trillion in domestic and foreign investments, which is roughly half the figure Trump cited. The figure listed by the White House includes aspirational, multi-year goals, and future purchases or sales of products, rather than only capital investments.
Trump exaggerated on taxes and crime: Trump said, “I gave you the biggest tax decrease in the history of our country, and no crime.” The truth is, Trump’s 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act is not the biggest tax cut in history. The tax savings from the law ranks third on the list of biggest tax cut laws since 1980, per Politifact. Crime, on the other hand, has indeed decreased significantly in recent years, including under Trump. However, it has not reached zero.
Trump said prices are ‘rapidly going down’: Trump said, “Food prices and almost every other item are rapidly going down.” This claim is mostly false. Prices have overall increased by about 4.3% since Trump began his second term, and groceries have risen by about 3.4%. The Iran war ended up boosting energy prices. While gasoline is up by 31% since Trump took office in January last year, fuel oil and natural gas have risen too, according to Politifact. Even electricity is up by more than 8%. Car prices decreased during this period, and eggs, bacon and bread prices are also down. However, other common items in consumers’ carts, such as coffee, ground beef and chicken breast, are up.
Also Read | Trump’s GOP convention faces low turnout: Which Republicans are skipping? What we know so far
Trump said “zero” immigrants have entered the country illegally in 16 months: Trump said that the border was “wide open” under Joe Biden, but “zero illegal aliens” have entered the United States in the last 16 months. While US border crossings reached record highs during Biden’s administration, it did decrease significantly in 20204, which was his last year in office. Illegal border crossings are currently at historic lows, but people are still trying to cross. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 9,295 apprehensions along the southwest border in July, which was a decrease from June. Trump’s administration stated that it is no longer releasing people apprehended at the border, and that all are being detained or removed. In August, CBP and the Department of Homeland Security reported that based on July’s figures, officials had not apprehended and then released any migrants into American communities for as many as 15 consecutive months.
Trump exaggerated 401(k) gains: Trump said, “The typical American's 401k has gone up by almost $50,000.” Data indicates 401ks have gone up in value, but not by that much. Politifact reported in late June that Fidelity Investments found that during the majority of Trump’s second term, average 401(k) account balances had increased by $9,454. An additional two months of stock gains since late June wouldn’t account for an additional $40,000-plus in gains. Further, the balance increase does not come only from stock market gains, but also from account holders’ contributions and potentially those of their employers.
Trump said Democrats let thousands of murderers into the country: Trump said Democrats allowed “11,888 murders, many of whom, over 50% killed more than one person” into the country. The President has cited a similar figure before – 13,099 – which, according to Politifact, comes from a misinterpretation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement data. A 2024 letter from former ICE Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner indicated that 13,099 immigrants convicted of murder were not in immigration detention. Trump has used the 11,888 number multiple times in recent months. However, the data does not cover only the Biden administration, but goes back as many as 40 years. Most of the 13,099 people on the list are not in detention because they are serving their prison sentences. The source of Trump’s claim, that over half have murdered more than one person, remains unclear.
