Year-End Address: Claimed He "Brought Down Prices" — Inflation Was Unchanged at 3%
In a national address, Trump claimed "inflation has stopped" and he brought prices down. Fact-checkers rated it false: inflation was 3% — the same rate as when he took office. He also exaggerated grocery savings, gas prices, and immigration numbers.
On December 17, 2025, Trump delivered a year-end address to the nation in which he claimed credit for bringing down prices and stopping inflation. Fact-checkers found the central claim was false: annual inflation was at 3% in September 2025 — the same rate as when he took office in January.
The address was a parade of exaggerations and falsehoods:
- "Inflation has stopped": False. Inflation was 3%, unchanged from inauguration. Prices had not decreased — they were still rising, just at the same rate.
- Turkey prices "down 33%": Exaggerated. Actual retail decline was 16%.
- Egg prices "down 82%": Exaggerated. Retail prices down roughly 43% (wholesale down ~67%).
- Gas "under $2.50 in much of the country": Misleading. National average was $2.89-$2.90. Only select states were below $2.50.
- "Largest tax cuts in American history": False. Reagan's 1981 cuts were more than double as a share of revenue (-2.89% vs -1.4%).
- "25 million people" entered illegally under Biden: False. CBP reported approximately 11 million encounters during Biden's term.
Trump also announced $1,776 "warrior dividends" for active-duty military members — a one-time bonus funded through $2.9 billion in housing appropriations. The symbolism of the $1,776 amount was not subtle.
The address exemplified a pattern: take credit for trends that predate you, exaggerate the numbers that help, ignore the ones that don't, and wrap it in a prime-time national broadcast where the claims reach millions before fact-checkers can respond.