CNN fact-checked President Donald Trump’s audacious claims in his national address just as quickly as he delivered his speech.
Harry Enten, the network’s chief data analyst, swiftly shut down the rosy image that Trump painted of the economy in an 18-minute address that he delivered breathlessly on live TV as cost-of-living pressures continue to weigh down his approval ratings.
“When I took office, inflation was the worst in 48 years—and some would say in the history of our country—which caused prices to be higher than ever before, making life unaffordable for millions and millions of Americans. This happened during a Democrat administration, and it’s when we first began hearing the word ‘affordability,’” Trump, 79, said.
But Enten pointed out that the inflation rate was 3 percent in September—just as it was in January when Trump returned to the White House.
“Prices have not, in fact, fallen according to the broadest measure of the inflation rate,” he said on The Source with Kaitlan Collins, citing data from Trump’s own Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Trump also claimed that there has been an outpouring of investments into the United States, “which means jobs, wage increases, growth, factory openings, and far greater national security.”
Enten noted, however, that the unemployment rate has steadily risen from 4 percent in January to 4.2 percent in May, and 4.6 percent in November—”the highest unemployment rate since 2021.”
The numbers don’t look any better when it comes to Trump’s polling, especially as prices continue to rise for everyday Americans.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that a measly 20 percent of Americans think the U.S. is on the right track when it comes to inflation, and only 27 percent feel the same about jobs. Trump’s net approval on the economy has also plummeted to -25 points, when he started his second term at +6 points.
“Donald Trump was elected to fix the economy. It was a strength for him during his first term, but at this point, it is an anchor on him,” Enten said. “And that is why we’re seeing poll after poll after poll showing him with a net negative approval rating, and in some polls, the worst approval rating he has had in his entire second term.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
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