State of the Union: Fact‑check preview ahead of President Trump's address
State of the Union: President Trump to deliver address Tuesday
President Trump will address Congress Tuesday in his first State of the Union since returning to office. The speech is expected to recap his first year of his second term and double as a message aimed at the upcoming midterms.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump will deliver the first State of the Union address of his second term on Tuesday, with his administration focused heavily on the economy, immigration, crime, energy and national security.
2026 State of the Union: Timing, how to watch & more
Here’s a preview and fact check of several topics Trump is expected to address during his address:
State of the Union | Economy
Trump often says the U.S. is now "the hottest country anywhere in the world" after years as a "dead country." The economy was far from "dead" when he returned to office, though it has generally performed well in his second term after a rocky start, the Associated Press reports.
In 2024, Biden’s final year in office, U.S. GDP grew 2.8%, faster than any major economy except Spain, and posted solid gains from 2021 through 2023.
GDP contracted in early 2025 for the first time in three years, rebounded midyear, then slowed again in the fourth quarter. Overall growth for 2025 was 2.2%.
Inflation fell to a near five‑year low in January, but the Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge shows it remains elevated as prices for furniture, clothing and groceries continue to rise.
Hiring has also slowed sharply. Employers added just 181,000 jobs in 2025, the fewest outside a recession since 2002, as companies struggled with tariff uncertainty, artificial intelligence disruptions and a post‑pandemic hiring cooldown.
The U.S. stock market posted strong gains last year, but still lagged behind several foreign markets. The S&P 500 rose 17%, compared with surges of 71% in South Korea, 29% in Hong Kong, 26% in Japan, 22% in Germany and 21% in the U.K.
READ MORE: Road closures in DC Tuesday for State of the Union
State of the Union | Investments
Trump frequently claims the U.S. has secured up to $18 trillion in investments, but he has offered no evidence. The number appears speculative.
The White House website cites a far lower figure, $9.6 trillion, which appears to include commitments made during the Biden administration.
A study published in January also questioned whether more than $5 trillion in investment pledges from major U.S. trading partners will ever materialize or how they would be used.
President Donald J. Trump delivers his State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)
State of the Union | Immigration
Curbing illegal immigration remains a central Trump priority. Trump has repeatedly claimed that migrants are driving a surge in crime, but there is no evidence of such a spike along the border or in cities with large migrant populations, according to the Associated Press. Studies show people living in the U.S. illegally are less likely than native‑born Americans to be arrested for violent, drug or property crimes.
Trump also frequently cites more than 300,000 missing migrant children, a distortion of an August 2024 DHS inspector general report that criticized ICE for inconsistent tracking of unaccompanied minors after they leave federal custody.
State of the Union | Energy
Trump regularly praises coal but while production is cleaner than in decades past, it is not clean.
Carbon dioxide emissions from coal have fallen over 30 years, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, but U.N.‑backed research says global coal production must drop sharply to address climate change.
Burning coal also releases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which contribute to smog, acid rain and respiratory illnesses.
Trump often criticizes wind power as costly and harmful to birds. Onshore wind is among the cheapest sources of electricity, with new projects expected to generate power at about $30 per megawatt hour, according to the EIA.
Wind turbines can pose risks to birds, but the National Audubon Society says those risks can be managed and that climate change poses a far greater threat to bird populations.
A time elapsed panoramic view of President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union address taken in the House chamber Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Carlos Fyfe)
State of the Union | Elections
Ahead of the 2026 midterms, Trump continues to falsely claim he won the 2020 presidential election.
Biden’s victory was upheld through recounts, audits and court rulings in every battleground state Trump contested. His own attorney general said there was no widespread fraud that could have changed the outcome. Biden won 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232 and received more than 7 million additional popular votes.
Trump also calls his 2024 victory a "landslide," but the margin was narrower than he suggests.
He won 312 electoral votes to Democrat Kamala Harris’ 226, according to the Federal Election Commission, but the popular vote was close.Trump received 49.8% to Harris’ 48.32%.
State of the Union | Crime
Trump credits himself for a sharp drop in violent crime in 2025, claiming the murder rate hit its lowest point in 125 years. The claim is misleading. Crime had already been declining. The AP says.
A January report from the Independent Council on Criminal Justice found homicides fell 21% across 35 major cities from 2024 to 2025.
The report said nationwide data could show homicides dropping to about 4.0 per 100,000 people, potentially the lowest rate since 1900.
FBI data for 2023 and 2024 also show significant declines in violent crime.
Violent crime spiked during the pandemic, with homicides jumping nearly 30% in 2020, the largest one‑year increase on record, but fell back near pre‑pandemic levels by 2022 under Biden.
Experts say both the pandemic‑era surge and the recent drop defy simple explanations, despite politicians in both parties trying to claim credit.
State of the Union 2018 (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)
State of the Union | Foreign policy
Trump often says he has "solved" eight wars, a major exaggeration. While he has played a role in mediating some disputes, his impact is far less sweeping than he suggests, the AP says.
The conflicts he cites include disputes involving Israel and Hamas, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, India and Pakistan, Serbia and Kosovo, Rwanda and Congo, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Cambodia and Thailand.
Road closures in DC Tuesday for State of the Union
Drivers should prepare for extensive road closures around the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, February 24, as the President of the United States delivers the State of the Union Address.
The address is scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m., but security measures will be in place throughout the day, according to the United States Capitol Police.
To ensure public safety, roads surrounding the Capitol Complex will close in phases beginning just after midnight and continuing through the conclusion of the event.
Click here for a full list of closures.
2026 State of the Union: Timing, how to watch & more
President Donald Trump will deliver the 2026 State of the Union on Tuesday night and FOX 5 DC will have live coverage of the event.
FOX 5 DC will stream LIVE coverage of the address on FOX LOCAL, on FOX 5 DC's YouTube and Tiktok and in the media player at the top of the article.
To stream from anywhere, download our mobile app, FOX LOCAL, to watch on your smart TV or phone. Click here to download.
President Donald J. Trump delivers his State of the Union address Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, in the House Chamber in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Associated Press.