Donald Trump has repeatedly made false and misleading claims during his inauguration speech on Monday.
Here are the facts about some of the false claims made by Trump at his inauguration:
The Panama Canal
The statement: Trump has promised to take back the Panama Canal, while repeating a series of false claims, including that 38,000 Americans died during the construction of the canal. He has also stated that “China is operating” the channel.
What Trump says: “The Panama Canal, which has been foolishly given to the country of Panama after the United States, I mean, think about this, spent more money than ever before on a project and lost 38,000 lives in the construction of the Panama Canal. We have been treated very badly by this foolish gift that should never have been given and the promise that Panama made to us has been broken. The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty have been totally violated. American ships are being severely overloaded, overcharged, and not treated fairly in any way, shape, or form. And that includes the United States Navy and, above all, China is operating the Panama Canal and we did not give it to China, we gave it to Panama and we are taking it back.”
The facts: The official death toll during the construction of the Panama Canal amounts to around 5,600 people. Although the real figure may be higher, the majority of deaths would correspond to workers from Caribbean islands such as Antigua, Barbados and Jamaica.
The administrator of the Panama Canal has also denied Trump’s claim that China is controlling the canal’s operations. He says the Chinese companies operating at the ports are part of a Hong Kong consortium that won a bid in 1997, and that American and Taiwanese companies also operate other ports along the canal.
inflation
The statement: Trump has said that the US has experienced “record inflation” which he says has been caused by “massive overspending and escalating energy prices.”
What Trump says: “I will instruct all members of my cabinet to use the broad powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly reduce costs and prices. “The inflationary crisis was caused by excessive spending and escalating energy prices.”
The facts: Inflation in the US reached a four-decade high in the summer of 2022, when it was 9.1%. But the highest inflation rate in the country was 23.7% in June 1920. The most recent data shows that in December inflation fell to 2.9%.
Health spending
The affirmation: Trump has said that the US spends more money on healthcare than any other country in the world.
What Trump says: “We have a public health system that does not comply in times of catastrophe and, yet, more money is spent on it than in any other country in the world.”
The facts: Trump is right. The United States spends more on healthcare per capita, almost double the average of other rich countries.
The response to climate emergencies
The statement: Trump has claimed that the US can no longer provide basic services in times of emergency, citing the wildfires in California and the flooding in North Carolina.
What Trump says: “We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders, but refuses to defend American borders or, more importantly, its own people. Our country can no longer provide basic services in times of emergency, as has recently been demonstrated by the wonderful people of North Carolina who have been so badly treated and other states that are still suffering the consequences of a hurricane that occurred many months ago. Or more recently in Los Angeles, where we are seeing how fires from weeks ago tragically continue to burn without even a show of defense. They are devastating homes and communities, affecting even some of the richest and most powerful people in our country, some of whom are sitting here right now. They no longer have a home. That’s interesting. We cannot allow it.”
The facts: Trump has repeatedly spread incorrect claims about these two events. He and other fellow Republicans pushed false claims about the recovery effort in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene, including that the US government can influence the weather and theories that crucial aid was being withheld, leading some government officials to warn of threats to federal emergency workers.
Trump, during the wildfires in California, called on Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom to “release water” from northern areas of the state, even though experts said the water supply was not a problem, but rather the problems. generators to pump it.
The supposed protection of “dangerous criminals”
The statement: Trump claims that the US has given refuge and protection to “dangerous criminals”, many of whom, according to him, come from “prisons and psychiatric institutions” and entered the US illegally.
What Trump says: “We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling upon a continuous catalog of catastrophic events abroad. “It does not protect our fine law-abiding American citizens, but it provides sanctuary and protection to dangerous criminals, many of them from prisons and psychiatric institutions who have entered our country illegally from around the world.”
The facts: Trump has made these claims many times before, without offering any evidence. Although some American cities have seen an influx of immigrants, most have arrived legally, with work permits or permission to stay while their cases are resolved in court.
In general, immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than those born in the United States, according to multiple studies, including that of the conservative Cato Institute.
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