In a highly anticipated speech to a joint session of Congress, President Trump outlined his achievements six weeks into his second term, tackling pivotal issues like the economy, immigration, and foreign policy. The speech, which was characterized by grandiose plans and accounts of progress, was live fact-checked by NPR journalists to shed more light on the reality of some of the president’s assertions.
Trump focused on the lower number of illegal border crossings on immigration. There were approximately 30,000 encounters with migrants trying to enter illegally across the U.S. border in January, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), but February’s figures have not been made official yet. But Reuters said that the administration is poised to achieve about 8,500 February arrests, which would be the lowest level of crossings since 2000, when data reporting started. The numbers are a drop from the 2.2 million encounters in President Biden’s administration in 2022.
Regarding inflation, Trump talked about the problems experienced in the past few years. Whereas inflation had risen to 9.1% in 2022, the four-decade high, it has since cooled down to 3% as of January 2025. Although this has receded, prices of common items like eggs and groceries have been a thorn in the side of most Americans. Eggs, for instance, have recorded a 53% price hike, mainly because of the effects of avian flu. To counteract this, the USDA has started a $1 billion initiative to combat the impact of the flu, such as new sanitary initiatives and investigating egg vaccination.
The president also cited the increase in wages, as since February 2020, wages have increased by 25.8whichconsumer prices. The wag since the February 2020 increase has given Americans higher purchasing power than before the pandemic, a bright spot against inflation.
On the public opinion front, while there has been economic advancement, most Americans still think that the nation is moving in the wrong direction. The most recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll indicated that 54% of Americans think the nation is on the wrong track, although this is an improvement from 64% in December, primarily based on Republican backing. due to Republican support
Trump’s address is an indication of his continued attempts to redefine policies, with major emphasis on immigration reform, addressing inflation, and dealing with public opinion, paving the way for the rest of his second term.
