WASHINGTON (AP) — The "great American comeback" President Trump claimed in his State of the Union speech drew on falsehoods about U.S. energy supremacy, health care and the economy as well as distortions about his predecessor's record.
In arguing that he has made America great again, Trump took credit for an energy boom that began under President Barack Obama, in an assertion Trump recycled from his previous State of the Union address. He inflated manufacturing gains, misrepresented policy on immigrant detention and distorted a rate of economic growth that has yet to reach the scale he promised.
Here is a look at some of his statements Tuesday night and how they compare with the facts:
Immigration
TRUMP: "Before I came into office, if you showed up illegally on our southern border and were arrested, you were simply released and allowed into our country, never to be seen again. My administration has ended catch-and-release. If you come illegally, you will now be promptly removed."
THE FACTS: That’s not true. Under previous administrations, Mexicans were quickly sent back to Mexico, while others, such as Central Americans, were held in detention until they were deported. Some people from other countries were released into the interior of the United States to wait out their immigration cases.
Despite Trump's claims that all immigrants are now "promptly" removed, there is a backlog of 1 million cases in immigration courts, which means many people wait up to three years before a hearing before a judge who will determine whether they are deported. And after a judge orders a person deported, travel papers must be obtained, which often leads to further delays.
As for ending "catch and release," Trump actually expanded that policy last year during a surge in immigration, releasing thousands of people from crammed shelters along the border. The surge has passed, so fewer people are being held and fewer would need to be released. But an effort by immigration officials to detain children indefinitely was blocked by a judge, so children are still released into the country.
Oil and Gas
TRUMP: "Thanks to our bold regulatory reduction campaign, the United States has become the number one producer of oil and natural gas, anywhere in the world, by far."
THE FACTS: Trump is taking credit for a U.S. oil and gas production boom that started under Obama. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says the United States has been the world's top natural gas producer since 2009, top petroleum hydrocarbon producer since 2013, and top crude oil producer since 2018.
That's owing to a shale boom that has driven up U.S. production since 2011, not to deregulation or any other new effort by the Trump administration.
Jobs and economy
TRUMP: "In eight years under the last administration, over 300,000 working-age people dropped out of the workforce. In just three years of my administration, 3.5 million working-age people have joined the workforce."
THE FACTS: Trump is being misleading with numbers to tarnish his predecessor's record. It's not clear what he means by "working-age," but the size of the U.S. labor force shows that Trump is just wrong.
During the eight years of Barack Obama's presidency, the labor force rose by 5.06 million, according to the Labor Department. The improvement reflected a rebounding economy from the Great Recession and population growth.