Fact Check | Donald Trump’s inaugural speech examined

Reuters assessed seven statements made by President Donald Trump during his inaugural address on Monday. While we monitored the speech in its entirety, we did not examine opinions or policy pledges. The statements are listed with timestamps in Eastern Standard Time (ET).

By Reuters Fact Check

Claim

The United States spends more on its public healthcare system than any other country in the world (Timestamp 12:14 p.m. ET)

What we know

This is broadly true. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administer federal funding for healthcare in the United States and spending reached $1.8 trillion, or 7% of gross domestic product (GDP), in 2023. This dwarfs spending for the total healthcare expenditure (public and private) of the entire European Union, which stands at 1.6 trillion euros ($1.67 trillion). Some poorer countries in the world spend more on healthcare per capita. However, the overall US public health spending is the highest in the world, despite the dominance of private providers in the sector.

Claim

Trump said he won popular votes in the US election by the millions (Timestamp 12:18 p.m.)

What we know

This is true. Trump won 2.4 million more popular votes in the 2024 election than did US Vice President Kamala Harris, but what determined his win was his 312-226 lead in Electoral College votes over Harris.

US presidential elections are determined by electoral votes, allotted to US states and territories based largely on their populations, rather than a tally of the popular vote nationwide. Candidates must get 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win.

Compared with winners of the popular vote in recent elections, Trump’s margin was the smallest. In 2020, Joe Biden won 7 million more votes than Trump did. Clinton won 2.9 million more votes than Trump did in 2016, but lost in electoral votes 227-304, while Obama got almost 5 million more votes than Mitt Romney did in 2012 and 9.5 million more than John McCain did in 2008.

Claim

“To the Black and Hispanic communities, I want to thank you for the tremendous outpouring of love and trust that you have shown me with your vote. We set records and I will not forget it.” (Timestamp 12:19 p.m.)

What we know

This is mostly true. Trump received the highest share of votes among Hispanic and Black voters for a Republican presidential candidate in more than 40 years, but Harris received a greater share of votes from both demographics.

Trump won 46 per cent of Hispanic voters and 13% of Black voters nationwide, while Democrat Kamala Harris won 51% and 86%, respectively, according to an exit poll conducted by Edison Research.

Trump’s share of Hispanic voters was the highest for a Republican presidential candidate in exit polls going back to the 1970s and was 2 percentage points higher than George W. Bush’s 44 per cent in 2004. Trump’s share of Black voters was similarly the highest since 1980, when Ronald Reagan received 14 per cent, according to data compiled by the nonpartisan Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.

Claim

“The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy crisis.” (Timestamp: 12:22 p.m.)

What we know

This is mostly true. The government stimulus packages during the COVID-19 pandemic, high energy prices and global supply chain issues were seen as the major drivers of inflation during the Biden administration.

The Biden administration and Congress approved the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021, after over $3 trillion in COVID relief spending approved during then-President Trump's first administration in 2020.

US consumer prices jumped 9.1 per cent in the 12 months through June 2022, the largest increase in four decades. Energy prices also rose 41.6% year-on-year at the time. The Russia-Ukraine war, which had caused a spike in global fuel prices, contributed to the soaring prices.

Claim

The US has the “largest amount of oil and gas of any country on earth.” (Timestamp: 12:23 p.m.)

What we know

This lacks context. US crude oil production leads global rankings, rising to a record high of 13.46 million barrels per day in October, data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed.

US total oil supply and natural gas supply lead the International Energy Agency’s global rankings.

However, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) data show that Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran have the largest proven crude oil reserves, while Russia, Iran, and Qatar have the largest proven natural gas reserves.

Claim

“China is operating the Panama Canal” (Timestamp 12:32 p.m.)

What we know

This is false. The canal is managed by the Panama Canal Authority, a Panamanian government agency.

"The canal is not under any direct or indirect control from China, the European community, the United States, or any other power," Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino said in December.

Hutchison Ports PPC, a division of Hong Kong-based company CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, operates the Balboa and Cristobal ports on either end of the canal, according to its website. The publicly listed conglomerate is not financially tied to the Chinese government. However, Trump and other US officials have previously warned about the risk of Beijing’s growing influence on trade in South America.

Claim

The US “spent more money than ever spent on a project before” and lost 38,000 lives while building the Panama Canal (Timestamp 12:31p.m.)

What we know

The construction was initially undertaken by the French in the 1880s, when an estimated 20,000 canal workers died, according to the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology.

During the US construction period, which started in 1904, around 5,600 died of injury and disease, the Panama Canal’s website writes, citing hospital records.

The US spent $326 million on construction, between 1903 and 1914, according to a study on the economic impact of the canal, which adds that it was the most expensive public works project in American history at that time.