State of the Truth Address

FactCheck, a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics, has monitored the factual accuracy of what was said by President Donald Trump in the State of the Union Address on February 24 2026. Their goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.

Fact Finding the State of the Union Address

Trump SOTU Fact Check Full story here: https://www.factcheck.org/2026/02/factchecking-trumps-state-of-the-union-address/
	Trump’s State of the Union Address	Fact Checking the SOTU Address
1	Trump falsely claimed that he inherited “a stagnant economy” with “inflation at record levels.”	Annual growth in real GDP was 2.5% or higher each year under former President Joe Biden, and the annual inflation rate was down to 3% from its peak of 9.1% peak when Trump took office.
2	The president went on to claim that the economy “is roaring like never before,”	Real GDP growth in 2025 was down to 2.2%, according to a federal estimate. Also, the unemployment rate has increased slightly under Trump.
3	He misleadingly claimed that prices are “plummeting downward” because of his policies.	The annual rate of inflation has declined, but prices overall are still increasing.
4	Trump’s claim that “more Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country,”	while accurate, doesn’t account for population growth. Job growth slowed a bit last year.
5	The president misleadingly claimed that Americans “will now pay the lowest price anywhere in the world for drugs.”	The administration’s negotiations with drug companies may have lowered prices for some specific drugs in certain situations, but there is no evidence of a widespread decline in prices.
6	The president continued to exaggerate the decline in gasoline prices, saying they are “now below $2.36 a gallon in most states.”	In no state was the average that low. And the nationwide average is $2.94.
7	He claimed to have presided over a “tremendous renewal” of religion in America,	Recent polling has found the opposite.
8	Trump claimed that $1,776 “warrior dividend” bonus checks paid to military personnel came from tariff revenue.	It was actually a reallocation of funds initially earmarked for an increased housing allowance.
9	The president repeated his unsupported claim that many immigrants came from “prisons” and “mental institutions,”	He wrongly claimed that the Biden administration allowed in “11,888 murderers.”
10	Trump boasted about stock market gains since his election	The gains were less than each of the last two years under Biden.
11	He exaggerated when he said his signature legislation eliminated tax on tips, overtime and Social Security benefits for seniors.	The tax breaks are substantial but do not apply to all individuals.
12	As he has for years, Trump insisted, without evidence, that “cheating is rampant in our elections.”	He claimed legislation was needed “to stop illegal aliens” from voting, though evidence suggests that’s rare.
13	Trump claimed that the federal budget could be balanced “if we’re able to find enough of that fraud.”	The most recent budget deficit was $1.8 trillion, more than three times higher than the highest federal estimate of government money lost annually to fraud.
14	Trump claimed that he inherited “rampant crime at home” and later boasted that “last year, the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history.”	Crime and murder was down last year, continuing a trend that began in 2022.
15	Trump made the dubious claim that his increased tariffs would one day replace income taxes,	Something many economists say doesn’t add up.
16	Trump claimed that the U.S. “obliterated Iran’s nuclear weapons program” last year.	Experts have said the program was damaged but not destroyed, and Trump is now considering military action over Iran’s nuclear program.
17	Trump said “American oil production is up by more than 600,000 barrels a day,”	Crude oil production increased by 334,600 barrels per day in his first full 10 months in office.
18	He also claimed that U.S. natural gas production increased to “an all-time high” because he “kept” his “promise to drill, baby, drill.”	Production of natural gas was already at record levels before he took office.

Fact Finding the State of the Truth Address February 24, 2026

Trump’s Feb. 24 address was longer than any prior SOTU, clocking in at over 1 hour and 47 minutes, as measured by the American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

References

By Robert Farley, D'Angelo Gore, Lori Robertson, Jessica McDonald, Kate Yandell, Saranac Hale Spencer, Sanjana Juvvadi, Andrew Noh and Ashley Wang. (n.d.). FactChecking Trump’s State of the Union Address. FactCheck.org - A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center. Retrieved February 25, 2026, from https://www.factcheck.org/2026/02/factchecking-trumps-state-of-the-union-address/ 

Oil Blockade hurts Cuban Private Sector

Hugo Cancio, a Cuban-American businessman reporting in OnCuba News, a digital newspaper with information about Cuba, the United States and the World notes the benefit of allowing the private sector to import fuel is a practical, urgent, and deeply human decision, and is not for an abstract entrepreneur.

Havana 2017

The primary beneficiary is the Cuban people. It also benefits a mother, a sister, or a child whose family lives abroad. We all benefit from the effort and risk assumed by the owners of thousands of “mipymes” that sustain supply chains on which our families depend, inside and outside the island.

Here, a legitimate question arises: if the United States administration has repeatedly expressed its support for economic opening in Cuba, is this not precisely one of its clearest expressions? Is allowing the private sector to import fuel not a real, concrete, and measurable economic opening that recognizes the weight, role, and responsibility this sector already holds in the country’s current economy? (Cancio, 2026)

References

Cancio, H. (2026, February 18). When Fuel Runs Out, Life Comes to a Halt. OnCubaNews. Retrieved February 20, 2026, from https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/when-fuel-runs-out-life-comes-to-a-halt/ 

Investors Respond to Trump Uncertainty

Jeffrey Sachs and Warren Buffet comment on the danger of loss of confidence and stability for investors in Canada on Wall Street. 

Canada Just Made A New Trade Move — Trump LOSES Control | Jeffery Sachs

In this video, economist Jeffrey Sachs explains why Trump’s confrontation with Canada is quietly changing how US markets are being evaluated. This isn’t about tariffs or headlines, but about capital, confidence, and what happens when long‑standing financial relationships start to look less stable.

Sachs breaks down how institutional investors respond to uncertainty, why Canada’s role in US markets matters far more than most realize, and how Wall Street becomes the transmission mechanism for higher costs, tighter credit, and slower growth.

In this video, economist Jeffrey Sachs explains why Canada’s new trade move is not a confrontation with Donald Trump, but a quiet structural shift that reduces exposure to U.S. political volatility. Rather than escalating tensions, Canada has adjusted how leverage works inside the trade system itself.

Sachs breaks down how diversification, patience, and long-term planning can weaken traditional pressure tactics without retaliation, and why this approach reflects a broader global shift toward resilience over efficiency. (Canada Just Made A New Trade Move — Trump LOSES Control | Jeffery Sachs, n.d.)

Warren Buffet makes the case for the necessity of stability to make trade between the US and Canada continue to be mutually beneficial and why Canada is walking away from investing in the United States. 

(WARREN BUFFETT EXPLAINS WHY CANADA IS WALKING AWAY FROM THE US IT JUST HAPPENED, n.d.)

The Stock Market demands stability and predictability.

References

WARREN BUFFETT EXPLAINS WHY CANADA IS WALKING AWAY FROM THE US IT JUST HAPPENED. (n.d.). https://youtu.be/prllSJYOI48?si=CRN-U-N1UVfmkaQt 

You Tube. (n.d.). Canada Just Made A New Trade Move — Trump LOSES Control | Jeffery Sachs. https://youtu.be/QSGbWvTvREU?si=CH4TUmAY3J3Bw3yv 

Moral Collapse in DHS/ICE Killings

Lawrence Powell reflects on The Moral Collapse That Killed Renee Good and we contemplate the immorality in the killing of Alex Pretti. What we are witnessing is something deeper and more disturbing: the surrender of moral agency in exchange for belonging.

Bystander video captured from multiple angles appears to show another fatal confrontation between U.S. federal agents and an individual in Minneapolis on Saturday. Federal officials said the man was armed and that agents fired at him in self-defence. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz criticized the Trump administration and its immigration enforcement campaign, saying it is creating 'chaos' in his state.

History does not judge people only by what they do with their own hands, but by what they permit, excuse, and normalize. And it is unforgiving to those who confuse obedience with virtue and cruelty with order. (Powell, n.d.)

The Incident Management Intervention Model (IMIM) is what RCMP officers use to assess and manage risk in all encounters with the public. It helps to determine what intervention is needed, such as verbal de-escalation or the use of another method. 

Police officers must also clearly explain what happened before, during and after the incident. This process is called "legal articulation." This articulation will include the officer's risk assessment, helping people who were not there understand what the officer saw, what it meant to them, as well as how it made them feel.

An officer's intervention is measured against what a reasonable, trained, prudent police officer would do faced with a similar set of circumstances.

In April 2021, the RCMP updated the Incident Management Intervention Model (IMIM) annual re-certification training as well as the Incident Management Intervention Model graphic to place more emphasis on communication and crisis intervention and de-escalation. Crisis intervention and de-escalation now surrounds the graphic, emphasizing de-escalation as the preferred result of any interaction. Crisis intervention and de-escalation provides police with tools that can often be used instead of physical intervention options.

Six basic principles underlie the Incident Management Intervention Model:

 

• The primary duty of a peace officer is to preserve and protect life

• The primary objective of any intervention is public safety

• Peace officer safety is essential to public safety

• The Incident Management Intervention Model is consistent with federal statute law and common law authorities and in no way replaces or augments the law

• The intervention model must always be applied in the context of a careful assessment of risk, taking into account the likelihood and extent of life loss, injury, and damage to property as a result of the intervention

• Risk assessment is a continuous process and risk management must evolve as situations change (RCMP Incident Management Intervention Model, 2026)

Perhaps the DHS and ICE officers require more intense training in situational awareness, communication, crisis intervention, and de-escalation. The requirement to demonstrate these steps in the investigation of action in cases where lethal force was applied or face prosecution under the Law is very likely to reduce killing as the result of interactions with the public.

References

Powell, L. (n.d.). The Moral Collapse That Killed Renee Good. Facebook. Retrieved January 26, 2026, from https://www.facebook.com/HLawrencePowell/photos/the-moral-collapse-that-killed-renee-good-by-lawrence-powell-to-understand-why-m/10162282889168388/ 

RCMP Incident Management Intervention Model. (2026, January 19). Royal Canadian Mounted Police | Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Retrieved January 26, 2026, from https://rcmp.ca/en/police-intervention/incident-management-intervention-model 

Outside Scope of Authority

Former law enforcement officer, Kramer Hammy has posted to “Threads” a discussion that proposes that ICE agents involved acted outside their “Scope of Authority” during the events involving Renee Nicole Good, the mom killed by ICE in Minneapolis.

ICE agents stand outside an ICE facility during a protest on Oct. 4 in Portland, Ore. The shooting of a Minneapolis woman has raised questions about ICE's rules for use of force. (Jenny Kane/The Associated Press)

"As a former officer, let me make something clear: ICE agents ARE NOT police officers, deputy sheriffs, or troopers. They are not local/state law enforcement. They are not federal criminal law enforcement. They have an INCREDIBLY limited scope of authority, and that scope of authority exists in detaining and arresting with probable cause and/or SIGNED WARRANTS those investigated and suspected of being in the US illegally. ("This ENTIRE Situation in Minnesota Was Outside of the Scope of Legal Authority, n.d.)

The use of lethal force by law enforcement officers has a controversial history in Western Society. Some of the guidelines that I recall expressed in Canada include:

• Preservation of human life is the highest priority of law enforcement.

• Lethal Force is justified to counter Lethal Threat

• When the RCMP activate a lethal weapon it is used to apply lethal force.

Many people have concerns that the training of ICE agents has neglected emphasis on the consequences of action outside of their scope of authority and in neglect of the moral and human respect that is required to prevent tragic outcomes from an ill considered and possibly illegal use of Lethal Force.

References

"This ENTIRE situation in Minnesota was outside of the scope of legal authority. (n.d.). Threads. Retrieved January 12, 2026, from https://www.threads.com/@bertwoodphotography/post/DTavZRije7V/this-entire-situation-in-minnesota-was-outside-of-the-scope-of-legal-authority