Trump made several boastful claims throughout his historic speech, including one that is disputed by the White House website
Credit: Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- A claim President Donald Trump made during his State of the Union address contradicts information shared by his White House
- Trump claimed that he “secured commitments for more than $18 trillion,” a figure that nearly doubles the White House website’s already inflated figure
- During the State of the Union address, which was the longest in modern history, Trump hit on several topics related to the economy but declined to mention other hot-button issues, including the Epstein files
One of the claims President Donald Trump made during his State of the Union address contradicts information shared by the White House itself.
Trump, 79, delivered the first State of the Union address of his second presidential term — and the longest in modern history — on Tuesday, Feb. 24. He addressed the country for more than 100 minutes, throughout which he made several boastful claims, including one that is disputed by his own White House's website.
In an article fact-checking the president’s historic speech, NBC News pointed out that his claim that he “secured commitments for more than $18 trillion, pouring in from all over the globe,” is false based on information posted to the official White House website.
Credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty
The total commitments and investments, both foreign and domestic, listed on the White House website total $9.7 trillion. Additionally, while companies have made public commitments to invest in the United States, many of the commitments had totals that increased only slightly, or were “in line with previous plans,” per NBC News.
“Many of the commitments are also over the long term and are likely to be subject to change,” the outlet also noted.
The total investment number listed on the White House website was an inflated value as of late 2025, according to a Bloomberg Economics analysis.
The analysis from November revealed that the “total US and foreign investments” touted by the White House — which was then listed as $9.6 trillion, not $9.7 trillion — was actually “substantially smaller.” Only $7 trillion of the listed value constituted actual investments, Bloomberg reported at the time.
Though Trump’s recent boast that he “secured” over $18 trillion in commitments is nearly double what the White House currently lists on its website, it is also still less than the $21 trillion total he previously claimed he would reach by the end of 2025, per Bloomberg.
Credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty
The president’s Feb. 24 address lasted approximately 1 hour and 47 minutes, breaking the previous record set by President Bill Clinton's final State of the Union in 2000, which lasted 1 hour and 28 minutes.
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In addition to its historic length, Trump’s address was noteworthy for his decision to avoid any mention of the Epstein files, as Democratic lawmakers in attendance wore pins that read, "Stand With Survivors: Release the Files."
Trump — whom The New York Times reports is mentioned more than 38,000 times across approximately 5,300 files — has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing related to his former friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
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