 "The Trump-Musk chat on X needed a fact-check: What were the false claims the former US president made?")
In a high-profile ‘conversation’ on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, former United States President Donald Trump made a series of assertions, many of which were inaccurate or misleading. The conversation, hosted by Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, covered topics ranging from immigration and the economy to crime and energy policies.
During the conversation, Trump mentioned to Musk that “you got a lot of people listening,” estimating the audience to be “like 60 million or something.” He later inquired about the actual number but didn’t revise his original estimate.
While Trump did express some doubt regarding the exact figure, his claim of “like 60 million or something” is inaccurate. Public data on X at the time showed that there were 1.1 million accounts tuned into the conversation.
Watch:
Immigration & Border security
During the interview, Trump revisited familiar themes from his campaign, particularly on immigration. He claimed that his administration had achieved “the best illegal immigration numbers” during his final week in office, citing a chart that he said saved his life during an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally.
However, this claim is misleading, as unauthorised border crossings were not at their lowest point when Trump left office. Additionally, Trump grossly exaggerated the number of illegal border crossings under US President Joe Biden, claiming 20 million people had crossed the southern border, a figure that far exceeds official statistics.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTrump also made a misleading statement about US Vice President Kamala Harris, referring to her as “the border czar.” In reality, Harris was tasked with addressing the root causes of migration in Central America, not with overseeing border security.
Trump further claimed, without evidence, that other countries were releasing criminals from their prisons and sending them to the United States. This assertion lacks any supporting data, and in fact, prison populations are rising globally.
Energy & Environment
Trump criticised Biden for shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline, alleging that it would have employed 48,000 people. While it is true that Biden revoked a key permit for the pipeline, the projected long-term employment from the project was much lower, with only 35 permanent jobs expected.
Trump’s remarks on climate change were equally flawed. He downplayed the threat of rising sea levels, stating that the ocean would rise “one-eighth of an inch over the next 400 years.”
In contrast, scientific projections suggest that sea levels could rise by as much as 10 metres, or nearly 33 feet, by 2300 under a worst-case scenario.
US economy & Covid-19
Trump returned to his oft-repeated claims about the economy during his presidency, declaring that he had presided over “the best economy ever, maybe in the world.” However, this statement is overly broad and misleading. While unemployment was low during his tenure, GDP growth was moderate, and the economy was far from the most robust in US history.
Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump continued to blame China for the outbreak, although the origins of the pandemic are still under investigation and have not been definitively determined.
Trump also made several inaccurate claims about inflation. He exaggerated grocery price increases, asserting that they had risen by “50, 60, even 100 per cent in some cases,” when the actual increase since early 2021 is closer to 20 per cent.
He falsely claimed that inflation under Biden was the “worst inflation we’ve had in 100 years,” despite the 2022 inflation rate of 8 per cent being the highest since 1981, not in a century.
In a related economic claim, Trump inaccurately stated that bacon prices had increased four or five times since a few years ago. In reality, the average price of sliced bacon rose from $5.83 per pound in January 2021 to $6.83 per pound in June 2024, an increase of approximately 17 per cent.
Political allegations
Trump also addressed his legal troubles, claiming that the Biden administration orchestrated the criminal cases against him to target him as a political opponent. However, this claim does not hold up under scrutiny.
At least two of these cases were brought by state or local prosecutors, independent of the federal government. The other cases are overseen by a special counsel to avoid any perception of political bias.
In a separate claim about US nuclear capabilities, Trump inaccurately stated that only five countries possess nuclear weapons, when in reality, nine countries have nuclear arsenals: the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, France, Russia, China, Pakistan, India, and North Korea.
Trump’s most familiar claim
Trump once again made his familiar false claim about the 2020 US presidential election, stating that his opponents have sought to persecute him through the courts despite him doing “nothing wrong” and merely protesting a “rigged election.”
Trump’s assertion about the election is untrue. The 2020 US election was not rigged; Trump lost to Biden by an Electoral College vote of 306 to 232. His opponents did not cheat, and there is no evidence of widespread fraud that could have altered the outcome in any state in the US.
Equal aid to Ukraine
Trump once more alleged that European nations are not contributing their fair share of aid to Ukraine, stating, “With Ukraine, we’re in for $250 billion and they’re in for about $71 billion.”
Trump’s claim is inaccurate. As of June, European countries had committed and provided more aid to Ukraine than the US had since the Russian invasion began in early 2022, according to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany.
Trump’s U-turn on EVs
At a rally last weekend, Trump remarked that Elon Musk’s endorsement of his presidential campaign left him with “no choice” but to shift his stance on electric vehicles. “I’m for electric cars, I have to be because Elon endorsed me very strongly,” he told the crowd.
In the conversation with Musk on X as well, Trump expressed support for Tesla and acknowledged the advancements in the technology. Musk, in turn, shared with Trump his commitment to advancing sustainable energy.
During the Republican National Convention, Trump had pledged to immediately roll back Biden’s regulations designed to promote electric vehicle adoption if he returns to the White House.
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