President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. came under scrutiny after making a series of false, misleading or unsupported claims during the second night of the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas, according to CNN’s fact-checking. Trump claimed there were no empty seats in the arena during his speech, despite visible empty rows reported by journalists at the venue. He also claimed that $22 trillion in investment had entered the United States during his administration, while the White House cited $11.2 trillion in major investment announcements, a figure CNN said itself appeared to significantly overstate actual investment. Trump again repeated the claim that 25 million people entered the United States under the Biden administration, a figure that is far above available estimates. He also accused Democrats of being responsible for the worst inflation in US history, although inflation reached 9.1% in June 2022, well below the historical US record of 23.7%. Trump further claimed that Democrats would defund the police and provide voting rights and welfare benefits to 25 million undocumented immigrants if they win the midterm elections, but there is no clear evidence that Democrats have such a plan, and estimates of the undocumented population are substantially below 25 million. Trump also said the United States now has the world’s lowest prescription drug prices, a claim health economists questioned for lack of supporting evidence, particularly regarding brand-name medicines. Another claim, that more Americans are working today than ever before, is technically accurate but provides little evidence about economic performance because the US population has also continued to grow. Kennedy and other Republican speakers also made statements that CNN identified as false, misleading or lacking important context. The fact-checking has renewed scrutiny of the accuracy of claims being made by senior Republican figures as the party prepares for the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump’s claims about inflation, immigration and the economy are not matched by real data
