U.S. President Donald Trump made several false and misleading statements in his speech, which he delivered after the inauguration on Monday, January 20.
It was reported by the news agency The Associated Press (AP).
Journalists analyzed Trump's speech and found that at least seven of his statements were untrue or misleading.
Biden pardoned "absolute murderers"
Speaking at Emancipation Hall, Trump said that his predecessor, Joseph Biden, allegedly pardoned 33 "absolute murderers, the worst murderers."
"You know, when you get the death sentence in the United States, you have to be bad," Trump said.
The AP noted that on December 23, 2024, Biden announced the commutation of sentences for 37 of the 40 people who were sentenced to death. He replaced their sentences with life imprisonment.
Commuting the sentence is not an excuse for criminals. Biden himself said this when signing the relevant decrees.
Trump claimed the 2020 election fraud
During his inaugural speech, Trump stated that the previous presidential election held in the United States in 2020 was allegedly completely rigged.
"In 2020, by the way, that election was totally rigged," Trump said.
The AP recalled that the then U.S. authorities, which checked the election results - including Trump's own attorney general - concluded that the electoral process was free of violations.
Biden won the election with 306 electoral votes. Trump then managed to collect only 232 votes.
The recounts conducted in key states only confirmed Biden's victory. The lawsuits with which the Trump team tried to challenge the election results were unsuccessful.
Trump's statements about immigrants
Speaking at Emancipation Hall, Trump accused the U.S. government of an alleged inability to protect "our magnificent, law-abiding American citizens." At the same time, the U.S. government "provides sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country from all over the world."
According to AP journalists, there is no evidence that foreign countries purposefully send criminals or mentally ill citizens to the United States.
Trump accused Biden of record inflation
In his speech, Trump said that he would instruct his Cabinet members to "marshal the vast powers at their disposal" in order to defeat record inflation in the United States.
According to the AP, during Biden's administration, inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022. At the same time, in December 2024, inflation in the United States was 2.9%.
The journalists added that there were periods in the country's history when inflation significantly exceeded 9.1%. So, in 1980 it was more than 14%.
About the Panama Canal and China
Trump said that he intends to return the Panama Canal to American control, since Panama allegedly charges a large fee for the passage of American commercial vessels and warships. He also stated that the canal itself is allegedly controlled by China.
Ricaurte Vásquez, the head of the company that operates the Panama Canal, has denied Trump's claims of "discrimination" in the fees.
"The price rules are uniform for absolutely all those who transit the canal and clearly defined," Vásquez said.
He also commented on Trump's statement about China's influence on the canal. According to him, the Chinese companies operating in the ports at both ends of the canal were part of a Hong Kong consortium that won the tender in 1997.
Vásquez stressed that other ports along the canal are operated by companies from the United States and Taiwan.
Trump promised a service whose work will bring in "massive amounts of money"
Donald Trump announced his intention to create the External Revenue Service. According to him, it will be responsible for collecting all tariffs, duties and revenues.
"It will be massive amounts of money pouring into our Treasury, coming from foreign sources," Trump said.
Almost all economists interviewed by the AP believe that American consumers will pay at least some, if not most, of the cost of the tariffs.
Some exporters abroad may accept lower profits to offset some of the cost of the tariffs, and the dollar is likely to appreciate against the currencies of countries subject to the tariffs, which could also offset some of the impact.
Trump vows to revoke defunct electric vehicle mandate
During his speech, Trump said that the electric vehicle mandate would be revoked when he takes office.
"We will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving the auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American autoworkers," Trump said.
The AP noted that the claim that such a mandate exists is misleading.
In the spring of 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency imposed tough limits on greenhouse gas emissions produced by passenger cars.
The agency says these limits can be met if 67% of new cars are electric by 2032.
Trump was sworn in as the President of the United States.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on January 20, inauguration events took place in Washington, D.C., resulting in 78-year-old Donald Trump becoming the 47th President of the United States.
Trump's inauguration took place in the United States Capitol Rotunda. Before that, U.S. presidents had been sworn in outdoors for almost 40 years.
Earlier, the Ukrainian News agency published a full text of Trump's inaugural speech, which he delivered after the oath.
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