President Donald Trump held his first Cupboard assembly of 2026 on Thursday, specializing in the financial system, housing, vitality, well being initiatives and drug costs. However whereas he painted a rosy image of his administration’s accomplishments, a few of his boasts —- and that of different officers —- had been off the mark.
Right here’s a have a look at the information.
Investments
TRUMP: “$18 trillion is being invested now.”
THE FACTS: Trump has offered no proof that he’s secured this a lot home or international funding within the U.S. Based mostly on statements from varied firms, international international locations and the White Home’s personal web site, that determine seems to be exaggerated, extremely speculative and much increased than the precise sum.
The White Home web site affords a far decrease quantity, $9.6 trillion, and that determine seems to incorporate some funding commitments made in the course of the Biden administration.
A research printed Tuesday raises doubts about whether or not greater than $5 trillion in funding commitments made final yr by lots of America’s greatest buying and selling companions will truly materialize and questions how it will be spent if it did.
Housing
SCOTT TURNER, secretary of housing and concrete improvement: “Due to your coverage sir, house gross sales in December, they rose sharply to their strongest tempo in three years.”
THE FACTS: That overstates what’s occurring within the housing market, a persistent supply of frustration for U.S. shoppers.
The Nationwide Affiliation of Realtors did report that the seasonally adjusted annual price of house gross sales in December rose to 4.35 million models, “almost” the best in three years, because the commerce affiliation famous. However the sum was only a 1.4% year-over-year improve.
Extra importantly, it may have been a month-to-month blip because the affiliation individually stated that pending house gross sales in December had fallen 3% from a yr in the past.
Trump has stated he desires to maintain house costs excessive to extend folks’s internet price, however doing so will possible preserve building ranges low and value out attainable first-time patrons.
California wildfires
TRUMP, discussing state and native allowing for rebuilding properties destroyed within the 2025 wildfires round Los Angeles: “They’ve been unable to provide permits. There are like three homes being constructed out of hundreds and hundreds. They don’t have any permits.”
THE FACTS: On Friday, Trump signed an government order directing the Federal Emergency Administration Company and the Small Enterprise Administration to discover a technique to subject rules that may preempt state and native guidelines for acquiring permits and permit builders to “self-certify” that they’ve complied with “substantive well being, security, and constructing requirements.”
In keeping with Los Angeles county and metropolis information, about 3,100 permits have been issued inside the Palisades and Eaton fireplace zones as of Thursday. Fewer than a dozen residences have been rebuilt, however about 900 properties are beneath building.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to Trump on social media, saying native officers are shifting at a quick tempo. Newsom referred to as on the Trump administration to approve the state’s $33.9 billion catastrophe support request.
Survivor advocates additionally advised The Related Press that allows will not be essentially the first impediment for impacted households proper now, as many nonetheless battle to safe full insurance coverage payouts, or face gaps of tons of of hundreds of {dollars} between what they’ve acquired and precise rebuilding prices.
Usually it takes about 18 months after a serious wildfire for the allowing course of to realize steam, in response to Andrew Rumbach, co-lead of the Local weather and Communities Program on the City Institute.
He pointed to the restoration sample of a December 2021 blaze that erupted south of Boulder, Colorado, destroying greater than 1,000 properties. After a yr, the cleanup was principally achieved and most allow functions had been in. Then it took about six extra months for the permits to be issued, he advised the AP this month.
The 2 California fires killed 31 folks and destroyed about 13,000 residential properties.
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TRUMP, discussing the results of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires: “They need to have allowed the water to return down from the Pacific Northwest, which was very plentiful. However they didn’t try this.”
THE FACTS: Opposite to Trump’s declare, no water provide from the Pacific Northwest connects to California’s system.
Most of California’s water comes from the northern a part of the state, the place it melts from mountain snow and runs into rivers that connect with the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. From there, a lot of it’s despatched farther south to farmers and cities like Los Angeles via two massive pumping and canal methods. One is run by the federal authorities and the opposite by the state.
Some Los Angeles fireplace hydrants ran dry throughout final yr’s wildfires, however native officers stated the outages occurred as a result of the municipal system was not designed to cope with such an enormous catastrophe.
Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the Small Enterprise Administration, additionally introduced up Trump’s declare about releasing water to combat the fires, claiming an government order obtained “water to the scene in your earliest days of your presidency.”
However the Jan. 24, 2025, government order resulted in water going to a dry lake basin greater than 100 miles from Los Angeles.
Trump repeats different false claims
TRUMP: “There’s by no means been a primary yr like this, together with the truth that we put out — extinguished — eight wars.”
THE FACTS: This statistic is extremely exaggerated. Though Trump has helped mediate relations amongst many countries, his influence isn’t as clear-cut as he makes it appear.
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TRUMP: “You’re not allowed to say the phrase coal with out previous by saying clear, lovely coal. Clear, lovely coal.”
THE FACTS: The manufacturing of coal is cleaner now than it has been traditionally, however that doesn’t imply it’s clear.
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TRUMP, on China: “They make the windmills, however they don’t have numerous wind farms. That’s — any person’s oughta have a look at that. What number of wind farms have they got? Very, only a few. They make them. They promote them. They make a fortune, however they don’t use them.”
THE FACTS: China is the world’s largest producer of wind generators, producing greater than half of the provision. It’s also putting in them at a report tempo.
Related Press writers Melissa Goldin in New York, Josh Boak in Washington, Christopher Weber in Los Angeles and Gabriela Aoun in San Diego contributed to this report.
Discover AP Reality Checks right here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.
