"Trump's Address: Immigration Spin, Economic Blame, and Energy Shift"

In his address to a joint session of Congress, President Trump presented a mix of facts and falsehoods, touching on a range of topics from immigration and tariffs to Social Security. Here's a summary of key points and a fact-check:

Immigration:

• Trump claimed that his immigration crackdown led to a significant reduction in illegal border crossings. While there was a decrease in January 2025 compared to the previous month, the number of encounters was still higher than the lowest recorded in 2000.
• He accused the Biden administration of allowing hundreds of thousands of illegal crossings a month and releasing criminals into the U.S. However, the Migration Policy Institute estimates that from 2021 to 2024, the Biden administration allowed more than 5.8 million immigrants into the U.S. through various programs, and migrants were vetted before entry.
• Trump proposed a "gold card" for high-level immigrants to apply for U.S. citizenship, but he cannot create a new visa category without congressional approval.
• He signed the Laken Riley Act, which expands the scope of deportation for certain criminal offenses, but questions remain about the ability to fully implement the measure due to limited detention resources.

Economy and Inflation:

• Trump blamed the Biden administration for high inflation, but inflation has eased since its peak in 2022, settling at 3% in January 2025. Wages have been climbing faster than prices for the better part of two years.
• He claimed that his administration would balance the federal budget, but the federal debt has grown substantially in recent years, and debt service is now one of the government's biggest annual expenses.

Energy:

• Trump promised to boost fossil fuel production, but the U.S. is already producing record amounts of oil and natural gas. He also signed an executive order temporarily blocking federal leases for offshore wind farms and halting permits for wind projects on land and offshore.

Culture:

• Trump signed an executive order making it the official