US President Donald Trump returned to the spotlight this week, quickly setting a new agenda as he travelled to disaster zones in California and North Carolina. However, throughout his appearances, a series of misleading statements and inaccuracies raised questions about the veracity of his remarks.
Trump misrepresents election results
At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Trump claimed that his 2024 victory was by “millions of votes,” describing his win as providing him with “a massive mandate from the American people.” However, the facts tell a different story.
According to AP Vote Cast, Trump did win the 2024 election with 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226, but the popular vote was much closer, with Trump securing 49.9% and Kamala Harris 48.4%. This margin was significantly narrower than Trump’s exaggerated claims, which contrasts with his 2020 defeat when Joe Biden won by over 7 million votes.
In a Fox News interview, Trump also said he had “won youth by 36 points.” This claim is false. According to AP Vote Cast, Harris won voters aged 18-29 by 4 percentage points and voters aged 30-44 by 3 percentage points, with Trump only securing the vote among those over 45.
California water policies and wildfire misrepresentation
While in California, Trump criticised state water policies, claiming that governor Gavin Newsom could “release the water that comes from the north” to fight the ongoing wildfires. He accused California of withholding water “to protect the Delta smelt.”
However, while 40% of Los Angeles’ water comes from state-controlled projects in northern California, the problem with firefighting efforts was not a lack of water but issues with fire hydrants running dry and a key reservoir undergoing maintenance. Experts note that Southern California’s water supply is sufficient to meet current demands, and the state’s water policy debate, which includes balancing environmental protections for fish like the Delta smelt, is unrelated to firefighting capacity.
Downplaying the January 6th attacks on police
Trump also faced criticism for his comments regarding the January 6th Capitol riot. In an interview with Fox News’ Hannity, he downplayed the violence, saying that rioters “were protesting the vote” and calling incidents involving police “minor.”
In reality, rioters engaged in violent clashes with police, using weapons such as knives, flagpoles, and a sledgehammer, according to AP. Officers were severely injured, with one being crushed in a doorframe and another suffering a heart attack after being shocked with a stun gun. Trump’s assertion that the violence was minimal undermines the severity of the attack on law enforcement and democracy.
Inflated immigration numbers
Trump further inflated the number of people entering the US illegally, claiming that “21 million” had crossed the border illegally. Customs and border protection recorded over 10.8 million arrests between 2021 and 2024, but this figure includes multiple crossings by the same individuals. The department of homeland security estimates that approximately 11 million people were living in the US illegally as of 2022, but Trump’s figure was grossly overstated.
FEMA and housing assistance for disaster survivors
On his visit to North Carolina, Trump inaccurately claimed that FEMA had ended its temporary housing assistance for survivors of Hurricane Helene. He said, “The government wouldn’t do it any longer, which is ridiculous.”
Contrary to Trump’s statement, FEMA is still providing temporary housing to survivors through its transitional sheltering assistance program, as per a report from AP. The program continues to offer aid to those displaced by the hurricane, though eligibility is reviewed periodically. FEMA clarified that assistance is ongoing and tailored to individual cases, with appropriate extensions given to those in need.