On Tuesday, January 30th, President Donald Trump held his first State of the Union address at the Washington Capitol. This is a speech that happens every year in January about how our country is doing. Many sources have been fact-checking the specifics of his speech. Here are some claims he made, and the accuracy of the claims:

• 2.4 Million new jobs since the election
  • According to ThinkProgress.org, this claim is accurate. However, this number is actually very low – the lowest yearly job addition in the past six years.
• 200,000 new jobs just in manufacturing
  • According to CNN.com, this is true, with the precise number being 184,000 new jobs.
• Unemployment rates 45 year low
  • According to the Washington Post, unemployment rates were at a 45 year low; however, it recently began to raise again, making his statement inaccurate.
• AA and Hispanic unemployment lowest ever recorded
  • President Trump got this right for African Americans, with the rate down to 6.8%. However, this is false for Hispanics, with the current rate at 4.9% and the lowest recorded at 4.8%, according to the Los Angeles Times.
• Stock market gained over 8 trillion in value since election; it smashed records
  • The actual value gained, according to CNBC, is 6.9 trillion. However, that value is still record breaking, as it is the most gained in a year since 1945 according to Market Watch.
• Enacted biggest tax cuts in American history
  • This statement is completely false. In actuality, according to CNN, there have been seven larger tax cuts since 1918.
• First 24k dollars earned by a married couple is completely tax free; doubled child tax credit; typical family of four making 75k see tax bill reduced by 2000 dollars, slashing tax bill in half
  • According to the LA Times, Business Insider, and CNN, both of these statements are true, though they may not be 100% true all the time.
• Eliminated cruel healthcare tax that fell on poor (individual mandate)
  • The individual mandate from the Affordable Healthcare Act required all citizens to have healthcare, or else they had to pay a tax. While this benefited many Americans, it was also difficult for those who could not afford it, particularly when the price recently raised. For example, in 2018 those not covered will have to pay “$695 per adult,” according to Time magazine. This mandate, however, was eliminated recently and will take effect the next tax period in 2019, making his statement true.
• Changes will increase average family income by $4K
  • According to CNN, this is possible; however, it will not be true for all, and in fact will likely end up as a lot less than $4000.
• Since tax cuts, roughly 3 mil workers have already gotten tax cuts
  • According to Euronews, this is true, and was previously reported by a group that advocates for tax reform.
• Will appoint more justices than ever
  • If he is referring to federal court judges,  then this is true. President Trump has appointed more federal appeal judges than ever; according to Time magazine, at 12, he beat the previous record set by both Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy with 11. However, if he is referring to the Supreme Court justices, that is yet to be determined.
• Eliminated more regulations in first year than any other admin in US history
  • This is true based on what has been recorded in US history; however, it is not definite, as this information has not been recorded for long.
• Last year FDA approved more generic drugs than ever before in history
  • This is true. Last year, 763 generic drugs were approved. The previous record was 651 drugs approved in 2016, according to the Washington Post.

Junior Laura Espinal believes that most of what President Trump said during the address was inaccurate, that “he generalizes things, and takes credit for things he didn’t cause.” Furthermore, she said that “the speech was more testimonial than anything.” Freshman Sophia Riazisekowski agrees: “He kept talking about all the great things he did, while in reality he just made everyone live in fear.”

Junior Andrea Espinoza-Jones, however, said she believed that most of the address was accurate. The parts that were not accurate, she said, were pointed out by fact-checkers. Espinoza-Jones also said she believes that “he tried to create an atmosphere of unity, but the damage has been done.”

While this fact-check only represents a sample of his comments, it appears that a lot of the very general information was correct, while the details may have been misleading or straight-up false.