Fact checking Musk-Trump interview: 11 false claims made by Donald Trump debunked
During his interview with Elon Musk, Donald Trump made several false claims on topics ranging from immigration to climate change
In his conversation with billionaire Elon Musk on the social media platform X, former President Donald Trump reiterated several inaccurate claims that have become regular features of his campaign rhetoric.
Trump's claim on chart during assassination attempt: False
During the interview, Trump once again credited a chart he displayed at the Pennsylvania rally with saving his life, claiming it showed “the best illegal immigration numbers” during his last week in office. However, this assertion is misleading, as the chart did not accurately reflect unauthorized border crossings, which were not at their lowest point when he left office.
Trump's claim on Kamala being ‘border czar’: False
Trump continued to make misleading statements about Vice President Kamala Harris, describing her as “the border czar.” In reality, Harris’s role has been to address the root causes of migration in Central America, not to oversee border security directly.
Trump's claim on inflating immigration numbers’: False
Further inflating his immigration rhetoric, Trump claimed that 20 million people had illegally crossed the southern border under President Biden. This figure is significantly exaggerated and does not align with official statistics.
Trump's claim on other countries sending criminals to US: False
In another unsubstantiated claim, Trump suggested that other countries are releasing criminals from jails and prisons and sending them to the United States. This assertion lacks evidence, and in fact, prison populations are increasing globally.
Trump's claim on Venezuela criminals have entered US: False
Trump also inaccurately linked a reported 72 percent decline in crime in Venezuela to an alleged exodus of criminals to the United States, though this statistic is overstated and lacks credible evidence to support such a claim.
Trump's claim on Biden shutting down Keystone XL pipeline: False
On the topic of energy, Trump criticized President Biden for shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline, claiming it would have employed 48,000 people. While Biden did revoke a key permit for the pipeline, the projected long-term employment from the project was far lower, with only 35 permanent jobs expected.
Trump's claim on climate change: False
Trump’s remarks on climate change were similarly flawed, as he downplayed the threat by stating that the ocean would rise “one-eighth of an inch over the next 400 years.” In contrast, scientific projections indicate that sea levels could rise significantly more—up to 10 meters, or nearly 33 feet, by 2300 under a worst-case scenario.
Trump's claims on climate change: False
In discussing the economy, Trump exaggerated the extent of grocery price inflation, claiming it had risen as high as “50, 60, even 100 percent in some cases,” when the actual increase in grocery prices is around 20 percent since early 2021. He also falsely claimed that inflation under Biden was the worst in 100 years, despite the 2022 inflation rate of 8 percent being the highest since 1981.
Trump's claim on bacon prices: False
Trump’s assertion that bacon prices had increased four or five times was also inaccurate; the average price of bacon rose from $5.83 per pound in January 2021 to $6.83 per pound in June 2024.
Trump's claim on 2017 tax cuts: False
Additionally, Trump inaccurately claimed that the 2017 tax cut was the “largest” in history, despite several other tax cuts being larger.
Trump's claim on political vendetta: False
Finally, Trump alleged that the Biden administration had orchestrated the criminal cases against him to target a political opponent, yet at least two of these cases were brought by state or local prosecutors, independent of the Justice Department. The others are overseen by a special counsel to avoid any perception of political bias.