Trump’s Deception Reveals America’s Civilizational, Political, and Economic Bankruptcy
(Translated)

US President Donald Trump declared that the United States is “Bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,” asserting in his State of the Union address to Congress that his administration had achieved a historic transformation one year after taking office. (Al Jazeera Net)

To escape reality and cover up America’s failures, the latest chapter of which is the Trump era, as a representative of the political medium and the deep state in the United States, Trump resorted to deception and lies, to mask the failures and civilizational bankruptcy that America has reached, since launching a crusade against the Muslim World in what was termed the “War on Terror,” the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the subsequent severe economic crisis in 2008, which has worsened over time until America reached the brink of economic bankruptcy, after its debt reached nearly $39 trillion.

This is in addition to the civilizational bankruptcy it has reached through abandoning Western values and principles, foremost among them freedoms, democracy, and the free market, and not least America’s withdrawal from more than 60 international organizations and its pursuit of unilateralism in the international arena. A series of fallacies and deceptions appeared clear to critics and observers in his lengthy speech, in an attempt to delude the American voter into believing that their country is doing well and is great, rather than the opposite. The speech included a large number of exaggerated, inaccurate, or false claims. The explicit ones, especially in matters of the economy, immigration and crime, elections, and foreign policy, include these fallacies:

1. Trump claimed that “More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country,” that he had achieved an exceptional surge in jobs, and that the economic growth under his administration represented a historic turning point. While analyses by some media outlets, such as The New York Times, confirm that some of these statements are true in absolute terms due to population growth, they are misleading because the employment-to-population ratio and job growth have slowed compared to previous years, and GDP growth in 2025 was weaker than in previous years under Biden. Trump also repeatedly claimed that he had secured $18 trillion in new investments in the United States in 12 months, presenting this as an unprecedented achievement. However, this figure is not based on reliable data, and the White House website itself reported $9.7 trillion in investment announcements, most of which were vague or long-term pledges rather than actual investments. Some of these were simply recycled projects.

2. Trump claimed to have delivered the largest tax cut in history, eliminating taxes on tips and Social Security. He also claimed to have eliminated taxes on gratuities and overtime. However, this is not the case. Upon investigation, it was found that this package was not the largest in history, ranking only sixth or seventh in size relative to GDP. Furthermore, taxes on income from overtime and tips were not completely eliminated. Instead, certain deductions and income limits were introduced. Many Social Security retirees also continue to pay taxes on a portion of their benefits.

3. Trump stated that “The Biden administration and its allies in Congress gave us the worst inflation in the history of our country,” and that he had reduced core inflation to 1.7% in 12 months. He also claimed that egg prices had dropped by 60% and that the prices of chicken, butter, fruit, hotels, cars, and rents were significantly lower than when he took office. While networks like CBS, CNN, and the BBC pointed out that inflation under Biden was not historically the worst, and that in the final months of his term it was below 3% annually, and that the decline in some commodity prices was real but partial, volatile, and due to global market factors, and the costs of rent, housing, and healthcare remained relatively high compared to what the rhetoric suggested.

4. Trump repeatedly claimed that tariffs are paid by foreign countries and that they will gradually replace income taxes, and ease the burden on Americans. However, economic evidence shows that about 90% of the cost of the tariffs is borne by American importers, and partially passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices, making these tariffs effectively a disguised domestic tax rather than a burden on foreign governments.

5. Regarding his blatant racism, Trump claimed that “In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States” and that the southern border was the most secure in history. However, what Trump is referring to, in addition to being a boastful display of his racism and occupation of the lands of the Native Americans, who were exterminated by his European ancestors, is that he is referring to a specific category of immigrants, who are released after being detained, not everyone who crosses the border or registers in the system. Furthermore, the number of those detained and attempting to cross remains high, and the claim that the border is the safest is not supported by immigration or drug trafficking data.

6- Trump implied that his policies have reduced crime to historic lows, repeatedly stating that 11,888 murderers entered as immigrants and that crime is directly linked to immigration. He also claimed that Washington, D.C. became one of the safest cities after the deployment of the National Guard. However, an investigation published by CNN, NBC, and the AP shows that this figure conflates non-citizens convicted of murder over many years with recent arrivals, many of whom are long-term residents and therefore citizens. Moreover, crime data in Washington, D.C., does not support the claim that it is among the safest cities, despite some declines in certain indicators.

7. Trump accused members of the Somali community in Minnesota of stealing $19 billion in taxpayer money through food fraud. However, an investigation revealed that the Justice Department had indicted approximately 100 people in a fraud case estimated at around $1 billion, and that congressional investigations might raise the estimate to around $9 billion. No figures approaching $19 billion exist, rendering this claim baseless.

8- Trump claimed to have ended eight wars during his first ten months in office, listing conflicts between Pakistan and India, Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, Egypt and Ethiopia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Congo and Rwanda, in addition to the genocidal war in Gaza, which he described as being at a very low level. However, most of these "wars" were diplomatic disputes or low-intensity conflicts that were never officially declared wars, and in some cases, fighting continued even after purported mediation efforts. Furthermore, the ethnic cleansing in Gaza has not actually ended, making the claim of ending eight wars an illusion. Trump also exaggerated his role in increasing NATO spending and presented himself as someone who had been paying for almost the entire alliance. In reality, the United States has historically borne a significant portion of NATO's expenses, but European countries' contributions have increased considerably due to a combination of factors and previous pressures. This does not mean that Washington was paying for everyone in the way his speech implied.

In conclusion, the overall trend in the discourse, as demonstrated by the entirety of fact-checking work, reveals that Trump’s State of the Union 2026 speech relied on partial facts presented out of context, inaccurate or exaggerated figures, and a recurring narrative of widespread election fraud, dangerous immigrants, and wars he supposedly personally halted—all without supporting data. In contrast, fact-checking chambers, journalists, experts, and opposition politicians presented a counter-narrative based on official statistics and court records, revealing a vast gap between the image painted by the speech and the reality of the US economy, democracy, and foreign policy. However, Trump was compelled to resort to this narrative and distortion to mask the deplorable state America has reached, both politically and culturally. This is a reality the Muslim World must recognize and seize this opportunity to liberate itself from American hegemony and establish a Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood, replacing the American-led international order with justice. Allah (swt) said,

[لِمِثْلِ هَذَا فَلْيَعْمَلِ الْعَامِلُونَ] “For the like of this, let the those who do good deeds, do good deeds” [TMQ Surah As-Saafaat: 61].

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Bilal al-Muhajir – Wilayah Pakistan