During a visit to Warren, Michigan on Tuesday, President Donald Trump marked the conclusion of his first 100 days back in office with a speech that was reminiscent of a campaign rally, filled with remarks on his successes, interwoven with some exaggerations and misunderstandings of the truth. The event, which spanned about 90 minutes, included criticism of the previous administration and his usual targets.
President Trump’s attempt to highlight his accomplishments included a series of incorrect and misleading claims, particularly about the economy and commodity prices, such as gasoline and eggs.
**Gas Prices Claim**
President Trump stated that gasoline prices were previously close to $4, but had recently dropped to $1.98 in multiple states, suggesting a significant decrease under his leadership.
Yet, the facts contradict this statement. As of Tuesday, no state had reached an average gas price of $1.98. Mississippi, for instance, saw the lowest average price of $2.67 per gallon of regular gas. This incorrect claim was also made earlier on April 16, while the lowest gas price noted was $2.707 per gallon in Mississippi and Tennessee.
During former President Joe Biden’s term, gas prices experienced a significant hike, peaking at $5.01 in June 2022, but later reduced to $3.09 by December of the same year. Prices then saw a rise and fall, reaching $3.13 as of the latest figures. The final time gas prices exceeded $4 was in August 2022.
**Egg Price Assertions**
Trump confidently claimed that since his tenure began, the cost of eggs had decreased by 87%.
In reality, while the price for a dozen large eggs did fall to $2.07 in September 2023, it started climbing again, reaching $6.23 by March. Though wholesale prices did decrease by March to $2.92 per dozen from a high of $8.17, this accounted for a 64% drop, not the 87% mentioned by Trump. Experts like University of Arkansas’s agricultural economist Jada Thompson clarified that wholesale prices only began to fall mid-March, hence the retail prices didn’t yet show a significant decrease.
**Inflation Timeline**
Another statement by Trump pointed out the apparent end of what he called “the inflation nightmare,” claiming none worse had been witnessed in U.S. history.
Conversely, the descent of inflation began under Biden’s presidency. Inflation reached its peak at 9.1% in June 2022 but began to decline subsequently, hitting 2.9% by December, continuing to taper off to 2.4% by March. Historically, inflation rates were worse, such as the 14% observed in 1980.
**Coal Industry Commentary**
Trump praised his own actions purportedly halting what he termed a “crusade on coal,” crediting himself with clean production.
While coal production methods have seen an improvement in reducing emissions over the past few decades, it doesn’t classify as clean, as Trump implied. Data suggests that carbon dioxide emissions from coal have significantly dropped, but coal remains a major emitter, producing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides which contribute to pollution and health issues.
According to environmental researchers, although advancements in coal production cleanliness are evident, the industry needs considerable downsizing for significant climate change mitigation.
**Electric Vehicle Mandate Misunderstanding**
The President took aim at what he described as Joe Biden’s “electric vehicle mandate,” indicating there was a requirement for citizens to purchase electric vehicles.
In truth, the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency set forth a proposal in April 2023 on greenhouse gas emission limits that encouraged electric vehicle sales. However, the initiative did not constitute a mandate for citizens to purchase such vehicles. Automakers were given the freedom to choose how to conform to these limits. Though the policy was under consideration for reevaluation, it hadn’t been formally revoked.
Previously, in 2019, a legislative effort titled the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act advocated for a complete transition to zero-emission vehicles by 2040, yet it wasn’t a forced policy on vehicle ownership changes.