Former President Donald Trump made numerous inaccurate statements, totaling at least 20, during a conversation with billionaire Elon Musk that aired on Musk’s social media platform, X, on Monday. Many of these claims have been repeatedly debunked over the years. The topics ranged from immigration and the economy to foreign policy, Trump's record in office, and Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent.
**Fact Check Summary:**
**Crime**
Trump claimed, “Our crime rate’s going through the roof.”
**Facts First:** This is false. Violent crime and property crime both saw significant declines in 2023 and early 2024. Preliminary FBI data showed a 13% drop in murders and a 6% drop in overall violent crime in 2023 compared to 2022. These numbers are lower than when Trump left office in 2020. Additionally, data from early 2024 indicates an even steeper decline, with a 26% drop in murders and a 15% decline in violent crime.
Crime data expert Jeff Asher noted that if the final figures for 2023 show a 10% decline in murder rates from 2022, it would mark the fastest recorded decline in U.S. history.
**Inflation**
Trump said, “I think we have the worst inflation we’ve had in 100 years. They say it’s 48 years, I don’t believe it.”
**Facts First:** Trump’s statement is incorrect on multiple fronts. Even at its peak in June 2022, when inflation hit 9.1%, it was the highest since 1981—around 41 years prior, not 100 or even 48 years. Moreover, inflation has significantly decreased since then, with the most recent rate at 3.2% in July 2024, a level that was surpassed as recently as 2011.
**Global Warming and Sea Levels**
Trump argued that the threat of nuclear war is far greater than that of climate change, adding, “The biggest threat? It’s not global warming, where the ocean’s gonna rise one eighth of an inch over the next 400 years… and you’ll have more oceanfront property, right?”
**Facts First:** Trump’s claim is wildly inaccurate. The global average sea level is rising by more than 0.17 inches per year, according to NASA, far exceeding Trump’s claimed rate over 400 years. The rate of sea-level rise is accelerating, and Trump's assertion about increased oceanfront property is misleading and ignores the severe consequences of rising sea levels, including more destructive hurricanes and increased flooding.
**Audience Size**
Trump told Musk, “you got a lot of people listening” to the conversation—“like 60 million or something.”
**Facts First:** Trump’s estimate was incorrect. Public data on X indicated that 1.1 million accounts were listening to the conversation at the time. While the post sharing the conversation had many views, most of those accounts did not listen to the discussion.
**Harris and Prisoners**
Trump claimed, “She wants to release all the prisoners that are in detention, and some of these guys are really bad. That just came out today.”
**Facts First:** This claim is false. There is no evidence to support the idea that Vice President Harris wants to release all prisoners. Trump likely misinterpreted news stories from conservative media about Harris’s 2019 stance on closing privately-run immigration detention centers, which would not result in releasing all prisoners.
**Harris and the Border**
Trump asserted that Harris was the “border czar” and in charge of border security, claiming that she is now trying to downplay her role.
**Facts First:** This is inaccurate. Harris was never designated as the “border czar” and was not in charge of border security. Her role, assigned by President Biden in 2021, was to lead diplomatic efforts with Central American countries to address the root causes of migration, not to oversee border security.
**Venezuela, Crime, and Migration**
Trump claimed that crime in Venezuela is down 72% because the country is emptying its prisons and sending criminals to the U.S.
**Facts First:** Trump’s claim exaggerates the decline in Venezuelan crime, which has dropped by about 26% from 2021 to 2023 according to available data, not 72%. There is no credible evidence that Venezuela is deliberately sending criminals to the U.S.
**Migration Numbers**
Trump stated, “you have millions of people coming in a month” under the Biden-Harris administration.
**Facts First:** This is false. The peak month for border encounters during the Biden administration was December 2023, with 370,890 encounters. This figure, even with the addition of “gotaways” (those who evade capture), does not come close to “millions” entering per month.
**Migration and Prisons**
Trump claimed that “over 20 million people” have entered the U.S. under Biden and Harris, with many coming from prisons or mental institutions.
**Facts First:** The total number of “encounters” at the border since Biden took office is around 10 million, far below Trump’s exaggerated figure. There is no substantial evidence that a significant number of these migrants come from prisons or mental institutions.
**Migration from the Congo**
Trump alleged that 22 people from the Congo recently entered the U.S. and were murderers released from prisons in that country.
**Facts First:** This claim is baseless. Experts and officials from both the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo have stated that there is no evidence to support Trump’s assertion.
**Deportations to Central America**
Trump repeated his claim that it was impossible to deport violent criminals to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador during Obama’s presidency.
**Facts First:** This claim is inaccurate. In 2016, Obama’s last year in office, these countries were cooperative in accepting deported citizens, and there were no widespread issues with deportations to these nations.
**Legitimacy of the 2020 Election**
Trump reiterated his false claim that the 2020 election was “rigged.”
**Facts First:** This claim has been thoroughly debunked. The 2020 election was fair, and Trump lost to Biden by an Electoral College margin of 306 to 232. There is no evidence of widespread fraud that could have altered the outcome in any state.
**Aid to Ukraine**
Trump claimed that the U.S. has committed $250 billion to Ukraine, while Europe has only committed $71 billion.
**Facts First:** Trump’s claim is inaccurate. As of June 2024, European countries had committed about $205 billion to Ukraine, compared to about $108 billion from the U.S., according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
**Trade with Europe**
Trump claimed, “If you build a car in the United States, you can’t sell it in Europe.”
**Facts First:** This is false. The EU is the second-largest market for U.S. vehicle exports. In 2022, the EU imported 271,476 U.S. vehicles worth nearly 9 billion euros.
**Iran and Funding for Terror Groups**
Trump claimed that during his presidency, “Iran had no money for Hamas, Hezbollah, or any of these instruments of terror.”
**Facts First:** While Trump’s sanctions did significantly impact Iran’s economy, reducing its ability to fund terror groups, funding never completely stopped. In 2020, even Trump’s own administration acknowledged that Iran was continuing to fund these groups.
In conclusion, Trump's conversation with Musk was filled with numerous false claims that have been repeatedly debunked. These inaccuracies spanned various topics, from crime and immigration to global warming and the legitimacy of the 2020 election.
