Trump stay updates: Fallout continues after president’s ‘one big lie’ at State of the Union as Dems shredded for doing ‘jack squat’

House Speaker Mike Johnson says he came “this close” to ejecting Democrat congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib during Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, following their verbal protests.

Omar shouted multiple times that Trump had “killed Americans” after the president singled Democrats out for not standing to applaud his efforts on immigration enforcement.

Speaking to Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Johnson said the remarks were “shameful.”

“I came this close to stopping them. We could have probably ejected them from the floor. I thought, let their actions speak for themselves,” he said. “If they’d gone a step further, I probably would have ejected them.”

The Independent has fact‑checked Donald Trump’s State of the Union statements in certain areas and compared them with available data, revealing a more nuanced picture than the speech suggested.

Immigration

“After four years, in which millions and millions of illegal aliens poured across our borders totally unvetted and unchecked, we now have the strongest and most secure border in American history by far. In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.”

This is exaggerated.

President Trump is correct that a record number of migrants – in the millions – crossed the border illegally during the Biden administration, though many were detained and later released with court dates.

His administration’s crackdown on border crossings has since driven those figures down to levels not seen in decades. However, claiming that “zero” people have illegally crossed into the U.S. in the last nine months is extremely unlikely.

The Independent has fact‑checked Donald Trump’s State of the Union statements in certain areas and compared them with available data, revealing a more nuanced picture than the speech suggested.

“Last year, the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history,” Trump said. “This is the biggest decline, think of it, in recorded history. The lowest number in over 125 years.”

This is true.

America is getting safer. Data collected from 35 American cities showed a 21 per cent decrease in the homicide rate from 2024 to 2025, translating to about 922 fewer homicides last year, according to a January report from the independent Council on Criminal Justice.

The report indicated that the 2025 homicide rate is projected to fall to roughly 4 deaths per 100,000 people – lower than any level previously recorded in law enforcement or public health data going back to 1900.

FBI annual reports also show that killings have been decreasing steadily since 2022.

The Independent has fact‑checked Donald Trump’s State of the Union statements in certain areas and compared them with available data, revealing a more nuanced picture than the speech suggested.

On the ending of eight wars:

“Our country has never been stronger. My first 10 months I ended eight wars, including Cambodia. Isn’t it funny?” the president said.

This is misleading.

The State of the Union address was not the first time Trump has made this claim; he previously declared that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his involvement in eight international conflicts since assuming office.

However, many of these disputes persist without resolution, and hostilities have reignited in several of the regions he engaged with.

Foreign policy experts have said the president’s claims overstate his record and role in ending armed conflicts.

The Independent has fact‑checked Donald Trump’s State of the Union statements in certain areas and compared them with available data, revealing a more nuanced picture than the speech suggested.

On tariffs:

“I believe the tariffs, paid for by foreign countries, will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love,” the president said.

This is misleading.

Tariffs are taxes on imported goods. Companies importing foreign goods pay the tax to the government, and many pass some or all of that cost on to customers – including American consumers and other U.S. businesses. Some firms may also choose to reduce their imports.

Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee estimated that President Trump’s tariffs cost American families about $1,700 each between February 2025 and January 2026.

The Independent has fact‑checked Donald Trump’s State of the Union statements in certain areas and compared them with available data, revealing a more nuanced picture than the speech suggested.

On Investment:

“In 12 months, I secured commitments for more than $18 trillion, pouring in from all over the globe,” Trump said.

“Think of it. Much less than $1 trillion for four years versus much more than $18 trillion for one year. What a difference a president makes.”

This is incorrect information.

While investment has surged, even according to the U.S. government’s official records, the figure is around half what Trump claimed on Tuesday night.

The White House website states that U.S. and foreign investments total $9.7 trillion, “made possible by President Trump’s leadership.” However, this definition is overstated, as investment has steadily recovered since the pandemic, and the figure also includes investments spurred by the Joe Biden administration.

The Independent has fact‑checked Donald Trump’s State of the Union statements in certain areas and compared them with available data, revealing a more nuanced picture than the speech suggested.

On inflation:

“The roaring economy is roaring like never before,” the president said, adding: “My administration has driven core inflation down to the lowest level in more than five years.”

This is almost correct.

Core inflation – which excludes the more volatile food and energy categories – rose 2.5 per cent in January compared with a year earlier. That’s the lowest rate since March 2021, making it almost five years ago, not “more than five years.”

Stephen Colbert lashed out at top Democrat Hakeem Jeffries for urging his party to have a “silent” protest and avoid disrupting the State of the Union address, calling the move “a bold rebrand of doing jack squat.”

The Late Show host mocked the House minority leader’s encouragement for Democrats to either attend President Donald Trump’s address Tuesday night “in silent defiance” or to go to a counter event, but not to bail entirely or “make a scene” if they did attend.

“We’re not going to Donald Trump’s house,” Jeffries said last week. “He’s coming to our house. It’s my view that you don’t let anyone, ever, run you off of your block.”

Read more from Isabel Keane here:

Senator John Fetterman said that the choice by some of his Democratic colleagues not to attend Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night was “disappointing.”

“It’s just disappointing, honestly. I think that’s sad that I think half of my colleagues didn’t show up,” the Pennsylvania lawmaker told Fox News Wednesday.

“That’s not a judgement but for me … I think show up. You don’t have to clap for everything, you don’t have to agree with anything. I think we’re in a different place where it’s now… people aren’t even going to show up?”

Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar said that Donald trump should “be ashamed” after accusing him of killing “two of my constituents.”

During the president’s State of the Union address, Omar repeatedly called out “you have killed Americans,” in reference to the deaths caused by federal agents, including the high-profile cases of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month.

Her remarks came as Trump blasted the Democrats on hindering immigration enforcement efforts, including “blocking the removal of illegal criminal aliens.”