Fact-checking the 2020 State of the Union

While Trump is known for his ad-libbed remarks rife with false claims, he tends to stick to the script for formal speeches such as the State of the Union. Nonetheless, here are the facts around what the President said in his third State of the Union.

Energy

Oil and gas production

Trump talked up the production of oil and gas in the US during his time in office.

"Thanks to our bold regulatory reduction campaign, the United States has become the number one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere in the world, by far," Trump said.

Facts First: The US did not become the world's top energy producer under Trump: It took the top spot under the Obama administration in 2012, according to the US government's Energy Information Administration.

The US became the top producer of crude oil in particular during Trump's tenure. "The United States has been the world's top producer of natural gas since 2009, when US natural gas production surpassed that of Russia, and it has been the world's top producer of petroleum hydrocarbons since 2013, when its production exceeded Saudi Arabia's," the Energy Information Administration says.

— Tara Subramaniam

Economy

Unemployment for disabled Americans

Trump claimed "the unemployment rate for disabled Americans has reached an all-time low" under his presidency.

Facts First: The unemployment rate for Americans with disabilities is lower than at any point in the Obama administration, but it did go up from 6.1 percent in September of last year to 7 percent in December. In addition, describing this as an "all-time low" obscures the fact that the government has only tracked this data since 2008.

— Sarah Westwood

Unemployment for African Americans, Hispanics and Asians

Trump said the unemployment rates for African Americans, Hispanics and Asians are at the lowest levels ever. "The unemployment rate for African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Asian-Americans has reached the lowest levels in history," Trump said in his speech.

Facts First: Trump is correct. The unemployment rate for each of these three groups is at a record low, at least since the government has been issuing data on them. (The data for African Americans and Hispanics goes back to the early 1970s, while data for Asians only goes back to 2000.)

Trump inherited a positive trend that has continued during his tenure. The unemployment rate for all three groups had fallen substantially under President Barack Obama from the recession-era levels of 2009.

The African-American unemployment rate was 5.9% in December 2019. That is an uptick from the 5.4% all-time low in August 2019, but it is still lower than the rate at any point under any other president for whom we have data.

The Hispanic unemployment rate was 4.2% in December 2019 -- an uptick from the 3.9% all-time low in September 2019 but, again, lower than any point under any other president for whom we have data.

The Asian unemployment rate was 2.4% in December, an uptick from the 2.0% low of May 2018 but still a smidgen lower than the pre-Trump record -- 2.6% in December 2016, Obama's last full month in office.

— Donna Borak

Factories

Trump said that after losing 60,000 factories under the previous two administrations, America has now gained 12,000 new factories during his time in office.

Facts First: Both figures are correct, though it's worth noting that the numbers include both large traditional factories and tiny facilities that produce goods with fewer than five employees.

There are different ways to measure the number of "manufacturing establishments" in the country. According to the Census Bureau's Statistics of US Businesses data series, the number of manufacturing establishments in the US fell by 61,076 between 2001, the beginning of the George W. Bush administration -- when there were 352,619 establishments-- and 2016, the last full year of the Obama administration, when there were 291,543 establishments. That's a reduction of about 17%.

Another government measure, the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, shows an increase of 12,074 in the number of manufacturing establishments between the first quarter of 2017 (343,972), when Trump took office, and the second quarter of 2019, the most recent data available (356,046).

— Daniel Dale

Immigration and the border

US-Mexico border

Trump said his administration has taken an "unprecedented effort" to secure the US-Mexico border.

Facts First: While it's unclear what measures Trump is specifically referencing when he says "unprecedented effort," his administration has taken some steps previous administrations haven't and officials have credited those measures with having reduced the influx of migrants into the US.

Still, crossings at the southern border remain and many of the policies put forth by the Trump administration have resulted in prolonged court challenges.

In the last fiscal year, Border Patrol arrested more than 851,000 people trying to cross the southern border, leading to overcrowding in border facilities and straining the administration's resources. Since then, border arrests have declined, but they remain high. Last December, for example, Border Patrol arrested 32,858 people.

Over the last year, the Trump administration has rolled out a series of policies to curtail the flow of asylum seekers to the border, such as the so-called "remain in Mexico policy." Forcing migrants, many of whom are from Central America, to Mexico marks an unprecedented shift in US asylum policy. Instead of living in the US as they work their way through the immigration court process, migrants are required to stay in Mexico, under the policy formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols.

Despite ongoing legal challenges, a federal appeals court allowed the policy to continue. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Heather Swift has called the policy "an effective tool to address the ongoing crisis at the southwest border," echoing similar praise from other administration officials.

— Priscilla Alvarez

Healthcare

Pre-existing conditions

Trump has repeatedly promised to protect those with pre-existing conditions, even as he has sought to kill the Affordable Care Act, which greatly expanded those safeguards.

"I've also made an ironclad pledge to American families. We will also protect patients with pre-existing conditions," he said during Tuesday's State of the Union address.

Facts First: Trump's claim about protecting those with pre-existing conditions is false. Though Trump says he would do this, his administration has consistently taken steps to undermine the Affordable Care Act -- including joining a lawsuit aimed at striking down the law -- without presenting alternative plans that would offer similar benefits.

The Affordable Care Act barred insurers in the individual market from denying people coverage or charging them higher premiums because of their health histories. Also, carriers had to provide comprehensive coverage -- offering 10 essential health benefits, including maternity, mental health and prescription drugs.

Trump has worked to undermine the Affordable Care Act from his first day in office, when he issued an executive order directing agencies to interpret its regulations as loosely as possible. He championed congressional Republicans' bills in 2017 that would have weakened the law's protections.

And his Justice Department is siding with a coalition of Republican states that are fighting in federal court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act. An appellate panel in December upheld a lower court ruling that found Obamacare's individual mandate unconstitutional but sent the case back to the lower court to decide whether the entire law must fall.

The President has said repeatedly that he would roll out a new health care plan that would protect those with pre-existing conditions, but he has yet to do so. Last April, he backed away from pushing for a vote on a replacement plan until after the 2020 election.

Meanwhile, he issued another executive order in late 2017 that would make it easier for Americans to buy alternatives to the Affordable Care Act that are cheaper, but offer fewer protections, such as short-term health plans. The law's defenders, however, fear that such plans could siphon off younger and healthier people, which could cause premiums to rise for those left buying policies in the Obamacare exchanges.

Trump's administration is also allowing states to make major changes to their Obamacare markets, which could also leave low-income, older or sicker residents with few choices and higher costs. Few states have taken the federal government up on this offer so far.

— Tami Luhby

This story is being updated