President Trump told Republicans gathered at the party’s midterm convention in Dallas on September 9 that he has kept every commitment he made to voters. “Every single promise I made you as a candidate, I’ve delivered on. I’ve delivered on everything,” Trump said from the stage at the American Airlines Center, according to a CNN fact-check of the speech.
Several other claims from that same address drew scrutiny from independent fact-checkers who reviewed the speech line by line.
What did Trump say about investment in the United States?
Trump told the crowd that “over $20 trillion” has been invested in the United States during his second term. CNN’s review found the figure far exceeds even the administration’s own accounting, which the White House website put at $11.2 trillion, a number CNN reported reflects announced pledges rather than money actually spent. Federal data cited in the fact-check showed new foreign direct investment in the country totaled roughly $232 billion in 2025.
Did Trump win the presidency three times?
Trump claimed he had “won the presidency three times.” He has won two general elections, in 2016 and 2024, and lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. Fact-checkers noted the claim is one Trump has repeated at multiple appearances this year.
How many migrants entered the country under Biden, according to fact-checkers?
Trump said 25 million migrants crossed into the country during the Biden administration. Official government records reviewed by fact-checkers documented under 11 million migrant encounters through December 2024, a total that includes estimates for people who evaded capture. Trump has cited varying, escalating figures for this claim over the past year, including a previous version putting the number at 21 million.
Are prices actually falling, as Trump claimed?
Trump told the convention that “food prices and almost every other item are rapidly going down.” Government inflation data reviewed by fact-checkers showed consumer prices were up 3.4% year over year in July, with overall prices having risen 4.3% since January 2025, when Trump’s second term began.
What promises has Trump not delivered on?
Fact-checkers also pointed to specific campaign pledges that remain unmet more than a year and a half into Trump’s second term. Among them: his promise to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, and his pledge to bring down inflation, both of which he repeated frequently during the 2024 campaign.
Did Senator John Fetterman appear at the convention?
A pre-recorded video message from Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was played during the convention’s first night, according to The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer. In the roughly one-minute clip, shot near the Edgar Thomson Steel Works mill in Braddock, Pennsylvania, Fetterman praised Trump and Republican Senator Dave McCormick for their support of the steel industry and said he would “work with President Trump to fight and defend the steel way of life right here in the Steel Valley.” He also said he would “always stand with America” and “reject the extremes and socialism.”
Fetterman was not present in Dallas. Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party chair, Eugene DePasquale, called the video a “GOP stunt,” and Democratic Representatives Malcolm Kenyatta and Brendan Boyle criticized Fetterman on social media following the appearance. Fetterman said in a statement that he remained “a lifelong Democrat.”
What happens next
The Republican midterm convention continues this week in Dallas as the party looks to shore up support ahead of November’s midterm elections. Trump is expected to make additional appearances tied to the event.
Sources: CNN Fact Check · FactCheck.org · PBS NewsHour
