Fact Check: Is Trump's claim during SOTU speech he secured $18 trillion investments in US true?
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech on Tuesday, February 24, lasted for more than one and a half hours, arguably making it the longest speech in the SOTU's history.
During his speech, the POTUS made several claims. In one of these claims, Trump said that he secured $18 trillion in investments in the United States. But does his statement really add up? Let us find out below.
Claim: Trump says he secured $18 trillion in investments in US
Donald Trump said on Tuesday during his SOTU speech, "In four long years, the last administration got less than $1 trillion in new investment in the United States... In 12 months, I secured commitments for more than $18 trillion pouring in from all over the globe."
.@POTUS: "In 4 long years, the last administration got less than $1 trillion dollars in new investment in the United States... In 12 months, I secured commitments for more than $18 trillion dollars pouring in from all over the globe." pic.twitter.com/0JR4CfayFs
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 25, 2026
As the midterm elections are set to take place in November, the POTUS focused on issues that are critical to the Republican party's success, as his address touched on issues critical to voters for the upcoming elections.
The official theme for the State of the Union 2026 address was 'America at 250: Strong, Prosperous, and Respected', and Trump took the occasion to announce a 'Golden Age of America' under his regime.
Fact Check: False, the figure mentioned is exaggerated
The claim made by Donald Trump that he secured $18 trillion in investments in the United States from 'all over the globe' is not true. Though many companies made public commitments to invest in the US, many commitments are either only slight increases from earlier announcements or in line with previous plans.
Moreover, the commitments and investments the White House mentioned on its own website were $9.7 trillion, but a review of the White House list also found this figure to be misleading.
It includes vague or non-binding pledges, aspirational sovereign commitments, earlier announced projects, and long-term plans over many years instead of realized investments.
Reviews by an outlet showed $2.5 trillion wasn't actual investment, as $3.5 trillion came from opaque foreign pledges and another $3.5 trillion from corporate.
For some context, US annual private nonresidential investment is around $4–5 trillion, and the Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the US was about $151 billion in 2024 (pre-Trump's second term).
Investments worth $18 trillion in one year would be unprecedented, equivalent to over half of US GDP ($31 trillion), and far beyond historical norms or feasible inflows.
