Fact Check: Is Trump's claim US poverty rate is at all time low ahead of 2026 midterms true?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the tensions ahead of the much-awaited midterm elections, President Donald Trump claimed that the poverty rate in the United States is at an all-time historic low. The claim drew conflicting reactions from online users, with many believing it while a few were skeptical of the claim, prompting a fact-check of Trump’s statement.
Claim: Poverty rate is all-time historic low in the United States
The claim surfaced after users began sharing a video of Trump on social media platforms that showed the president saying the US had "the best poverty numbers ever in the history of our country.”
The official YouTube handle of the White House also shared the clip where Trump is heard saying, “We have the best, I guess you could say, poverty; they talk poverty. We have the best poverty numbers ever in the history of our country. In other words, there's less poverty now than at any time in the history of our country.”
The clip has been shared on multiple platforms, garnering millions of views, with many praising Trump for the alleged achievement while a few others accused him of lying. Meanwhile, a few others remained skeptical and called for a fact check of the claim.
Fact Check: Donald Trump's claim is indeed true
Trump's statement is indeed true, as confirmed by the official poverty measure rate, one of two poverty rates published annually by the Census Bureau.
A White House Press Office spokesperson confirmed that Trump was referring to a report published on September 16, which found that the official poverty measure rate in 2025 was 10.2% -- the lowest rate since records began in 1959.
The official poverty measures are calculated by comparing a family's income to the poverty threshold for its size.
For example, a family of four with two children under the age of 18 is below the poverty threshold if that family's pre-tax income is below $32,649 per year.
Donald Trump's $5000 promise ahead of midterms
Trump made the statement ahead of the November elections, which the GOP is projected to lose. Meanwhile, Trump has proposed giving $5,000 to every American if Republicans win the upcoming midterm election, which he said would be a return tied to the country’s economic success.
"Here is my promise: If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our tremendous economic success, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000," Trump said.
