President Donald Trump delivered an address to a joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025, which, while similar in format, is traditionally not labeled as a State of the Union Address during a president’s inauguration year.  In his speech, President Trump made several claims that have been scrutinized for accuracy:  • Social Security Fraud: Trump claimed that government databases list 4.7 million Social Security members aged 100 to 109 and 3.6 million aged 110 to 119, implying widespread fraud. However, these figures represent individuals without a recorded date of death, not necessarily those receiving benefits. The Social Security Administration has acknowledged that some records lack death dates due to system limitations, but this does not indicate fraudulent payments.  • Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate: The President stated that his administration ended an “insane electric vehicle mandate” from the previous administration. In reality, there was no federal mandate requiring the purchase of EVs. The prior administration had set nonbinding goals to encourage EV adoption, but these were not enforceable mandates.  • Transgender Athletes in Sports: Trump announced an order to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports, threatening schools with the loss of federal funding if they fail to comply. This aligns with actions already taken by at least 24 states with similar laws. The President highlighted the case of Payton McNabb, a former high school athlete injured during a match involving a transgender athlete, to support this policy.  These instances illustrate the importance of critically evaluating claims made in political speeches to ensure public discourse is informed by accurate information.
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