President Trump is pointing to trillions of dollars in promised investment as part of the economic case for Republicans retaining control of Congress in November, but the figure he’s citing is nearly twice as large as the one published by his own White House, adding to questions about his claims at a time when Americans are increasingly skeptical of information coming from Washington.
On Wednesday, Trump told the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, that the country’s economic strength made it possible for him to promise a $5,000 dividend to every adult American if Republicans win the Nov. 3 midterms. During the same convention, he also touted “over $20 trillion” in investments pouring into the country from governments and companies.
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Trump reiterated the investment claim the following day during a Fox News interview about the dividend, saying the U.S. was “taking in $21 trillion.” In his closing remarks at the Dallas convention that night, he put the figure at $22 trillion
The White House has touted its own list of massive investment commitments, but its numbers fall well short of Trump’s claim.
Its online tracker puts total new U.S. investment at $11.2 trillion, including both foreign commitments and planned spending by American companies. Among the largest foreign pledges are $1.4 trillion from the United Arab Emirates, $1.2 trillion from Qatar, $1 trillion from Japan, $600 billion from Saudi Arabia and $500 billion from India.
A $22 trillion claim meets a skeptical public
The discrepancy comes at a sensitive time. With the Nov. 3 midterms approaching, Americans are already showing growing skepticism toward information coming from Washington.
As Moneywise recently reported, a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts found that fewer than half of U.S. adults trust information from federal government agencies. Just 11% said they have trust in federal government information overall, down from 18% in 2024.
The skepticism runs deeper when politics and the economy enter the picture. Just 18% expressed high trust in federal information about inflation and the cost of living, while only 13% said the same about elections and politics.
