FactCheck.org said Trump’s convention promise of a $5,000 payment to every adult would cost about $1.2 trillion, far beyond what current tariff revenue could support.
Tariffs brought in $264 billion net in 2025, but only about $64 billion through July 2026 after refunds on invalidated levies, meaning one year of checks would take more than six years to fund.
The review also rejected Trump’s broader economic claims, saying his $20 trillion foreign-investment figure nearly doubles the White House’s own speculative $11.2 trillion tally and that prices, jobs and drug costs do not match his descriptions.
On immigration and politics, FactCheck.org said Trump falsely claimed zero illegal entries in 15 months, inflated Biden-era migration totals to 25 million, and wrongly warned Democrats could hand Congress to a communist caucus.
The nearly two-hour speech opened the first Republican midterm convention, where Trump urged turnout by telling supporters to act as if he were on the ballot in November.