Fact-Checkers Get The Facts Wrong

Even as President Trump was still addressing Congress (and TV audiences) during his State of the Union speech, media fact-checkers were busy finding fault with what the 47th president said.

The fact checks were sometimes so ridiculous in their lack of context that one might well be in a middle school yard, watching children argue.

CBS FACT CHECK: In his 2026 State of the Union, President Trump claimed, "More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country."

CBS RATING: MISLEADING

CBS Details: Preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows there are roughly 158.6 million people employed in the U.S. as of January 2026, which is more than at any other point on record. But the total number of employed people usually rises as the population grows. About 157 million people were employed when Biden left office in January 2025.

CBS News tweeted this out, generating 44,000 views, a dismal number given how many people watched the address across all networks.

TIPP Verdict: CBS felt it necessary to explain details that Trump never referenced, and in so doing, made so many errors that they were not only misleading but incorrect.

CBS stated that more Americans are working because the population has increased since Biden left office last year, a point for which it did not provide details.

CBS did not mention America's population during the Biden years or compare it with the population in Trump’s first year of his second term. Until America goes through a census, our population numbers are always up for debate.

Most of America's population growth has been because of migration, and America's population swelled by an estimated 19 million illegal aliens entering our porous borders during the Biden term. It is indeed possible that America's population may have dwindled compared to the Biden years because the southern border is practically shut off, and Trump's deportation efforts have been effective.

Even if CBS conducted a quick population analysis, what point in Biden's term should it have chosen for comparison? The first Biden year compared with Trump's first year? The average of the four Biden years? All that would have involved far more detailed statistical analysis than a quick social-media post allows.

CBS wanted to make a point that Trump's stewardship of the economy was not stellar. So, it clarified: "The labor force participation rate sat at 62.5% in January, which is identical to the rate in December 2024, Biden's last full month in office."

Notice that Trump never mentioned the labor force participation (LFP) rate. Trump, one of the most skilled politicians ever to grace a television podium, knows that the average American may not understand the technical terminology used in a college economics class. But Trump knows that everyone understands numbers. Indeed, more Americans are working today than at any time in our country's history, a point that CBS did not dispute.

For the technically initiated, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a federal agency that measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity, defines the labor force participation (LFP) rate as the number of people who are either working or actively seeking work as a share of the working-age population. The working-age population consists of people aged 16 and over. More broadly, the LFP rate is the percentage of the population in the labor force.

If CBS wanted to put Trump in a better light, it could have compared the labor force participation rate during the first year of Biden's term. In Jan 2021, the LFP was 61.4%, rising to 62.0% in Dec 2021. Trump clearly outperformed Biden by this metric.

Even if CBS had compared 2021 numbers, it would have caveated its analysis by saying that it was during COVID-19, so the numbers were skewed against Biden.

The dean of fact-checkers in the liberal media is Linda Qiu, a New York Times reporter who says she fact-checks statements made by politicians and public figures. She says she began this work at PolitiFact and joined The Times in 2017. She claims she provides context and analysis regarding politicians’ accuracy.

Qiu reported that Trump said this: "Our bills are coming way down. You probably see that our gasoline prices are way down. You know, we have an expression, 'Drill, baby, drill,' and that's what we're doing. We're going to be much lower in a year from now, but they've come way down over the last year."

Qiu's analysis: This is exaggerated. Electricity prices have, in fact, risen under Mr. Trump, while gas prices have declined slightly.

TIPP Verdict: Why is the New York Times talking about electricity prices? Did Trump mention electricity prices in that clip, which Qiu quotes? No! It is the height of distraction intended to malign President Trump.

In fact, even Qiu acknowledges that gas prices "have declined slightly." But the qualifier "declined slightly" is grossly misleading and actually false.

We looked at U.S. Regular Gasoline Prices during the Biden term (EIA Monthly Data, $/gallon). We found that they reached $3.18 in September 2021 (Qiu acknowledges that gas prices have remained between $3.10 and $3.20 throughout Trump's first year back in office, so the September 2021 figures are relevant).

But gas prices steadily rose above the "Trump band," reaching $4.22 in March 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Biden then released emergency supplies from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. By June 2022, gas prices had reached $4.93 a gallon, and the national average peaked at over $5.

When Trump said, "You probably see that our gasoline prices are way down," he was spot on. But not to leftist media outlets.

Qiu also says that Trump claimed that millions of people "from prisons, from mental institutions" all over the world had crossed the United States' southern border and that there is no evidence for this.

Actually, there is substantial evidence. In Sep 2024, months before the election, Biden's own Immigration and Customs Enforcement released a letter to Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican Congressman. It said that under Harris, the border czar, America had caught and released into the country over 662,000 migrants with criminal records. Worse, more than 15,000 of them were murderers convicted in their home countries, and 16,000 were convicted of sexual assault. Other crimes included 100,000 assaults, 70,000 drug violations, 90,000 invasions of privacy, and 16,000 weapons offenses.

Moderate and conservative readers who once valued legacy outlets abandoned them in large numbers. Why pay a subscription fee to read daily attacks on your preferred political leaders?

The consequences are no longer anecdotal. Trust in traditional media now stands at just 36%. A combined 57% of Americans say they have little or no trust at all. Among Republicans, 64% express distrust. Among independents, distrust reaches 60%. Even among Democrats, more express little trust than great trust. The credibility gap is no longer partisan rhetoric; it is a measurable reality.

When fact-checkers stretch context, introduce metrics never cited, or blur distinctions to soften political impact, they do more than challenge a speech. They reinforce the public’s suspicion that the referee has stepped onto the field. Accuracy requires precision. It does not require embellishment.

The press often insists that politicians must earn trust. That is true. But trust must also be earned by those who claim to arbitrate truth. Until fact-checking returns to straightforward verification rather than interpretive framing, confidence in the institution will continue to erode. And at 36%, there is very little cushion left.

👉 Show & Tell 🔥 The Signals

I. U.S. Drug Innovation Lead Narrows as China Gains

The U.S. share of global innovative drug trials has fallen from the mid-40% range a decade ago to the low-30% range, while China’s share has climbed steadily toward 30%. The gap between the two countries has narrowed sharply, signaling rising competition in pharmaceutical research and development.

II. Iran’s Minimum Wages Erode In Dollar Terms

Iran’s minimum wage, measured in U.S. dollars, has fallen dramatically over the past decade as sanctions and currency devaluation reduced purchasing power. Despite nominal wage increases in local currency, repeated devaluations have sharply lowered real earnings in global terms.

III. Nvidia Revenue Surges In The AI Era

Nvidia’s quarterly revenue has accelerated sharply since late 2022, coinciding with the rise of generative AI tools. The company’s sales have multiplied in just a few years, reflecting booming demand for AI chips used in data centers and advanced computing.

1. The New Democratic Socialist Party Is A ‘Graveyard Of Bad Ideas’—Victor Davis Hanson, The Daily Signal

2. ‘One Of The Best’: Congress Reacts To Trump’s Agenda-Setting State Of The Union—Pedro Rodriguez, Virginia Grace McKinnon & George Caldwell, The Daily Signal

3. Here Goes Washington To War Again…Because It’s Still Empire First—David Stockman, Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity

4. More States Moving To Close Election Funding Loophole Few Voters Knew Existed—Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal

5. Trans Lawmaker Wants You To Believe Porn Sites Are ‘Educational’ For ‘Queer Kids’—Harold Hutchison, Daily Caller News Foundation

6. The Senate And The Loss Of “Mixed Government”—Michael Dioguardi, Mises Wire

7. Law Enforcement Kills Armed Man Seeking To Enter Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Resort, Officials Say—Daily Signal Staff, The Daily Signal

8. Scott Bessent Lays Out Future Of Trump’s Tariffs, Trade Deals—Harold Hutchison, Daily Caller News Foundation

9. In Defense Of National Borders—Wanjiru Njoya, Mises Wire

10. ACLU Looks To Dismantle Ohio Election Integrity Law—Rebecca Downs, The Daily Signal

11. House To Vote On Trump’s War Powers—George Caldwell, The Daily Signal

12. Liberty Without Strings—Andrew P. Napolitano, Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity

📊 Market Mood — Thursday, February 26, 2026

🟩 Futures Dip After Tech Earnings
Markets ease lower as investors digest Nvidia and Salesforce results amid ongoing AI volatility.

🟧 Nvidia Beats, But Buyback Questions Linger
Strong earnings and revenue guidance fail to spark a rally as investors press for greater capital returns.

🟦 Salesforce Slumps on Soft Revenue Outlook
Weaker near-term guidance weighs on software sentiment despite long-term AI growth ambitions.

🟨 Oil and Gold Steady Before U.S.–Iran Talks
Commodities hold near recent highs as nuclear negotiations and tariff uncertainty keep risk premiums elevated.

🗓️ Key Economic Events — Thursday, February 26, 2026

🟩 8:30 AM — Initial Jobless Claims
Weekly unemployment filings provide a timely snapshot of labor market strength and potential shifts in hiring trends.