In a scathing segment on his Wednesday night program, MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell launched a detailed fact-check of former President Donald Trump's primetime address on the economy, labeling him the nation's "worst public speaker." O'Donnell dissected multiple claims from Trump's Oval Office speech, which was delivered earlier that evening, and was joined by Democratic Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York for further reaction.
O'Donnell's Fact-Check: Inflation, Tariffs, and Election Claims Debunked
O'Donnell opened his critique by focusing on Trump's delivery, stating, "America’s worst public speaker struggled mightily reading a teleprompter full of lies tonight." He took issue with the former president's characterization of his speech, before systematically addressing specific falsehoods.
The host first corrected Trump's assertion that inflation was historically high when he entered office. "Inflation was at 3% when Donald Trump took office. Inflation is at 3% right now," O'Donnell stated, directly contradicting the claim. He also mocked Trump's comment about "transgender for everybody," sarcastically noting that such a statement would imply Trump himself is transgender.
O'Donnell further challenged several other points from the address:
- The claim of a "landslide" election victory (Trump won the popular vote by approximately 1.5 percentage points).
- The assertion that American taxpayers are not footing the bill for his tariffs (economic analysis shows they are).
- The accusation that Democrats are demanding more expensive health insurance (a claim not supported by policy proposals).
O'Donnell concluded this portion of his analysis by criticizing Trump's delivery style, describing it as "monotone anger" and suggesting the former president shouted because he hasn't "learned how microphones work." He summed up the performance by observing, "He seemed to be angry at the truth."
Jeffries Echoes Critique, Highlights Economic Impact of Trump Policies
Representative Hakeem Jeffries agreed with O'Donnell's assessment, calling the speech "an unhinged speech that was of course untethered from reality and truth." The Democratic leader focused his rebuttal on the tangible economic consequences of Trump's policies, particularly the tariffs enacted during his administration.
"Donald Trump has made things worse for the American people," Jeffries argued. "He refuses to acknowledge that the tariffs that he is solely responsible for have actually increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year."
Jeffries also addressed the ongoing healthcare crisis, blaming Trump and Republican lawmakers for exacerbating the problem. He referenced a "big, beautiful bill" that he said resulted in millions losing Medicaid coverage and reductions to federal food assistance programs. "And all of this was done so that Donald Trump and Republicans could reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks, which they’ve now made permanent," he added.
Broken Promises and Rising Costs
The congressman highlighted a specific unfulfilled pledge from the former president. "He promised to lower the high cost of living on day one," Jeffries noted. "Those aren’t my words — those are his words. But he broke that promise."
Jeffries concluded with a stark assessment of the current economic climate, framing it as a central failure. "And life isn’t getting more affordable in the United States of America. It’s getting more expensive. And that is the problem that Donald Trump refuses to confront."
The segment underscored a deepening political divide over economic narrative and policy legacy, with cable news providing a platform for direct, point-by-point rebuttals to presidential addresses. The full interview and fact-check are available on MSNBC's "The Last Word."
