🎙 Welcome back to the Josh Lafazan Show!
Today, we’re calling out another blatant lie from Donald Trump. At a recent rally, Trump claimed, “We have now close to $10 trillion in investment… We’re talking about essentially two months.” Sounds impressive, right? Well, it’s 100% false. In today’s episode, we’re breaking down the numbers, exposing the real facts, and explaining why this kind of misinformation is so dangerous to our democracy.
Let’s dive into it.
🔍 SEGMENT 1 – WHAT TRUMP CLAIMED
During a campaign event in May, Trump looked straight into the camera and confidently stated, “We have now close to $10 trillion in investment... in essentially two months.”
Let’s put this into perspective. This claim is:
More than one-third of the entire U.S. GDP.
More than the combined GDP of Japan, Germany, and the UK.
100 times the actual investment total for the past two months.
So, where’s the evidence for this $10 trillion? The truth is, it doesn’t exist. Trump made it up, and we're here to set the record straight.
📉 SEGMENT 2 – WHAT THE ACTUAL NUMBERS SAY
Let’s take a look at the real numbers:
Global foreign direct investment (FDI) into the U.S. in 2023 was around $379 billion.
New investment announcements since Trump’s return to office in January 2025 are closer to $100 billion, not $10 trillion.
That’s a 99% exaggeration. Even if we included every major U.S. company’s spending plans — from AI to clean energy — the total wouldn’t come anywhere close to $10 trillion. To put it in perspective, the CHIPS and Science Act, a landmark piece of legislation to boost tech manufacturing, is worth $280 billion in total. Trump’s figure? 35 times that, supposedly in just 60 days. It’s a complete fabrication.
🏗 SEGMENT 3 – WHERE DID TRUMP GET THIS NUMBER?
Short answer: nowhere. Trump seems to have pulled this number out of thin air.
No government agencies, no economists, no credible business groups are backing this $10 trillion claim. In fact, when pressed by Politifact, Trump’s team couldn’t produce any documentation or data to justify the number. This is a classic Trump move: inflate the numbers, ignore the facts, and let the lie speak for itself unless someone calls it out. Well, we’re calling it out.
📺 SEGMENT 4 – WHY THIS MATTERS
This isn’t just a harmless exaggeration — it’s dangerous.
When presidents lie about the economy:
It distorts public understanding of economic policy.
It makes it harder for voters to make informed decisions.
It devalues real investment and progress made by companies, workers, and communities.
Trump is setting unrealistic expectations. If he claims $10 trillion in two months and nothing close to that happens, what does that do to public trust? It breeds cynicism, distrust, and ultimately undermines the foundations of democracy. This isn’t a slip-up; it’s intentional misinformation.
🧠 SEGMENT 5 – WHAT THE REAL STORY IS: WHO'S ACTUALLY DRIVING INVESTMENT
Let’s set the record straight: yes, there’s been a significant surge in corporate investment in the U.S. But it’s not because of Trump.
The real story is that investment is being driven by policies passed before Trump returned to office, and now he’s trying to hijack the credit.
The investments we’re seeing now were set in motion under President Biden and a bipartisan Congress through three major pieces of legislation:
The CHIPS and Science Act: Signed in 2022, it allocated $280 billion to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): A $370 billion climate and clean energy investment package that’s triggered a green energy boom.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: A $1.2 trillion plan to repair infrastructure, create jobs, and revitalize rural America.
These laws laid the groundwork for today’s investment boom. The credit belongs to bipartisan efforts, not Trump’s made-up claims.
💬 Why does Trump claim it’s all him?
Because he’s doing what he’s always done: taking credit for things he didn’t do while undermining the policies that made them happen.
When Intel breaks ground on a $25 billion chip factory in Ohio, it’s because of the CHIPS Act. When Ford announces billions for EV battery plants, it’s because of the Inflation Reduction Act. When contractors rebuild bridges and lay broadband fiber, it’s the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at work.
But Trump wants to take credit for it all. It’s not just misleading; it’s insulting to the workers and communities making it happen.
The real story is this:
Corporate investment is growing.
Manufacturing is booming.
Green energy is scaling up.
But it’s all happening because of bipartisan legislation put in place years ago.
Trump didn’t make this happen. He didn’t plant the seeds — and now he’s trying to take credit for the harvest.
Let’s expose the lie so voters can make decisions based on facts — not fantasy.