Fact check: Trump spreads false statements about Trudeau, Ukraine and migration

Fact check: Trump spreads false statements about Trudeau, Ukraine and migration

During a visit to Canada on Monday on the occasion of a G7 summit, President Donald Trump repeated one of his many false claims about Canada and once again blamed former Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for Russia's exclusion from the former G8 group.

Trump and the false statements about Trudeau

In his remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, Trump said: "He was thrown out - by Trudeau, who convinced one or two people, along with Obama. He was thrown out. And he's definitely not happy about it." However, Trudeau did not actually become Prime Minister of Canada until November 2015, more than 19 months after Russia was expelled from the Group of 8 in 2014. It was Trudeau's Conservative predecessor, Stephen Harper, who the initiative took action to exclude Russia after its annexation of the Crimean region of Ukraine. At that point, Trudeau's Liberals were not even the strongest opposition party in the Canadian House of Commons.

False claims about trade deals and Ukraine aid

Trump also made other false claims during his speeches at the G7 summit. He described his alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Trade agreement with the United Kingdom incorrectly as an agreement with the European Union, of which the United Kingdom is not a member. Trump also repeated his several times already refuted Claims that former President Joe Biden gave “$350 billion” in aid to Ukraine. This number is simply not correct.

Real support for Ukraine

According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank, the international aid to Ukraine is closely monitored, the U.S. government has pledged approximately $138 billion in military, financial and humanitarian assistance from late January 2022 to April 2025. This period spans more than three months of Trump's current term in office. While it is possible to get different totals under different counting methods, the basis for Trump's "350 billion" number is entirely missing. The U.S. comptroller overseeing the response to the invasion of Ukraine says on its website that the U.S. government has committed about $185 billion to the response through March 2025, of which about $90 billion has actually been disbursed - including spending in the U.S. or on Countries outside Ukraine were accomplished.

Exaggerated numbers on migrants under Biden

During his remarks on undocumented immigrants at the G7 summit, Trump repeated his oft-made claim that "Biden has let 21 million people into our country." This number is also incorrect. Until December 2024, the last full month under the Biden administration, there were fewer than 11 million nationwide “Encounters” with migrants; These include millions who were quickly expelled from the country. Even if you include the so-called “Gotaways,” which are estimated to number around 2.2 million, the total cannot have been “21 million.”