Fact-checkers bust Trump administration for using 'bogus math'

It’s not just President Donald Trump’s claims about Thanksgiving prices at Walmart that are under scrutiny. According to a new analysis from the Los Angeles Times, “faulty arithmetic” plagues the administrations claims about everything from inflation to mortgages to weight loss.

"On inflation, healthcare, mortgages and much more, the Trump administration offers bogus math," according to the Times.

In a new column from Tuesday, business columnist Michael Hiltzik cited numerous examples of “suspect” math and figures claimed by the Trump administration “deliberately aimed at portraying some condition as better than the real numbers show.” The first example was Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Mehmet Oz’s recent claim at a White House event this month that cuts to prescription costs for weight loss drugs would lead to an estimated 135 billion collective pounds lost in the U.S., a figure that would require every single person in the country to lose over 340 pounds.

The faulty math doesn’t stop there, and some of it hits much closer to home amid the current concerns around affordability. Trump recently touted the introduction of 50-year mortgages as a solution to the difficulty Americans have with buying homes. While such a policy would lower monthly payments compared to 30-year plans, many have pointed out the it would also drastically increase the amount of interest paid over the life of the mortgage.

Using a $400,000 home as an example, Hiltzik calculated that a 50-year plan would cost buyers $650,000 in total interest, up from $461,000 on a 30-year option. For all that, buyers would only save a little less than $300 on their monthly payments.

Back on the subject of prescriptions, Hiltzik also highlighted Trump’s tendency to exaggerate the amount that he’s allegedly cut their costs to impossible degrees. In August, the president claimed that he had helped cut drug prices by “by 1,200, 1,300 and 1,400, 1,500 percent,” even though cutting prices by any percentage over 100 percent would result in the company having to pay consumers to use their product.

All this wonky math comes amid surging concerns about affordability for everyday Americans. It’s an issue credited with helping get Trump reelected in 2024, but which also led to huge wins for Democrats in the 2025 elections.

In attempting to address the issue this month, Trump tried to claim that costs were dropping during his presidency, citing only a 25 percent drop in the cost of Walmart’s Thanksgiving basket. While the selection of items is cheaper this year compared to 2024, many have been quick to point out that this is because it contains 15 products, down from 22 last year, many of which were also swapped for Walmart-brand alternatives.