NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2026 — U.S. President Donald Trump has described the country’s border as the most secure in its history, while highlighting sharp declines in illegal border crossings and violent crime during his address to world leaders at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Trump said his administration had transformed what he described as a previously dangerous border, claiming that nobody now enters the United States without permission.
“In the past 16 months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States,” he said.
However, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has specifically reported 16 consecutive months of zero releases at the border, rather than zero unauthorized entries into the country. Border apprehensions have fallen sharply, but the distinction is important because apprehensions do not account for every person who may successfully evade detection.
Trump’s broader assessment that the border is the “most secure” in U.S. history is a characterization by the president rather than an independently measurable historical ranking.
Violent crime records decline
Trump also pointed to a major decline in violent crime, saying the United States recorded the largest drop in violent crime ever recorded in 2025.
FBI data released in August support the underlying claim of a historically large decline. The national violent-crime rate fell by 9.3 per cent from 2024 to 2025, the largest year-to-year decline since the FBI began estimating national crime trends in 1936.
The FBI reported that murder and non-negligent manslaughter declined by 18.1 per cent, robbery by 18.5 per cent, rape by 7.6 per cent, and aggravated assault by 7.2 per cent.
The 2025 murder rate was estimated at 4.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, tying the rates recorded in 1955 and 1956 for the lowest level in the FBI’s national series.
Trump, however, also claimed that crime had fallen by 87 per cent in Washington, D.C., and by more than 80 per cent in Memphis and New Orleans. Those figures require qualification because they do not represent the national crime trend and may refer to particular crime measures or comparison periods.
Trump highlights economic gains
Turning to the economy, Trump said his administration had created more than one million private-sector jobs and that poverty and household incomes had reached historic levels.
He also claimed that real household incomes had risen to an average of $87,000 and that his administration had lifted 1.5 million Americans out of poverty in 2025.
Those figures were presented by Trump during the speech and should be treated as presidential claims unless supported by a specified federal statistical series and comparison period. The transcript confirms that Trump made the claims.
Trump further said his administration had removed regulations and obstacles to business and had enacted what he described as the largest tax cuts in American history.
He claimed that U.S. stock markets had recorded 80 all-time records during the previous 12 months.
$21 trillion investment claim disputed
Trump also claimed that the United States had secured commitments for $21 trillion in new investments from around the world.
The figure has not been independently substantiated. Fact-checking of Trump’s recent statements found that the White House has cited about $11.2 trillion in major investment announcements, while much of that figure consists of announced projects, pledges and other commitments whose value and eventual implementation vary.
Trump nonetheless presented the investment figure as evidence of renewed international confidence in the U.S. economy.
Military spending and America’s global role
On defence, Trump said the United States had invested more in its military during the previous 12 months than ever before and projected military spending of $1.5 trillion during his current term.
He also portrayed the United States as economically and technologically dominant, describing the American military as the most powerful in the world.
“Our nation is growing. Our power is expanding. Our country is doing better than ever before, and our future is very, very bright,” Trump said.
Trump used the UN address to frame his second administration as having restored American strength at home while pursuing a more assertive role abroad.
He welcomed world leaders to the United States as the country marks 250 years of independence and said America was entering what he described as a new period of national strength.
The speech also covered Trump’s approach to international security, including his call for greater cooperation against transnational criminal organisations and his broader emphasis on American military power.
While several of Trump’s economic and border claims remain matters of interpretation or require additional qualification, the FBI’s 2025 data independently confirm a historically significant decline in reported violent crime across the United States.
