State of the Union updates: Trump spars with Dems, touts economy and immigration

TRUMP CLAIM: "The cheating is rampant in our elections. It's rampant."

FACT CHECK: False

Trump has repeatedly alleged that undocumented immigrants have improperly influenced federal elections, but state voting data suggest that such instances are incredibly rare.

In 2024, voter roll audits in states including Georgia, Ohio, and Iowa, leading up to the 2024 election, uncovered very few instances of noncitizen voting in federal elections. A comprehensive audit of Georgia's voter rolls -- which include 8.2 million registered voters -- uncovered 20 noncitizens who registered to vote, including nine instances when noncitizens actually cast a ballot. A similar audit of Iowa's 2.3 million voters revealed 87 instances where individuals cast ballots and later self-reported as noncitizens.

According to research from the non-partisan nonprofit Center for Election Innovation & Research, allegations of sweeping and coordinated voter fraud generally arise from "misunderstandings, mischaracterizations, or outright fabrications about complex voter data," and most instances of voting fraud are rare and swiftly prosecuted by authorities.

President Trump pushed for passage of the Save America Act. His comments animated Republicans in the chamber, nearly all of whom stood and vigorously applauded him.

"It's very simple: All voters show voter ID. All voters must show proof of citizenship," Trump said.

Democrats have said the bill is a nonstarter in the Senate, though Trump has repeatedly put pressure on GOP leaders to ensure it becomes law.

President Trump got an extended applause from the chamber after calling on members of Congress to "stand up and show your support" and affirm that they believe that the "first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens."

Trump looked around the chamber while waiting for the applause to end, at times shaking his head and gesturing toward the Democrats who did not stand or clap.

"Isn't that a shame. You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up," he said.

Trump announced that he negotiated the "rate payer protection pledge" with major tech companies, addressing the issue of rising power costs associated with data centers.

Trump said the companies will have the obligation to pay for their own power needs.

"They can build their own power plants as part of their factory," Trump said.

The president did not give more details about the negotiations, including which tech companies have been part of the discussion.