Trump Invokes Imaginary ‘Term Three’ to Tout Iran War
In a surprising move, Donald Trump declared a list of "TOP 25" accomplishments, including ongoing conflicts and foreign policy acts, under the banner of a fictional "Term Three" in the presidency. Among these claims, he highlighted the ongoing conflict with Iran, bizarrely describing it as a major success of his administration.
Trump's assertions about the Iran war included narratives of obliterating Iran's nuclear capacities through operations like Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Epic Fury. He further boasted about capturing the former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and claimed responsibility for settling multiple wars.
However, Trump's portrayal of the Iran conflict as a triumph runs contrary to the reality on the ground. Reports emerged of substantial U.S. military damage from Iranian missile and drone attacks, which have not been transparently communicated to the American public. Service members have described the situation as one where they are "getting punched in the face" with their "eyes closed."
The Pentagon's inspector general reported significant equipment losses, including nearly 60 aircraft and a financial impact reaching billions of dollars. Casualty figures, according to unnamed sources, also contradict the numbers released publicly, with claims suggesting the real number of U.S. service member deaths is underreported.
Trump's exaggerated claims about his "Term Three" accomplishments appear to be an attempt to normalize anti-constitutional behavior by refusing to concede that his presidency officially ended, while distorting the narrative of ongoing military involvements.
The list mixes verifiable actions with factual exaggerations, political phrasing, and several claims that go substantially beyond the evidence.
| 1 | Misleading | Border crossings are at historically low levels, and CBP has reported zero releases at the border for 16 consecutive months. But that is not the same as zero unauthorized entries. Thousands of people have still been apprehended crossing, and CBP has recorded “gotaways.” FactCheck.org specifically found the “zero illegal aliens entered” version false. (FactCheck.org) |
| 2 | Basically accurate | Trump signed the Laken Riley Act on Jan. 29, 2025. It expands mandatory detention for certain inadmissible noncitizens who are arrested for, charged with, convicted of, or admit to crimes including theft, burglary, shoplifting and certain violent offenses. So “criminal aliens” is imprecise because a conviction is not required. (GovInfo) |
| 3 | Mostly accurate, with an important caveat | FBI data show the largest one-year decline in the murder rate since its comparable estimates began in 1936. The 2025 rate was about 4.1 per 100,000. The “lowest since 1900” claim comes from researchers combining modern FBI data with much older historical sources; it is plausible but not a single comparable 125-year FBI series. Also, the homicide decline began around 2022, before Trump's current term. (FactCheck.org) |
| 4 | Misleading | Trump did sign the 2025 tax law, but independent comparisons do not support calling it the largest tax cut in U.S. history. “No tax on tips” and “no tax on overtime” are temporary, capped income-tax deductions, not total exemptions from all taxes. And the law did not eliminate taxation of Social Security benefits; it created an additional $6,000 senior deduction that phases out at higher incomes. (FactCheck.org) |
| 5 | Unsupported | There is no documented basis for $19.2 trillion in new U.S. investment. FactCheck.org notes that Trump's figure is nearly twice even the White House's own tally, and that the White House tally itself includes announcements, multiyear pledges and investments that are not all new or guaranteed. (FactCheck.org) |
| 6 | Substantially accurate on the tariffs; outcome is unproven | Trump did impose a 25% automobile tariff, with exceptions and special treatment under deals such as USMCA/UK arrangements. In 2026 he also raised many steel, aluminum and copper tariffs to 50%, while various derivative products face 25%, 15% or other rates. Whether these tariffs have actually “brought back American manufacturing” is a separate claim; AP found reshoring effects remain mixed and some manufacturers have been hurt by higher input costs. (The White House) |
| 7 | Wrong as stated | Trump hasn't specified which index or definition he is using. For the standard benchmark, the S&P 500, AP/CFRA counted 66 record highs since the start of his second term and 76 since the 2024 election, not 80. (AP News) |
| 8 | Technically true, but weak as an economic comparison | The raw number of employed Americans has reached a record because the U.S. population and labor force grow over time. AP reported nearly 159 million employed in June. But employment growth during Trump's current term has been comparatively modest, and the employment-to-population ratio does not show a historical record. (AP News) |
| 9 | Mostly accurate, depending on what is counted | The administration counts about $1 trillion in total 2026 defense resources, including mandatory/reconciliation money. The conventional 2026 military appropriation was closer to $901 billion. Trump has requested $1.5 trillion for 2027; Congress has not yet enacted that amount. CBO confirms the $1.5T request would be a record nominal funding level. (The White House) |
| 10 | Accurate about the event; “brought to justice” is premature | U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela in January 2026 and brought him to the U.S. He has been arraigned on federal drug-trafficking and related charges and has pleaded not guilty. He has not been convicted, so “brought to face justice” would be the precise description. (Reuters) |
| 11 | Overstated | Operation Midnight Hammer and later Operation Epic Fury did strike Iran and severely damage nuclear and military facilities. But “ensured Iran will NEVER have a nuclear weapon” cannot be established. The IAEA still cannot verify Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60%, and Reuters reported this week that Iran's diminished nuclear capabilities remain a concern while the war continues. (AP News) |
| 12 | First half true; 60% figure unsupported | The U.S. military has indeed conducted dozens of lethal strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific. But there is no comprehensive measurement of total fentanyl flowing into the country. FactCheck.org notes that seizure totals cannot validly be converted into a percentage reduction in actual drug flow. Pentagon officials themselves cited 20%-25% reductions in vessel movement, not a demonstrated 60% fall in fentanyl flow. (Investing.com) |
| 13 | Real program, misleading math | The administration has negotiated Most Favored Nation drug-price arrangements, and some listed cash prices have dropped dramatically. But a drug's price cannot literally be reduced by 300%, 400% or 600% — a 100% reduction means free. Trump is calculating the percentage by which the old price exceeds the new price, then describing it as a price reduction. The biggest discounts also apply to particular drugs and purchasing arrangements rather than prescription drugs generally. (AFP Fact Check) |
| 14 | Concrete actions are true; wording is political | Trump declared a national energy emergency on Jan. 20, 2025 and issued an order explicitly titled a section “Terminating the Green New Deal,” pausing/reviewing various IRA and infrastructure expenditures and promoting expanded fossil-fuel development. “Green New Scam” is the administration's political terminology rather than the name of a law that was repealed wholesale. (The White House) |
| 15 | Mostly accurate about the rollback; “EV mandate” is shorthand | Biden-era rules did not literally require consumers to buy EVs; they were fleet greenhouse-gas emissions standards expected to increase EV adoption. Nevertheless, Trump explicitly ordered their rollback, and in February 2026 EPA finalized repeal of the federal motor-vehicle GHG standards and the underlying endangerment finding. So the regulatory reversal itself is real. (The White House) |
| 16 | Mostly accurate | U.S. goods exports hit an all-time monthly nominal record of about $221.8 billion in April 2026 and remain above 2025 levels. Through the first half of 2026, the pace was consistent with roughly $2.5 trillion in annual goods exports if sustained. Exports subsequently declined somewhat, so “highest level” is true as a record reached, not that every current month is the highest ever. (The Associated Press) |
| 17 | Overstated | Trump ordered the elimination of DEI programs across the federal executive branch and aggressive scrutiny of DEI practices by contractors and private employers. He has not abolished all DEI policies in the private sector; lawful private-sector programs continue to exist, and courts have blocked or invalidated some administration anti-DEI measures. A federal judge struck down a major Education Department anti-DEI grant policy just this week. (Reuters) |
| 18 | Overstated | Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to enforce his administration's interpretation of Title IX against federally funded schools that permit transgender girls/women to participate in girls'/women's sports. That is not literally a congressional nationwide ban on every transgender athlete in every women's sporting competition. (The White House) |
| 19 | Overstated | Trump ordered federal agencies to withhold federal support from K-12 programs promoting what the order calls “gender ideology” and “discriminatory equity ideology.” But presidents do not directly set curricula for every American public school; state and local governments retain extensive control. So a nationwide ban “in our schools” is broader than the executive order actually does. (The White House) |
| 20 | Mostly accurate, except “tax-free” | Trump Accounts are real and are a new type of traditional IRA for minors. Children born from 2025 through 2028 who meet citizenship/SSN requirements can receive a $1,000 Treasury contribution after an election is made. But they are tax-advantaged, not simply tax-free, and the $1,000 does not apply to every American child under 18. (IRS) |
| 21 | Overstated | Trump and his administration played important roles in several ceasefires and diplomatic agreements, including the Gaza ceasefire. But independent reviews find that some of the “eight wars” were not actually wars, some disputes remain unresolved, and some governments — notably India — dispute Trump's claimed role. Calling all eight “wars settled” is not supported by the record. (FactCheck.org) |
| 22 | The outcome is accurate; sole credit is harder to establish | The final 20 living Gaza hostages were released in October 2025, and Israel recovered the remains of the final deceased hostage, Ran Gvili, on Jan. 26, 2026. Reuters and the ICRC confirm that all living and deceased hostages were then accounted for. The outcome occurred under a U.S.-backed ceasefire, but the final remains were recovered by Israeli forces, and Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and other mediators also participated. (Reuters) |
| 23 | False as stated | Trump initially suspended the refugee program, but the U.S. has continued admitting refugees. State Department data analyzed by Pew show 10,258 refugee admissions in FY2026 through July, under a historically low ceiling of 17,500. So “halted all refugee admissions” is factually wrong. (Pew Research Center) |
| 24 | Deployment claim is accurate; claimed effect is not established | Trump did deploy the National Guard to Washington, D.C., Memphis and New Orleans in 2025. Crime fell in several categories, but much of the decline began before the deployments, and analyses have not found evidence supporting Trump's much larger claims about the Guard causing the declines. (FactCheck.org) |
| 25 | Accurate, with a legal-mechanism caveat | Trump issued Executive Order 14224 on March 1, 2025, designating English the official language of the United States. It was done by executive order rather than an act of Congress, and the order does not prohibit agencies from providing services in other languages. (USAGov) |
The strongest problems in the graphic are not that everything is invented. A lot of it is built around something that genuinely happened, then expanded into a much stronger claim: “zero releases” becomes “zero illegal aliens entered”; a $6,000 senior deduction becomes “no tax on Social Security”; announced investment pledges become $19.2 trillion “secured”; particular drug discounts become 300%-600% price reductions; aggressive federal anti-DEI rules become abolition throughout the entire private sector; and extremely low refugee admissions become “all admissions halted.”
There are also several claims that hold up reasonably well once stripped of the promotional language: the Laken Riley Act was signed; murder fell extraordinarily sharply; the tariff rates largely exist; Maduro was captured; the National Guard deployments happened; the energy and EV regulatory reversals happened; all Gaza hostages were eventually returned or recovered; exports have reached records; and English was designated the official language by executive order. The factual issue is therefore less “25 things are fake” than a mixture of real policy actions, selective statistics, unsupported causal attribution, and several significant numerical or categorical exaggerations.
