Donald Trump told a group of reporters that the United States currently has the ‘best poverty numbers in the history of our country’.
Trump bragged about his administration’s victories ahead of November’s contested midterm elections.
He added: ‘We have the best, uh, I guess you could say poverty. They talk about poverty.
‘We have the best poverty numbers ever in the history of our country. In other words, there’s less poverty now than at any time in the history of our country.’
The lowest poverty rate recorded in American history was in 2019, measuring in at 10.5%, according to the US Census.
The United States Census reported earlier this month that the poverty rate remained the same in 2025 as it did in 2024 – staying at 13.1%.
But it’s unclear what many of the changes from Trump’s second administration will do to the poverty rate in 2026, which won’t be released until next year.
Multiple bills cut Medicaid, food aid programmes and other government aid, leading to fears that the poverty level will rise sharply when 2026 numbers are released.
In 2025, Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ passed Congress, allowing $4.5 trillion in tax cuts.
The wealthiest households saw a $12,000 increase from the legislation, and the bill cost the poorest people $1,600 a year, mainly due to reductions in Medicaid and food aid, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated at the time that the bill would add $3.4trillion to the federal deficit and leave nearly 12million Americans without health coverage over the next decade.
But the Trump administration contested that and claimed that it would decrease the deficit by more than $5trillion.
Meanwhile, Americans are struggling to make ends meet as the war in Iran continues to send gas prices soaring and grocery prices are increasing.
NBC News reported that before the war, gas prices were just under $3 per gallon – but are now around $4.50.
Diesel has soared from $3.75 to $6.50 since the war broke out.
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