Trump's chat with Musk on X fact-checked

 

In a two-hour conversation with Elon Musk on the billionaire's platform X, Donald Trump made several dubious and inaccurate claims that largely went unaddressed. During the discussion, the Republican presidential candidate revisited familiar campaign topics, including illegal immigration and escalating prices, and also addressed climate change. BBC Verify has since examined some of these statements for accuracy.

**How Fast Are Sea Levels Set to Rise?**

**CLAIM:** "The biggest threat is not global warming, where the ocean is going to rise one-eighth of an inch over the next 400 years."

**VERDICT:** This claim significantly underestimates the expected rise in sea levels. Recent data from the World Meteorological Organization shows that from 2014 to 2023, global average sea levels increased by nearly 4.8 millimeters per year (0.19 inches). This annual increase already surpasses the one-eighth inch (0.13 inches) rise predicted by Trump over the next 400 years.

Future sea-level rise is challenging to predict due to uncertainties in ice-sheet melting rates and future greenhouse gas emissions. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that global sea levels could rise between 0.28 and 1.01 meters by 2100, with higher increases also possible. A one-meter rise could put hundreds of millions of people at risk of increased coastal flooding and threaten low-lying areas like the Maldives.

**Have 20 Million Crossed the Border?**

**CLAIM:** "I think 20 million people have come across the border... I think millions are coming every month."

**VERDICT:** The claim that 20 million people have crossed the US southern border is not supported by official data. Since January 2021, US Customs and Border Protection has reported 10.1 million encounters with illegal migrants, over 8 million of which were at the southern border. However, these figures include multiple encounters of the same individual and do not reflect successful entries into the US.

While the number of encounters has indeed increased compared to the previous administration and is the highest recorded under any US administration, it does not indicate "millions" arriving each month. For example, in July 2024, US Border Patrol apprehended around 57,000 migrants along the southern border, a significant drop from the peak of approximately 250,000 in December 2023.

**Is Bacon Five Times More Expensive?**

**CLAIM:** "I think we have the worst inflation we've had in 100 years... bacon costing four or five times more than it did a few years ago."

**VERDICT:** This claim is inaccurate. While inflation did reach a peak of 9.1% under President Biden—the highest rate in 41 years—it did not hit levels seen a century ago. The price of bacon has increased by 17% since Trump left office, not by four or five times.

Inflation surged during the early years of the Biden administration, reaching its highest level since 1981. This was part of a broader trend seen across many Western countries, largely due to global supply chain disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Some economists also attribute inflationary pressures to Biden's $1.9 trillion spending plan in 2021.

Since mid-2022, inflation in the US has been on a decline, with the most recent figure at 3% as of June. Regarding bacon, the average price for a pound of sliced bacon was $5.83 in January 2021 when Trump left office, and it is currently $6.83.