Chicago – July 08, 2025
When President Donald Trump took office in January, he proudly announced that his economic policies had attracted $3 trillion in new corporate investments to the United States. He later increased this figure to $14 trillion, claiming it was about half of the country’s annual gross domestic product. The White House called this “The Trump Effect,” showcasing a list of more than 70 projects on its website, including a bakery plant in Texas, a LEGO facility in Virginia, and a microchip plant in Arizona.
However, as of July 2, the website listed $2.6 trillion in investments, which is still far from the $14 trillion Trump claims. A review by Reuters found that almost half of the investments listed on the website, over $1.3 trillion, actually started under President Joe Biden or were simply routine spending dressed up as new investments.
Reuters also discovered that some projects on the list had been planning or securing local incentives even before Trump became president. For example, eight projects had already received important local support, and several others had been announced by the companies or local officials before Trump took office. Additionally, some of the listed projects benefited from Biden’s efforts to support domestic manufacturing.
One company on the list, Swiss-based Roche, warned that Trump’s policy to equalize U.S. and international drug prices could now affect its promised $50 billion investment in the U.S.
In response to the claims that many of these projects were already in motion before his presidency, the White House said the final investment decisions were made while Trump was in office, proving that his economic policies were attracting U.S. investments.
