President Donald Trump loves big numbers — and he’s always happy to talk them up.
Trump, who coined the phrase “truthful hyperbole” in his book “The Art of the Deal,” over the last few days has been steadily increasing the amount of money he says that countries in the Mideast pledged to invest in the U.S. when he visited the region last week. He didn’t provide underlying details.
The figure has gone from $2 trillion last week to potentially $7 trillion as of Tuesday, according to statements by Trump and the White House.
A look at how the number has bounced around:
THURSDAY: With his Mideast trip still under way, Trump told reporters on Air Force One: “We just took in $4 trillion.”
FRIDAY: A White House statement said Trump’s “first official trip was a huge success, locking in over $2 trillion in great deals.”
MONDAY: “We brought back about $5.1 trillion,” Trump said in remarks to the Kennedy Center’s leadership. “That’s not bad. And, it’s being credited as one of the, maybe, the most successful visit that anybody’s ever made to any place. There’s never been anything like this.”
TUESDAY: “They’re spending $5.1 trillion, probably it’s going to be $7 trillion by the time we stop,” Trump said before a U.S. Capitol meeting with Republican House members.
The White House did not respond to a request to explain the sources of Trump’s escalating claims.
The White House did provide a breakdown on the $2 trillion in its Friday statement. It included $600 billion in investment from Saudi Arabia, which the country announced in January as part of a four-year commitment. There would also be a $1.2 trillion economic exchange with Qatar, as well as $243.5 billion in commercial and defense deals with that country. The United Arab Emirates committed to $200 billion in deals with the U.S., putting the initial White House total at $2.24 trillion, provided all those commitments are actually fulfilled.
Not all of the investment commitments or promised jobs are sure to materialize, so the final tally might not be as much as promised.
Trump said in 2017 that the electronics manufacturer Foxconn would build a $10 billion factory in Wisconsin employing 13,000 people, only for the company to back down from that commitment in 2019.