Donald Trump repeatedly made false and misleading claims during his inaugural address.

Here are the facts on some of the false claims offered during Trump’s speech.

Trump claims on ‘catch and release’

The claim: Trump said he will issue an executive order to end the practice of “catch and release”.

What Trump said:

First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. We will reinstate my remain in Mexico policy. I will end the practice of catch and release, and I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.

The facts: Trump and his fellow Republicans have focused on what they call “catch and release”, but the term does not refer to one specific law or policy. The details of Trump’s order are unclear.

“Catch and release” is a pejorative term often used to refer to a clutch of policies over several administrations that adds up to detaining people while they wait for a court date instead of being at large.

The term originally became popular during the Bush administration to describe the practice of releasing immigrants from detention while they await immigration court proceedings, in part because there were not enough detention facilities to hold immigrants pending those proceedings, according to NBC News. Immigration experts say that practice is no longer common.

Trump claims on the Panama Canal

The claim: Trump pledged to take back the Panama Canal, while repeating a number of false claims including that 38,000 Americans died during the building of the canal. He also claimed that “China is operating” the canal.

What Trump said:

A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and we will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs. President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent. He was a natural businessman and gave Teddy Roosevelt the money for many of the great things he did, including the Panama Canal, which has foolishly been given to the country of Panama after the United States, the United States, I mean, think of this spent more money than ever spent on a project before and lost 38,000 lives in the building of the Panama Canal. We have been treated very badly from this foolish gift that should have never been made and Panama’s promise to us has been broken. The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated. American ships are being severely overcharge, charged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form. And that includes the United States navy and above all, China is operating the Panama Canal and we didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama and we’re taking it back.

The facts: The official death toll for the American construction effort behind the Panama Canal stands at about 5,600 people. Although the true number may be higher, the majority of deaths would have come from workers from Caribbean islands such as Antigua, Barbados and Jamaica.

The administrator of the Panama Canal has also denied Trump’s claim that China was controlling the canal’s operations. He has said that Chinese companies operating in the ports were part of a Hong Kong consortium that won a bidding process in 1997, and US and Taiwanese companies are operating other ports along the canal as well.

Trump claims inflation caused by ‘massive overspending’

The claim: Trump claimed that the US experienced “record inflation” that he said was caused by “massive overspending and escalating energy prices”.

What Trump said:

I will direct all members of my cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices. The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices.

The facts: US inflation peaked at a four-decade high in summer 2022, when it was 9.1%. But the highest inflation rate in the country was 23.7% in June 1920.

The most recent data shows that as of December inflation had fallen to 2.9%.

Trump claims US outspends on healthcare globally

The claim: Trump said the US spends more money on healthcare than any other country in the world.

What Trump said:

We have a public health system that does not deliver in times of disaster, yet more money is spent on it than any country anywhere in the world.

The facts: Trump is correct. The US does spend more on healthcare per capita, almost twice the average of other wealthy countries.

Trump claims the US can’t respond to climate emergencies

The claim: Trump said the US can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency, citing the wildfires in California and flooding in North Carolina.

What Trump said:

We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders, but refuses to defend American borders, or, more importantly, its own people. Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency, as recently shown by the wonderful people of North Carolina been treated so badly and other states who are still suffering from a hurricane that took place many months ago. Or more recently in Los Angeles, where we are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense. They’re raging through the houses and communities, even affecting some of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in our country, some of whom are sitting here right now. They don’t have a home any longer. That’s interesting. We can’t let this happen.

The facts: Trump has repeatedly spread incorrect claims about both of these events. He and other fellow Republicans boosted false claims about the recovery effort in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene, including that the US government can influence the weather to theories that crucial aid was being withheld, prompting some government officials to warn of threats to federal emergency workers.

Trump, during the wildfires in California, called on the Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, to “release the water” from northern parts of the state, despite the state’s water experts saying water supply was not an issue, but rather generators to pump the water.

Trump claims the US has shielded ‘dangerous criminals’

The claim: Trump said the US has provided sanctuary and protection for “dangerous criminals”, many of who he says came from “prisons and mental institutions” and illegally entered the US.

What Trump said:

We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad. It fails to protect our magnificent law abiding American citizens, but provide sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country from all over the world.

The facts: Trump has made these claims many times before, without offering any evidence. Although some US cities have seen an influx of immigrants, most have arrived legally, with work permits or with authorization to stay while their cases are worked out in the courts.

Overall, immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than the US-born, according to multiple studies, including from the conservative Cato Institute.

Read more of the Guardian’s Trump coverage

• Trump embraces role of demagogue, claims to be ‘peacemaker’

• Factchecking Trump’s speech

• Elon Musk appears to make back-to-back fascist salutes

• Activists ask: is there any point in mass protest?