Census data show manufacturing construction spending fell about 6.7% since Trump took office. The 41% compares 2025 months to a 2021-24 average and ignores the CHIPS Act-driven surge under Biden.
President Trump has repeatedly said factory construction is up by 41%, including at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 21, 2026.
Census Bureau data show manufacturing construction spending has declined since he took office - about 6.7% on a quarterly basis through October 2025, the latest data then available. The 41% figure compares the January-August 2025 monthly average with the annual average for 2021-2024, a method that omits the 212% increase in factory construction over Biden's four years, much of it fueled by the 2022 CHIPS Act.
By the standard comparison - spending now versus when he took office - factory construction is down, not up 41%.
Sources
- A Pre-SOTU Guide to Trump's Economic Claims — FactCheck.org
- Total Construction Spending: Manufacturing — U.S. Census Bureau / FRED
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