“At least 64,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2016, about 175 deaths a day or seven an hour.” — Donald Trump. Our verdict: True.
Donald Trump made the claim on 26 October 2017, when he declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Our verdict
True
True. The official count for 2016 is 63,632 overdose deaths, about 174 a day or seven an hour. Donald Trump gave these figures on 26 October 2017.
What we found
On 26 October 2017, declaring the opioid crisis a public health emergency, Donald Trump said: "Last year, we lost at least 64,000 Americans to overdoses. That's 175 lost American lives per day. That's seven lost lives per hour in our country." These remarks are from 2017; a news report of them resurfaced in October 2026.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted 63,632 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2016, the year he was describing. That is about 174 a day, or a little over seven an hour. "At least 64,000" was the estimate at the time and is slightly above the final count, but the daily and hourly rates hold.
The evidence
1 of 2 sources support the claim; none contradict it.
How we checked
We read the White House transcript of the 2017 remarks and compared the figures with the CDC's final 2016 count. We reviewed 2 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]The White House (archived) · Remarks by President Trump on Combatting Drug Demand and the Opioid Crisis
- [2]CDC National Center for Health Statistics · Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 1999–2016
- [3]Original statement · Speech · October 26, 2017
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