Donald Trump says recent dip in car insurance premiums is thanks to his immigration policies. He claims illegal immigration under Joe Biden had driven costs up . In Truth Social post,Trump shared graphic showing premium trends from 2021 to 2026 — sharp rise till 2023,then a drop from 2024.
Experts push back. They say spike in costs during Biden's time was largely due to COVID-19,not immigration. Road risks,supply chain mess — those drove repair costs up,insurers passed it to consumers.
Michael Clemens,economist at Johns Hopkins University,called Trump's claims baseless. “This is pure fiction...no basis beyond inflammatory statements,” he said . Emphasized no link between premiums and immigration levels .
Pandemic saw driving fall as people followed distancing rules. Fewer accidents,more profit for insurers. But driving picked up in 2022,accidents rose,insurers hiked rates. Supply chain woes made auto parts pricier .
By 2024,insurance scene shifted again. Mark Friedlander from Insurance Information Institute noted industry profited So premiums began stabilizing, some insurers even giving dividends to policyholders .
White House spokesman Kush Desai cited drop in traffic fatalities,less congestion in high-immigration cities. Said safer roads due to removal of non-English-speaking truck drivers helped lower premiums.
But 2023 study in Journal of Insurance Issues showed states with many uninsured drivers,often tied to illegal immigration,see higher costs. Clemens argued this can't explain big post-pandemic premium jumps — estimated only 0.07% rise from illegal immigration .
In his post,Trump repeated claim that Biden's policies let criminals in from prisons,mental institutions. Widely debunked,yet remains hot topic in immigration policy debate…
