The Trump Administration took to social media to celebrate increased U.S. steel production from 2024 to 2025. A graph from the official White House social media account received a Community Note and public ridicule instead of being celebrated.
White House ‘Misrepresentation' of Facts
The American steel industry could be one of several sectors that have benefited under the Trump administration. While it seems only natural that the White House would want to celebrate increased production, a deceptive tactic was quickly caught by social media users.
"American steel is BACK," the White House posted on X.
The post included a graph with two bars, one for the steel production in 2024, which was around 80.8 Mt and one for the steel production in 2025, which was around 81.8 Mt.
From 2024 to 2025, U.S. steel production was up by around 1.2%. The problem is the graph appeared to show the bar for 2025 as around twice as high as the bar for 2024, prompting a Community Note.
"Misrepresentation. The actual increase is from 80.8 to 81.8 which is 1.2% increase. Graph is zoomed to show top part only to create an impression that increase is very high," the community note reads.
A Community Note is placed on posts on X that are incorrect, misrepresented or need additional context. Users on the platform can request a Community Note if they believe a post needs more information.
Steel Production Gains Power Stock Gains
The strength of the U.S. steel production may be best seen in the stock returns of some of the larger companies associated with steel.
Here are some of the top steel companies in the United States and the one-year stock gains:
An emphasis on American production of steel and other commodities could benefit these companies going forward and could also boost the steel production from 2025 to 2026. The question is whether the White House will use a similar graph again next year.
Past Community Notes for White House Administration
Official White House accounts have gotten flagged for Community Notes before including the Rapid Response 47 account on X flagged for trying to disprove a report on the Board of Peace.
Some members of the Trump administration have also had Community Notes slapped on their posts.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also found herself previously getting a Community Note, along with the Rapid Response 47 account, due to misleading data about price and inflation trends.
The sharing of a DoorDash report saw users ask for a Community Note due to the posts from Rapid Response and Leavitt being "misleading."
“The report actually shows rising food prices. Avg price of a cheeseburger, a soda & fries increased 3.8% YoY in Sep25, while typical restaurant meals rose 3.2%," the note read.
The Community Note on Leavitt’s post could show how the data might not be as positive as the White House is making it out to be.
Community Notes continue to be one of the ways everyday consumers and voters call out misinformation shared on social media.
Image via Waqas_creatives/Shutterstock
