President Trump still has a unique relationship with the truth.
The president boasted that 45.6 million Americans tuned in to watch his first State of the Union address Tuesday, proudly claiming on Twitter that it was the most-watched address ever.
“Thank you for all of the nice compliments and reviews on the State of the Union speech. 45.6 million people watched, the highest number in history…” he tweeted. “…Delivered from the heart!”
But Nielsen Company, which tracks television ratings, was quick to clarify that Trump actually had two million fewer viewers than when President Barack Obama addressed the nation in his first State of the Union in 2010.
Trump also scored lower ratings than the first State of the Union addresses of President Bill Clinton in 1994 and President George W Bush in 2002, the New York Daily News reports. About 46 million viewers tuned in to watch President Clinton for the first time and 51.7 million for President Bush.
Trump also had issues beating himself: he had about 2 million fewer viewers Tuesday than in his joint address to Congress in February 2017.