Señor Trumpanzee's Third And Last SOTU-- The Fact-Checkers Were Up All Night

Much of the media coverage of Trump's final SOTU last night was focused on Trumpy-the-Clown's spat with Pelosi-- she didn't call him "His Majesty" when she introduced him; he refused to shake her hand; his thugs dragged one of Pelosi's guests (Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in a 2018 GOP-NRA school shooting) out of the chamber; she ripped up his speech-- instead of on all the lies that the speech was built on. The speech was compared to a MAGA rally-- not inaccurate-- but it was also the platform Trump and the entire Republican Party will be running on for the next nine months. Get used to the litany of lies and distortions. As John Harris put it this morning for Politico readers: "This was the most defiant, most boastful, most ostentatiously theatrical, most overtly campaign-oriented, most am-I-hearing-this-right? outlandish-- the most flamboyantly bizarre-- State of the Union Address of All Time. It was also the most disorienting, and hard to categorize through the prism of conventional political analysis... The usual rubric is that national politicians face a choice of mobilization or persuasion. One choice is to energize the partisan base with sharp-edged rhetoric and cultural and ideological scab-picking. The other choice is to blur lines with round-edged appeals to voters who aren’t on board but might yet be coaxed there. Trump refused the choice. In keeping with the more-is-more spirit of the speech, he did both."

In their fact check, the Washington Post noted that Trump lied 31 times and that "many of these claims have been fact-checked repeatedly, yet the president persists in using them." Although I heard the beginning of the bullshit when I was in my car driving home from dinner, I have to admit I missed most of it, deciding, instead, to opt for Netflix and watch the life story of Caligula, a pre-Trump historical figure more like him than many others he's been compared to.





The grotesque speech, one of the most aggressively partisan and negative SOTUs in history, was more suited for a TV reality show host than to even an illegitimate fake "president." Never mentioning that he was impeached-- and in the midst of a trial-- he had worked up a made-for-TV moment, where he announced he was giving Rush Limbaugh, the dying hate talk radio host, a now worthless Presidential Medal of Freedom that Melania instantly pulled it out of her purse and put around Limbaugh's neck.

Many of the Democrats who bothered to show up-- AOC, Ayanna Pressley and others wisely boycotted-- walked out as the lies and calumny mounted. (To be fair, Democrats from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- like Blue Dog Josh Gottheimer (NJ) and New Dem Dean Phillips (MN)-- were sporting purple ties and conspicuously sitting with Republicans.) This morning, Pelosi told the media that "What we heard last night was a disgrace. The American people deserve better." She said that she ripped up his speech "because it was a manifesto of mistruths."

Fact.Check.Org was busy all night and by this morning were ready to conclude what most sentient beings who listened to it already knew: Trumpanzee stretched and distorted the facts. These were the 14 basic lies the foundation of the address:

• Trump claimed the economy is “the best it has ever been.” But GDP growth fell to 2.3% last year and economists predict further slowing this year.
• He said he brought about low unemployment by reversing “years of economic decay” and “failed economic policies,” when in fact over 1 million more jobs were added in the 35 months before he took office than in the first 35 months since.
• Trump boasted that the “unemployment rate for women reached the lowest level in almost 70 years.” That’s true, but it had been trending down for several years before he took office.
• The president wrongly said, “After decades of flat and falling incomes, wages are rising fast.” They’ve gone up under Trump, but also have risen under the last several presidents.
• Trump claimed that people’s 401(k)s and pensions have increased “60, 70, 80, 90, and 100% and even more.” Some may have, but that’s far higher than the average.
• He said “real median household income is now at the highest level ever recorded.” However, the Census Bureau noted that was partly due to a change in survey questions in 2014. Based on “adjusted” figures, median household income was slightly higher in 1999 than in 2018.
• Trump claimed the new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico “will create nearly 100,000 … auto jobs.” But an independent federal commission puts the job gains at 28,000 over five years.
• The president boasted that “a long, tall, and very powerful wall is being built” along the southern border, and more than 100 miles have been completed. But only one mile is located where no barriers previously existed.
• Trump said “illegal crossings” at the southwest border “are down 75% since May.” But total apprehensions in 2019 were 81% higher than in 2016, the year before Trump took office.
• He said that “after losing 60,000 factories under the previous two administrations, America has now gained 12,000 new factories under my administration.” He’s referring to what the Bureau of Labor Statistics calls manufacturing “establishments,” and most of the growth under Trump has been in facilities with fewer than five employees.
• Trump compared apples to oranges in claiming a doubling of insurance premiums in five years before he took office and “less expensive” plans under his administration.

• The president said he made an “iron-clad” promise to “always protect patients with preexisting conditions,” but that ignores the fact he has supported Republican health plans that would reduce the current protections under the Affordable Care Act.
• He suggested, misleadingly, that his administration was responsible for the U.S. becoming the world’s top producer of oil and natural gas. But the U.S. has been No. 1 in the world for natural gas for more than a decade, and tops in petroleum since 2013.
• Trump said “300,000 working age people” left the workforce during Obama’s eight years. Actually, the workforce grew by 5.4 million.

Now, how about a nice, refreshing breath of honesty, also from last night, something the country will be able to look forward to from 2021 on?