President Trump tweeted about his State of the Union address on Thursday, claiming that “45.6 million people watched, the highest number in history.”
As my colleague Philip Wegmann noted, the estimated 45.6 million viewers (per Nielsen) is not the highest number in history, nor is it even the highest number for Trump, whose joint address to Congress last year even had a bigger audience.
Why is the president of the United States making such easily disproved false statements on such trivial matters? That’s not a rhetorical question, I’m genuinely at a loss.
No, Trump’s tweet does not constitute an apocalyptic threat to the country. In this news cycle, it’s hardly worth dwelling on. But it’s still puzzling, and any lie from the president still deserves some attention. I know I would feel that way under a Democratic administration.
It’s possible, of course, Trump makes these statements to distract the media, to goad us into picking a petty fight that makes the press look worse than him. It’s also possible he believes the information is correct. In that case, we have to wonder what Trump’s source is and why he trusted it.
Had he left that claim out of the tweet, it would have served the same purpose. He got decent ratings, and delivered a speech that was generally well-received.
So what is the benefit of tacking on a contention he either knew to be false, or someone else should have known to be false? And if the latter is true, why is the president trusting such a source? If the president knew the claim was false, does he believe the benefits of making it outweigh the costs to his credibility?
Some may wonder what the benefit of even asking these questions is. That’s fair enough. But it is mind-boggling that the president of the United States takes such unnecessary measures to communicate his message. The claim in question serves no meaningful purpose. As we work to better understand the Trump White House, this just stands out as another moment of mystery.
