Surprise! Trump Exagerrates The Size Of His SOTU Viewership

Donald Trump

You could see this one coming a mile away.

This morning, Donald Trump tweeted this self-congratulatory missive: "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. @FoxNews beat every other Network, for the first time ever, with 11.7 million people tuning in. Delivered from the heart!"

But this turns out to be another game of "alternative facts" for the Trump administration.

Here are the stats for previous presidents giving their first SOTU addresses:

• Barack Obama: 48 million on 11 outlets in 2010
• George W. Bush: 52 million on 8 outlets in 2002
• Bill Clinton: 45.8 million on 4 outlets in 1994

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. @FoxNews beat every other Network, for the first time ever, with 11.7 million people tuning in. Delivered from the heart!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 1, 2018

Fell short on SOTU ratings, despite his lies to help his fragile ego this morning --> Trump loses out to Obama, yet again https://t.co/8w7A6sVhqR via @HuffPostPol

— Mike Signorile (@MSignorile) February 1, 2018

President Trump claims his first #SOTU address had the highest number of viewers in history -- but his statement isn't accurate, according to Nielsen data. https://t.co/3iuy4z0YFO pic.twitter.com/oQVOV5gFWs

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 1, 2018

President Obama: 48 million on 11 outlets in 2010
- George W. Bush: 52 million on 8 outlets in 2002
- Bill Clinton: 45.8 million on 4 outlets in 1994.

“Trump’s initial SOTU, the third longest in history, is now also the least watched address in nearly a quarter of a century.” https://t.co/e6DJ2ZeF2F

— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) February 1, 2018