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The New York Times Fact Checked Donald Trump's State of the Union Speech in Real Time, and It Did Not Go Well for Trump

The New York Times Fact Checked Donald Trump's State of the Union Speech in Real Time, and It Did Not Go Well for Trump
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 5: U.S. President Donald Trump, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence looking on, delivers the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol Building on February 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. President Trump's second State of the Union address was postponed one week due to the partial government shutdown. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

Not a good night for the truth.

President Donald Trump is on track to surpass spreading 10,000 false or misleading statements before the end of his first term, so it may not come as a surprise that the New York Times debunked a slew of untruths while fact checking his second State of the Union address.

While the President did take on a more unifying tone than he usually displays during a campaign rally, a press conference, or on Twitter, many of the claims regarding border security, abortion, and the Russia investigation were textbook Trump, albeit disguised under more palatable rhetoric.


The Times was hard at work alerting readers of the facts in real time.

The majority of Trump's claims, such as ones regarding the employment rate and the so-called crisis at the southern border.

To the so-called crisis at the southern border.

And everything in between.

However, not all claims were false or misleading.

In some talking points, such as certain claims regarding negotiations with the Taliban, were indeed factual.

Trump's talking points on tariffs were true as well. However, his bragging about them was interesting, as the bulk of economic consequences of tariffs impact the citizens of the country that imposed them. As a result, Americans are paying higher prices on certain Chinese goods, though Trump has indicated in the past a belief that China is somehow paying for the tariffs he imposed.

The state of the union is either strong or imperiled, depending on who you ask.

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