President Donald Trump delivered his third State of the Union Address Feb. 3, and needless to say, some eyebrows were raised for multiple reasons. Obviously, it’s easy to listen to the President of the United States and just assume everything he says is a fact; unfortunately, in this case, doing so would result in the equivalent of trusting an article your aunt shared on Facebook. According to factcheck.org, some of Trump’s claims didn’t exactly hold up as completely candid.
Trump, in his naturally self-assured demeanor, proudly claimed that the economy “is the best it has ever been.” However, that isn’t entirely true. Real gross domestic production, or GDP, fell to about 2.3 percent in 2019 according to factcheck.org.
Trump also claimed that he was the reason for record low unemployment rates, but more jobs were added in approximately three years before Trump took office in comparison to the three years he has held office.
A plethora of half-truths appeared to plague the State of the Union Address which also included incorrect statements regarding median household income, Trump’s plans to protect those with preexisting conditions and, yes, even Trump’s “very powerful” wall according to factcheck.org.
The reality of the State of the Union is a bit farther off than how perfect Trump portrays it to be. Trump’s address amidst his impeachment process somehow elegantly ties a perfectly tainted bow. Oh, and should Nancy Pelosi’s destruction of her copy of the State of the Union address even be mentioned? In a way, the State of the Union Address was somewhat similar to a horrific car crash – so terrible, but one just can’t seem to look away.
by Jordan Butler
