Trump erroneously claims he had record viewership for his first State of the Union

pulse

February 1, 2018 1:36 PM

It was not the most watched State of the Union address in history, as President Donald Trump claimed.

President Donald Trump celebrated positive reviews and high viewership of his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
Trump's speech was watched by 45.6 million people on television, with many more streaming the event online.
He claimed it was the most watched address of its kind, but TV ratings show he was beaten by both Barack Obama and George W. Bush.

President Donald Trump boasted on Wednesday of drawing a record TV audience for his State of the Union address, but ratings show he was beaten by Barack Obama's maiden speech in 2o10.

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

Trump's State of the Union address, which initial surveys indicate most voters enjoyed, went over largely without incident.

But as far as TV viewership goes, it was not "the highest number in history." Deadline reported that Barack Obama's first State of the Union address in 2010 was seen by more than 48 million, while 52 million saw George W. Bush's address in 2002, following the 9/11 attacks.

These figures do not, however, include the Trump campaign's official stream of the event, during which supporters were invited to pay to have their names flashed on-screen.

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