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Trump made 12 false claims in last year’s State of the Union. That is not good, but it’s very low for him for that much talking (80 minutes). He lies much less when he’s on-script.
By contrast, Trump regularly makes 20 or more false claims in his rally speeches, during which he's mostly off-script. His record is 36 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania last year. Also: 32 in Texas and Missouri, 30 in Ohio, Montana and Iowa, 29 in Florida, Montana and Montana.
Trump's lies overwhelmingly come from him and not his staff: his written speeches are more or less factual, though they're filled with questionable subjective claims. One exception is the immigration sections, which often contain Miller-ish falseness.
So...it's kind of funny that the State of the Union is the one night a year many media outlets throw resources at fact-checking. I know it's the highest-viewership night, but it's all the other nights, when Trump is just talking, that demand the most correction.
That’s part of it, but it’s mostly that he’s a compulsive liar and the people who write his speeches are not. If he’s being himself, he’s lying. If he’s reading others’ words, he’s usually not.
