Fact-checking President Trumps inaugural address - WaPO

[NRaleighLiberal]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/01/20/fact-checking-president-trumps-inaugural-address/?hpid=hp_hp-bignews4_factchecker-405pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.ae5c7cf0d9d2

By Glenn Kessler and Michelle Ye Hee Lee

Generally, inaugural addresses are not designed to be fact-checked. But President Trump’s address was nothing if not unique, presenting a portrait of the United States that often was at variance with reality. Here’s a guide to understanding whether the facts back up his rhetoric.

“Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered, but the jobs left and the factories closed.”

Trump engages in some sleight of hand here, equating “politicians” with “Washington.” The suburbs around Washington are among the richest in the United States, largely because of the federal government (which attracts people with college or advanced degrees). People either work for or lobby the federal government, and that was especially enhanced by the post-9/11 growth in defense and security contracts.

Among the 25 most populous metropolitan areas, the D.C. metro area has the highest median income in the nation — $93,294 versus a U.S. median of $55,775 — though growth has slowed in recent years, in part because of reductions in defense spending. Indeed, income in the D.C. area has grown essentially at the same rate as the rest of the nation since 2006, including a dip in median income during the Great Recession.

There is no empirical evidence that the D.C. area got rich off the rest of the country, as Trump suggests.

“You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement, the likes of which the world has never seen before.”

No matter how you measure it, the “movement” was not as historic as Trump proclaims it to be.

Trump is a minority president, in terms of the popular vote. He lost the popular vote by nearly 2.9 million votes to Hillary Clinton. Clinton had the largest popular vote margin of any losing presidential candidate, according to an analysis by the Associated Press.


snip

the bullshit meter was at 11 - so good to see it actually reported.

[underpants]

1. So D.C. Is both rich and an urban battleground

The rich part literally sounds like he's doing a bit about "The Capital" ala "The Hunger Games".

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

2. Trump flourished, but the people did not share in his wealth. Wall Street prospered,

but the jobs left and the factories closed.