Congrats to President Donald Trump, whose “State of the Uniom” address broke records — it was the slowest in at least half a century. According to Business Insider, Trump spoke at an average rate of 72.6 words per minute in his 5,800-word, nearly hour-and-a-half-long speech, which explains why everyone in the audience looked so miserable.
The second-slowest-speaking president, Lyndon B. Johnson, talked at an average rate of 91.3 words per minute in his State of the Union addresses — nearly 20 words per minute faster than Trump. For comparison, Barack Obama spoke at a pace of 109.3 words per minute in his addresses, though he’s admittedly one of the faster-speaking former presidents. The quickest on record, Richard Nixon, delivered State of the Union speeches at an astonishing rate of 128.21 words per minute.
Bet the lawmakers who skipped Trump’s address feel good about their decision.