Let's just admit the situation for what it is.

Trump is not lying as much as he is trying desperately to ensure that there is not any dead air on his show. He has only about thirty days of campaigning left.

He is trying to run his campaign as cheaply as possible. He knows that dead air is bad for his campaign. So he has to say something. There is no serious opposition research. He has no policy. He has no safe position on controversial topics like abortion or immigration. He would be insane to talk about his previous job performance.

There is also an admission that there is no Trump 2028. Hence the clearance sales in Trump's words. If the words are in demand, there would not be small crowds and people leaving early.

Lastly, like his lawyers in 2020, Trump will lie only in safe spaces. No truth in courts, debates or interviews.