TRUMP STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Feb 05, 2018 Editorial

In his first State of the Union address, President Donald Trump used the pomp and ceremony to his advantage. The address came at a moment when the president faces a number of challenges: historically bad approval ratings for him at this point in his term, an investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election hanging over his administration and midterm elections in which Democrats are expected to make significant gains in both houses in Congress.
However, Trump wasted no time to outline an ambitious agenda for his second year in office which includes a $1.5 trillion plan to rebuild the nation’s crumbling infrastructure;a pledge to reduce prescription drug prices and a four-pronged immigration package which offers citizenship for 1.8 million undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children in return for spending on border security, such as building a wall at Mexico’s border; an end to the visa lottery; and limits on family reunification policies.
Ironically, the controversial and divisive President also called for unity and an end to the divisive politics that has engulfed the nation. His call for the two parties to come together is at odds with the combative manner in which he has conducted his presidency so far. It did not sit well with democrats who claimed that the Trump administration has decided that it profits politically from selling hate and division in the country.
In his speech, President Trump seemed to be channeling Ronald Reagan’s image by pointing to a bevy of ordinary people who have done extraordinary things.Trump more than other presidents highlighted the stories of several guests seated including the heroism of some security officials to put the human touch on his policies and to build the narrative arc of his speech. This is remarkable for a president who is so often preoccupied with self-adulation to shine the spotlight on ordinary citizens.
He pointed to the new tax law which is his only major legislative accomplishment, but falsely claimed is the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history. He ticked off growth in jobs, wage increases, small-business confidence and the rising fortunes of the stock marketwhich gained $8 trillion in value since he became president.While Republicans applauded when Trump said the unemployment rate among African-Americans was at an all-time low, Democrats, especially members of the Congressional Black Caucus sat stonily and refrained from applauding.
A central theme of the speech was Trump’s ongoing effort to eviscerate the Obama legacy. He rescinded a directive from Obama to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and partially repealed Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act. He made only passing reference to the devastation in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russia meddling in the US Presidential elections.He talked about North Korea nuclear threat to the US and its allies which has escalated under his watch amid heated rhetoric, but he did not use “Little Rocket Man,” his nickname for the North Korean leader.
In one of his emotional high points, Trump singled out the teary-eyed parents of Otto Warmbier, the University of Virginia student who was detained in North Korea and died just after returning to the US as “powerful witnesses to North Korea’s threats to the world.
Here’s why divisions will probably remain in Washington despite President Trump’s call for bipartisanship in his State of the Union address on Jan. 30. (Video: Bastien Inzaurralde/Photo: Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)
Trump used some of his most polarizing language to criticize MS-13 and other criminal gangs, which he blamed on open borders. He sought to repurpose the term “dreamer” by saying American citizens have seen their economic prospects dimmed and personal safety put at risk because of illegal immigration. He set a March deadline to end the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
For Trump’s supporters, his address was presidential. For his detractors, it underscores why he is his own worst enemy. His stagecraft was top notch and his little humility goes a long way with his use of the words”we,” “our” and “us” instead of favorite “I.” The speech was nationalistic, but no serious person believes it represents a real pivot to Trump becoming more presidential.

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