Poised, disciplined Trump a welcome change of pace

In a welcome departure from his previous public speeches, President Donald Trump delivered an optimistic message to the nation Tuesday, promising a new era of prosperity, a new approach to immigration, rebuilding of America’s infrastructure, a strengthening of the military, an overhaul of the nation’s health care system and tax code and, most notably, “a new chapter of American greatness.”

Absent from his first joint address to Congress were petty attacks on his detractors, unhelpful tangents and haranguing of the media.

But hyperbole remained a key theme in his well-rehearsed, hourlong speech. In describing his ascendency to the presidency, Trump said, “In 2016, the earth shifted beneath our feet.” He also claimed a new “national pride is sweeping across our nation” that “is placing impossible dreams firmly within our grasp.”

Though light on specifics on how he plans to reach the goals he laid out, the president provided a message of unity that was lacking in his inaugural address. Saying he believes “real and positive immigration reform is possible,” Trump urged congressional Republicans and Democrats to “work together to achieve an outcome that has eluded our country for decades.” And he added some needed clarity to his policies, reiterating his plan to build a wall along the Mexican border while emphasizing that a path to citizenship for undocumented workers already here is off the table but he’s open to providing a path to legal status for those immigrants.

In a decidedly un-Republican turn, Trump called on Congress to provide paid family leave for new parents, make child care accessible and affordable, invest in women’s health and promote clean air and clear water. “We’ve financed and built one global project after another, but ignored the fates of our children in the inner cities of Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit — and so many other places throughout our land,” he said.

He even pledged to work with Muslim allies to extinguish Islamic State terrorists, going so far as to acknowledge the killings of Muslims as well as Christians in the Middle East.

Trump opened by condemning the recent wave of antiSemitic vandalism and threats targeting Jewish cemeteries, community centers and schools — actions many Democrats have said he initiated with anti-Semitic comments made during the campaign. Tuesday night he said, “We are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms.”

Although he reiterated his plan to move quickly on repeal of the Affordable Care Act, he said, “The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we are going to do.” He vowed to “ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to coverage and that we have a stable transition for Americans currently enrolled in the health care exchanges.”

And he said the states will receive “the resources and flexibility they need with Medicaid to make sure no one is left out.”

Trump also said he would honor historic alliances, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, even though he questioned the treaty during his campaign. But he also said he would consider new ones as well, even with former enemies such as Russia.

A highlight of the evening was Trump’s recognition of Carryn Owens, the widow of Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens. Ryan Owens died in January during a raid in Yemen that military officials say yielded a trove of intelligence that will help in the fight against IS.

Owens’ father has refused to meet with Trump, seeking an investigation into the raid that killed his son and as many as 29 civilians.

Carryn Owens, hands folded and looking upward in the House chamber, received the longest sustained ovation of the night.

Was the new president’s speech, delivered with poise and discipline, a sign that he has come to understand the gravity of the high office he has undertaken and the challenges the country faces?

Let’s hope so.