The Donald must temper tone, lay out clear presidential plan
We need to see more of “The Art of the Deal” tonight from President Trump than the midnight twitterer-in-chief.
He should consider an inclusive tone for his first major congressional address while he’s selling his agenda and less of the politician who enjoys picking fights with liberals like Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Trump needs to build off of the bipartisan momentum created after meeting and dining with governors from across the nation over the weekend during the National Governors Association winter gathering.
On more than one occasion Trump kindly addressed Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat who chairs the Governors Association. McAuliffe is also a longtime supporter of both Bill and Hillary Clinton. Trump claimed they have been friends for a long time. The president joked that mentioning their relationship would destroy the Virginia governor’s political career.
Tonight, hopefully there will be a few Democrats in the audience that Trump can address in an effort to bring these divided lawmakers together where they have shared interests. Even if they have different means of achieving new jobs, quality education, cheaper health care and rebuilding our infrastructure — Trump needs to talk about where there’s common ground.
Trump will outline his agenda before a joint session tonight during his first prime-time speech.
But he can’t just simply talk to his base. Forty days into the job, it’s time to start speaking to not only those on Team Trump, but work on getting more lawmakers to soften their fiery rhetoric toward him. Changing the tone starts at the top with the commander in chief.
Where’s the guy who’s supposed to be pals with plenty of Democrats who he worked with to get certain projects built while he was a developer? Are all those relationships ruined? Let’s hope not.
We should expect to learn more about his $54 billion hike to national security and how he will cut the same amount from federal agencies. Also, his plan for replacing Obamacare is expected tonight.
The president must remain disciplined in his messaging and steer clear of sophomoric comments toward his detractors.