State of the Union
Trump touts U.S. progress, economic gains
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump highlighted economic gains and his own case for reelection in his third State of the Union address Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress, where lawmakers have battled since September over whether he should be removed from office.
Republican lawmakers chanted “four more years!” before Trump began speaking, setting an intensely partisan tone for the address on the eve of the president’s virtually certain acquittal in the Republicancontrolled Senate, which is scheduled to vote Wednesday afternoon, at the start of an election season.
“In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America’s destiny,” Trump said. “We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!”
Trump made his way to the rostrum on the House floor just seven weeks after the Democratic majority in the same chamber approved two articles of impeachment against him, charging him with abuse of office and obstruction of Congress.
Trump did not mention his impeachment, but when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, extended her hand in greeting, he did not take it, a remarkable break with protocol that spoke volumes about the bitter divisions that have deepened under Trump.
Trump offered few major policy proposals but presented a triumphant view of the nation’s progress under his administration. “The state of our union is stronger than ever before,” he declared.
He contrasted his record with President Barack Obama’s, blaming his predecessor for a decline in the workforce that was largely triggered by the recession that began before Obama took office in 2008, and taking credit for recent gains.
“From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the U.S. economy — slashing a record number of job-killing regulations, enacting historic and recordsetting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements,” Trump said.
Democrats sat without clapping as the president recited a litany of economic and jobs numbers.
“This is a blue-collar boom,” Trump said, pointing to a rise in median household income and the steady rise of the nation’s stock market since he took office.
He also planned to cite milestone accomplishments on trade talks and national security, including the CIA-led raid that left Islamic State founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dead in Syria, and the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Suleimani in Iraq.
Trump also welcomed a surprise guest, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, reaffirming administration support for Guaido’s unsuccessful efforts to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In another unexpected move, Trump recognized conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who this week announced that he is fighting lung cancer. Trump said he was awarding Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, and then looked up to the
balcony as first lady Melania Trump put the medal around Limbaugh’s neck.
As he embraced the pageantry and spectacle of the annual televised address, Trump aimed to define himself as a Washington outsider fighting a thicket of partisan opposition to bring the changes his supporters want.
And he presented his accomplishments — namely, a revised North American trade agreement and criminal justice reform — as priorities that his predecessors failed to get done.
Trump’s signature on the U.S. trade deal with Canada and Mexico last week marked one of his most concrete accomplishments, and he said it showed he had delivered on his pledges to retool America’s trade relationships.
“Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace NAFTA — only to do absolutely nothing. But unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises,” he said.
Unlike President Bill Clinton, who publicly apologized to Americans for his mistakes following his impeachment and acquittal 21 years ago, Trump was not expected to make a show of contrition.