Trump urges parties to work for common good
WASHINGTON — Urging Congress to “reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution,” President Donald Trump asked Congress to approve his nominees, spend the money for his much-touted wall along the U.s.–mexico border and stop investigating him.
Arguing that his administration is responsible for “an economic miracle,” he argued that “the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations.”
“If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation,” he said as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared to suppress a laugh behind him.
In a speech billed as aimed at unifying the country during one of its most politically divided moments in recent history, Trump urged Washington to turn a corner and heal the divisions that literally brought large parts of the government to a halt during the first month of this year.
He urged the nation to “break decades of political stalemate, bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions and unlock the extraordinary promise of America’s future.”
“We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction,” he said. “Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness.”
Trump, who seldom hesitates to air his grievances publicly and loudly, may struggle with the prospect of turning the other cheek. Just 11 hours before the speech, Trump tweeted his irritation with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, writing “I see Schumer is already criticizing my State of the Union speech, even though he hasn’t seen it yet. He’s just upset that he didn’t win the Senate after spending a fortune, like he thought he would.”
Tuesday’s speech marked the first time Trump has appeared before a joint session of Congress when Democrats controlled the House, and the hall was packed with Democrats such as Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio who are considering a presidential challenge in 2020 because they sense Trump is vulnerable.
Trump also faced a number of House Democrats who have called for his impeachment, in part because of questions surrounding whether his campaign in 2016 colluded with Russian officials in an effort to damage the presidential campaign of Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Trump delivered his address at a time when his poll numbers are sagging and those of Pelosi, D-calif., are rising. Voters clearly held Trump and the Republicans responsible for a partial shutdown of the federal government in December and January — the longest such shutdown in history.
Despite the polarized nature of Washington, the night had its moments of levity. When Trump pointed out that “no one has benefitted more from our thriving economy than women,” both sides of the chamber, including dozens of the newly elected Democratic women who helped win the House majority last fall, stood up and cheered enthusiastically.
“You weren’t supposed to do that,” Trump ad-libbed wryly.
But he decided to embrace the applause, telling the Democratic women, mostly dressed in white in honor of women’s suffrage, “don’t sit yet, you’re going to like this,” before pointing out that “exactly one century after the Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before.”
The chamber launched into chants of “U.S.A! U.S.A!”
Trump, who has made it clear in comments and tweets throughout his presidency that he does not believe he gets enough credit for the strong economy, once again defended his two-year-old presidency, saying “our economy is the envy of the world, our military is the most powerful on Earth by far, and America is again winning each and every day.”
The unemployment rate is at 4 percent compared to 4.7 percent when Trump took office in January 2017. Last year, the economy averaged a monthly gain of 223,000 jobs while last month, despite the government shutdown, the economy added 304,000 jobs.
The president also touted tax cuts passed last year, a sweeping criminal-justice reform bill he signed into law, legislation aimed at confronting the opioid crisis and VA reforms as evidence of his administration’s success.
But despite those achievements and the strong economy, Trump’s approval ratings have sagged, in large part because of his chaotic governing style.
Trump has infuriated Democrats with his demands for a $5.7 billion barrier along hundreds of miles of the U.s.–mexico border — a demand that provoked the 35-day government shutdown.
That issue took up a significant portion of his address, with Trump declaring “no issue better illustrates the divide between America’s working class and America’s political class than illegal immigration.”
“The lawless state of our Southern border is a threat to the safety, security and financial well-being of all Americans,” he said. “We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens.”
Immigration, though a key item on Trump’s to-do list, was not the only item. He once again called for an investment in infrastructure, renewed his vow to reduce the price of prescription drugs and offered harsh criticism of Iran, saying “we will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants ‘Death to America’ and threatens genocide against the Jewish people.”
Among those watching from the galleries was Ashley Evans, a Kettering native who just passed one year in recovery from an opioid addiction. Evans, who now lives in an apartment in Columbus, was among the 11 guests of first lady Melania Trump, who watched the speech from a box in the U.S. House chamber.
Evans had a whirlwind day even before Trump began speaking. Just before 6 p.m. Tuesday, she met Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, in the vice president’s office in the Executive Office Building next to the White House.
“He thanked me for coming, and I told him that I was honored to be there and excited to be here,” Evans said Tuesday. “His wife said something along the lines that she was very proud of me and I am a shining star.”