State of the Union appeals for unity laid bare divisions
Editor’s note: Apart from highlighting his administration’s achievement at home and abroad, US President Donald Trump called for Republicans and Democrats to work together in his State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday. Diao Daming, a researcher of international relations at the Beijing-based Renmin University of China, said in a comment for Beijing News:
The meticulously prepared speech delved into some of the issues, if not the only issues, on which both parties share similar views, such as welfare for veterans, gender equality and women’s rights, and the external threats to the United States, in a bid for cooperation from the Democrats.
This paid off to some extent. Some Democratic female members of the House of Representatives gave the speaker a standing ovation when he promised, if not willingly given his long-term stance on gender issues, more support for women’s rights and interests. And listeners from the two parties even sang a chorus of Happy Birthday to the oldest survivor of the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh in October, who survived the Holocaust and was invited by the president to attend the address that day when he turned 81. Such a harmonious moment between the two parties is rarely seen in Washington nowadays.
But despite this, the president still could not hide his resolve to break the deadlock with the Democrats, not by retreating, but pressing ahead.
That he showed outright disdain for what he called “partisan investigations” was an open denial of right of Congress to conduct such investigations. And there can be no doubt that he issued a direct declaration of war against the current investigations into himself and his government.
He also took the opportunity to reiterate his determination to build a wall on the border with Mexico in order to put pressure on the Democrats. Which means the White House may not reach a consensus with Congress in their scheduled talks on the issue on Friday, and the federal government will remain partially closed after that.
The speech laid bare the two parties are mainly split on domestic issues — some of which directly concern the future of the nation — indicating the US will not easily change its foreign policies, while it is indeed standing at a crossroad in history.