Trump’s first State of the Union address

The day before US President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union (SOTU) address at the US Capitol, White House chief of protocol Sean Lawler invited the diplomatic corps to a briefing at the Presidential Guest House, the Blair House. The last time I was at the Blair House was many years ago with former President Arroyo during her state visit in 2003.

The diplomatic briefing had White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway as the special guest, who gave us a prelude of what President Trump was going to say. The next day, we were escorted to the Rayburn Reception Room of the Capitol – named after Sam Rayburn, the longest serving Speaker of the House of Representatives (a cumulative 17 years between 1940 and 1961).

As expected, reactions to President Trump’s message are varied, but to me the most interesting was the emphasis on fighting drugs and terrorism, and the parallelisms between the Philippines and the US.

The US president spoke of the opioid epidemic that was sweeping America, prompting the government to earlier declare it as a “nationwide public health emergency.” An estimated 174 deaths happen in the US everyday due to drug overdose, which is why authorities “must get much tougher on drug dealers and pushers” if America is to “succeed in stopping this scourge,” he declared.

Both the Philippines and the US face serious drug problems, which is why it is not surprising that President Trump understands what President Rody Duterte is trying to do to eradicate the drug menace. Both leaders also realize the dangerous connection between illegal drugs and terrorism.

In November last year, the US conducted airstrikes against drug laboratories located in Afghanistan, described by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime as the world’s biggest source of opium which has become a very lucrative business estimated at $55 billion a year. The opium trade has become a major source of funding for terrorist groups that have become growers, manufacturers and distributors themselves.

In his speech, President Trump reiterated his pledge to work with America’s allies to “extinguish ISIS from the face of the earth.” But while efforts to defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq have been successful, he is also pragmatic, admitting that there is much to be done, vowing to continue the fight and reminding everyone that these terrorists are killers, evil men who are not merely criminals but “unlawful enemy combatants.”

“My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber, is to defend Americans, to protect their safety, their families, their communities,” President Trump said. To the many supporters of the US president, it is in this context that he laid the predicate for his decision to keep the facilities in Guantanamo Bay open for the detention of terrorists.

Many times in the past, hundreds of dangerous terrorists who have been captured were released – and then resumed their terroristic activities. Trump points to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who was arrested by US Forces-Iraq in 2004 in Fallujah, but later released as a “low level prisoner.” We all know what came next – al-Baghdadi became the caliph of ISIL/ISIS, although reports say he is now hiding somewhere in Africa following the liberation of Northern Iraq.

Just like President Rody, President Trump takes a very strong stance when it comes to protecting citizens from the threat of illegal drugs and terrorism. I had a brief discussion with President Trump who told me that strong leadership is important, saying he admired the leadership of President Duterte.

Many people I talked with observed that aside from having a tough personality and displaying strong leadership, both Trump and Duterte also hate corrupt and lazy government officials and employees. Time and again, President Rody would remind Filipinos that government officials are not special – they are workers who should serve the people. As everyone knows, high ranking officials have been dismissed for alleged graft and incompetence.

In his speech, Trump said “Americans deserve accountability and respect,” and asked Congress to give Cabinet secretaries the power to fire federal employees who “undermine the public trust or fail the American people.” This is essentially an expansion of the VA (Veterans Affairs) Act that gave the VA chief power to expedite the termination of incompetent officials involved in cases of mismanagement or negligence.

The thing is, while both Trump and Duterte are seen as tough, unorthodox leaders who do not mince words, they also have a soft spot for the common people. This was evident in the “guest list” of President Trump that included a welder from Ohio who will benefit from the lowered tax rates for workers. In the Philippines, an estimated 7.5 million employees will benefit from the government’s tax reform program that significantly cut income tax rates.

Ordinary folks who displayed heroism during natural disaster were also present. There was also a police officer, a Marine Corps veteran who lost his leg and eyesight after stepping on an improvised explosive device in Iraq in 2007, an Army sergeant who saved another soldier’s life during clearing operations in Syria. Their presence clearly shows President Trump’s high regard for men in uniform – real heroes – just like President Duterte whose concern for soldiers – especially those who fought in Marawi – has been demonstrated time and again.

Opinion may be divided regarding President Trump’s State of the Union address, but surprisingly, majority of Americans approved of the President’s speech – 75 percent according to the CBS news survey conducted right after the State of the Nation address, while 65 percent were happy with Trump’s plans for America’s future.