How did President Trump do Tuesday?
How did President Trump during his first State of the Union speech? Today we see what politics writers from around the nation are saying. Your thoughts? Email rrollins@coxohio.com.
FROM THE RIGHT-CENTER Trump did what he needed to do with speech
President Trump’s State of the Union speech was subdued, emotional, Trumpy in some identifiable ways (like his focus on gang violence and skillsbased immigration restrictions), but also normal: a speech that in tone could have been given by a conventional politician. That doesn’t excuse or erase the ways in which Trump is not a normal president (or degrade from them, if you’re the sort of person who likes not-normal-for-Washington), but just as hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue, Trump’s periodic efforts to speak in the language of normal American politics is a reminder of why normal American politics remains a thing of value worth preserving. Many Republicans, like me, who are not comfortable with Trump would have been a lot easier to convert if the Trump of tonight’s speech was the every day Trump.
For the most part, the speech was good because it was not a typical Trump speech, although it sought to put a lot of human faces on the causes Trump champions. Trump leaned heavily on stories of inspirational people in the gallery, a dolorous and saccharine tradition begun by Ronald Reagan. Used sparingly, such stories can be powerful, and many of tonight’s were, but it’s a sign of weakness that he had to rely so much on them to wring emotion and applause from the audience. But then, for a populist, Trump is particularly vulnerable to charges of being callous towards ordinary people, so maybe that was necessary. And the litany, from Steve Scalise to the “Cajun Navy” to the Border Patrol to the horrors of North Korea, reminded us of what a difficult year this has been, and what a perilous world we still live in.
He (was) maybe a bit light on healthcare besides trumpeting the death of the Obamacare individual mandate, but otherwise, he touted the concrete benefits of business tax cuts, the breaking of ISIS’ hold over territory, the benefits of bipartisan compromise on immigration, and America’s sympathy with Iranian protesters against tyranny.
It’s unlikely that tonight’s speech will turn anyone’s opinion of Trump around, but for tonight, he did what he needed to do. DAN MCLAUGHLIN, AT THE NATIONAL REVIEW
FROM THE LEFT He’s still more divisive than uniting
Speaking with journalists a few hours before his State of the Union speech, President Donald Trump harped on the theme of national unity. “I want to see our country united,” he said. “I want to bring our country back from a tremendous divisiveness, which has taken place not just over one year, over many years, including the Bush years, not just Obama.”
These are unexpected words from a president who rose to power through the politics of polarization, launching savage attacks not just on his political rivals but also entire ethnic groups. Could the man who opened his presidential campaign speaking of Mexican “rapists,” and later called for a Muslim immigration ban, really lay claim to national unity?
The address Trump delivered on Tuesday night provided a complicated answer. Throughout the speech, but especially in the first half, Trump made some genuine gestures towards national healing, reaching out to Democrats and groups he had alienated. But as the speech progressed, Trump reverted to who he’s been throughout his political career and in his presidency: eager to turn any debate into an us-versus-them fight.
When he took up the cloak of unity, Trump talked as a normal American president would, about shared national traumas and the strength of the people. He used the shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise as an example of shared humanity that transcends partisan lines: “In the aftermath of that terrible shooting, we came together, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as representatives of the people. But it is not enough to come together only in times of tragedy. Tonight, I call upon on all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people. This is really the key. These are the people we were elected to serve.”
Eschewing the racism that so often infuses his politics, Trump also called on on Washington to “protect our citizens of every background, color, religion and creed.”
Yet these pious calls for togetherness were combined with discordant themes that sought to cast certain groups as alien to America — such as football players who protest police brutality by taking a knee. After telling the story of a 12-year-old boy who started a movement to place flags on the graves of veterans, Trump said, “Preston’s reverence for those who have served our nation reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem.” This is a weaponization of patriotism, using it to divide rather than unite.
Trump also returned to his favorite demagogic theme, claiming that undocumented immigrants pose a grave threat to citizens. He highlighted American victims of immigrant criminals, and linked legal immigration to terrorism. (In fact, immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans.) He also falsely claimed that, “Under the current, broken system, a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives.” This line led to groans and boos from Democrats.
Most egregiously, Trump appropriated the term Dreamers (referring to undocumented immigrants brought to America as children) for his own nativist agenda. “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, and their right to the American dream,” Trump said. “Because Americans are dreamers, too.” Using “dreamers” in this way is not unlike saying “white lives matter.” David Duke, a former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and alt-right leader Richard Spencer (on Twitter) both picked up on the dog whistle.
Duke and Spencer’s approval speaks volumes about whom Trump’s speech was truly intended for: the same Americans who voted him into office based on his ethnonationalist agenda. Despite the mask of unity that Trump wore at the beginning, in the end he proved to be the same president he’s always been: the chief promoter of the nation’s “tremendous divisiveness,” rather than the solution to it. JEET HEERS,
AT THE NEW REPUBLIC
FROM THE RIGHT President pressed home job to protect U.S.
During his first state of the union address Tuesday night, President Donald Trump repeatedly called for bipartisanship, painted hopeful images, and told inspiring stories about guests in the crowd. But a year’s worth of partisan battles cut through the president’s optimistic rhetoric.
Mixed in with a list of the year’s successes, legislative goals, and exhortations for unity (Trump used the word “together” at least 10 times), the president appeared to inflame Democrats with his remarks on immigration, African-American unemployment, and a subtle reference to the NFL protests, among other subjects.
Trump introduced 12-yearold Preston Sharp, a guest of the first lady and a “young patriot” who launched a movement to place American flags at veterans’ graves on Veterans Day. “Preston’s reverence for those who have served our Nation reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance,” he said, before adding what appeared to be a subtle dig at this year’s NFL protests, “and why we proudly stand for the national anthem.”
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who wore African kente cloth in protest of the president’s comments about “s***hole” countries, did
not stand or clap in response, nor did they acknowledge Trump’s remark that African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded.
The president’s comments on immigration drew boos and head shaking from Democrats.
“For decades, open borders have allowed drugs and gangs to pour into our most vulnerable communities,” he said. “They have allowed millions of low-wage workers to compete for jobs and wages against the poorest Americans. Most tragically, they have caused the loss of many innocent lives.”
As he did frequently throughout the night, Trump turned to guests, this time two couples whose daughters “were brutally murdered while walking together in their hometown. “Six members of the savage gang MS-13 have been charged with Kayla and Nisa’s murders,” Trump said. “Many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes in our laws to enter the country as unaccompanied alien minors.”
California senator Kamala Harris said in a television interview after the address that the president, with his reference to MS-13, Trump was “scapegoating” and “fear-mongering.” A few rows behind Harris sat Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, scribbling notes ahead of his SOTU response.
“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, and their right to the American Dream,” the president told lawmakers. “Because Americans are dreamers too.” JENNA LIFHITS,
AT THE WEEKLY STANDARD
FROM SOMEWHERE NEAR THE CENTER Speech must have resonated with average Americans
So many of the takes on President Trump’s second State of the Union address focused on policy specifics, as they should. I found much I liked (tax cuts, deregulation, loosening of FDA restrictions on medicine for the terminally ill, prison reform, a path to citizenship for Dreamers) and much I disliked (criticizing the military sequester and pledging to boost Pentagon spending, seemingly renewing the failed war on drugs, tariffs).
But for many Americans, this is too much in the weeds. They want their heroes and villains, political or otherwise, served up more cleanly. The details can get boggy. A bigger picture is what they seek. Fair enough.
So let’s put aside ideological inclinations. Let’s even forget about what the Republicans who cheered Trump, and Democrats who sat on their hands stone-faced for much of the night, might also think.
Most importantly: What did most Americans think of Trump’s SOTU? Most presidents of either party get a poll bump after SOTU addresses and Trump will surely be no different.
But did his SOTU come across well to most people? Did it resonate?
I believe it did, or will, and for one primary reason. Trump’s speech was a success because it hammered home the country’s improvement in the bread and butter areas that matter the most to most people: jobs, the economy, and financial stability and security. A few highlights: “Since the election, we have created 2.4 million new jobs, including 200,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone,” Trump said Tuesday.
He’s right.
Trump said, “After years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages.”
He’s right about that too. “Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low,” declared the president.
That’s true. “African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded, and Hispanic-American unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history.”
Yep.
“Since we passed tax cuts, roughly 3 million workers have already gotten tax cut bonuses — many of them thousands and thousands of dollars per worker. And it’s getting more every month, every week,” Trump claimed.
He’s right again. Trump painted a rosy view of America’s financial health, but presidents often do this even when the public doesn’t feel the same way. Right now, voters’ positive attitudes about the economy are at a record high. While a slight majority have tended to give President Obama more credit for this than Trump, part of the president’s task Tuesday night was to make this upswing his narrative.
He did.
Probably more important than even Trump’s SOTU, right now, and increasingly as we head into February, Americans are also beginning to see increases in their paychecks in the wake of Republican tax reform. This story continues to get more attention on social media than it does mainstream media.
These trends and numbers all point toward a well-received Trump speech.
So much of what we see in the media regarding this president is overwhelmingly negative (much of it warranted, don’t get me wrong) and yet how many Americans are there out there who see mostly positive results? How many who are seeing increased take home pay are looking up from their bigger paychecks to see nothing but pundits bashing Trump?
How many are tired of it? Donald Trump was elected in large part because millions of Americans felt that there was no one to speak for them, while the elite class was simultaneously against them. For those voters, even after a year of Trump being in the White House, that dynamic hasn’t changed. Many might even think it’s gotten worse.
What the average person hears is usually more important to a president’s success or failure than what the chattering class thinks the average person should hear. And if you’re one of the many Americans benefitting from the current economy, President Trump gave a heck of a speech Tuesday night. JACK HUNTER, AT RARE
‘Mixed in with a list of the year’s successes, legislative goals, and exhortations for unity (Trump used the word “together” at least 10 times), the president appeared to inflame Democrats with his remarks on immigration, African-American unemployment, and a subtle reference to the NFL protests, among other subjects.’
— Jenna Lifhits The Weekly Standard