Two years into his term, we are used to seeing President Trump speak at rallies, or at least hearing about the most newsworthy snippets. Trump has spoken at more than 60 rallies, including those during the Thank You Tour and the 2018 midterms. What Americans are not accustomed to are speeches like the State of the Union address, where teleprompters guide a vast majority of the president’s monologue.
Regardless of whether or not you support the president, there is no denying the impeccable contrast between the uncensored Trump and the scripted one. He appears unvarnished, and sometimes unhinged, when speaking to his loyal supporters; he (arguably) appears presidential when speaking in front of members of Congress.
President Trump’s State of the Union address deserves to be analyzed both for the political weight of the annual address and for the deviation from the “ordinary” Trump. This article will explore three positives and three negatives from the address.
Three Best Quotes
1)“Believe it or not, we have already proven that [bipartisan action] is possible. In the last Congress, both parties came together to pass unprecedented legislation to confront the opioid crisis, a sweeping new farm bill, historic Veterans’ Affairs reforms … and VA accountability so that we can finally terminate those who mistreat our wonderful veterans.”
With the looming possibility of the government shutting down (again), Trump called for bipartisanship and unity several times throughout the address. These were solid examples of bipartisan progress during Trump’s first two years in office that proved bipartisanship is possible in an era of extreme polarization in U.S. politics.
2)“Inspired by stories like Alice’s, my administration worked closely with members of both parties to sign the First Step Act into law. This legislation reformed sentencing laws that have wrongly, and disproportionately, harmed the African-American community.”
Here, Trump is alluding to Alice Johnson, an AfricanAmerican woman sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for her involvement in a drug trafficking organization. Johnson spent 21 years in prison before Trump pardoned her in June 2018.
Trump went on to explain changes brought about by the First Step Act, which include sentencing reforms concerning nonviolent drug offenders. He also introduced Matthew Charles, the first prisoner to be released under the First Step Act. Both Johnson and Charles were in attendance at the State of the Union.
3)“Exactly one century after Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we have more women serving in Congress than at any time before.”
89 Democratic women and 13 Republican women now serve in Congress. This quote notably appeared to be a nod to the Democratic Congresswomen in the room, many of whom were dressed in white as a tribute to the suffragette movement.
Three Worst Quotes
1)“An economic miracle is taking place in the United States, and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations.”
There are at least 17 investigations into Trump and his campaign, including investigations into possible collusion with Russia, Trump Tower Moscow, the Trump Organization, the Trump Foundation (forced to dissolve due to “a shocking pattern of illegality”), Trump’s inaugural committee, WikiLeaks connections, obstruction of justice, Middle Eastern influence, and Russian agent Maria Butina.
Trump was named an unindicted co-conspirator by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. “Nearly every organization [Trump] has led is under investigation,” the Washington Post noted. According to Rolling Stone, Robert Mueller’s investigation has resulted in at least 37 indictments or guilty pleas and four prison sentences, including several of Trump’s closest allies. Hearing Trump attack investigations into him and his team is nothing new (“WITCH HUNT!”), but the fact that he did so during the State of the Union address is staggering.
2)“The border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime—one of the highest in the country, and considered one of our nation’s most dangerous cities. Now, immediately upon its building, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of the safest cities in our country.”
Trump lied about or mischaracterized several immigration issues during his address. This may have been his most demonstrably false claim. According to FBI crime data, El Paso has never been one of the most dangerous cities in the country, and crime did not drop “immediately upon” the completion of 131 miles of fencing in 2009. “From 2006 to 2011—two years before the fence was built to two years after—the number of violent crimes recorded in El Paso increased by 17 percent,” writes Madlin Mekelburg of the El Paso Times.
3)“Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth.”
This claim is heavily misleading and propagandaesque. New York recently passed the Reproductive Health Act which authorizes abortions “after 24 weeks if the fetus is not viable or when it’s necessary to protect the life of the mother,” according to NBC News.
Obstetrician-gynecologist Jen Villavincencio recently told Politifact, “Abortions are not performed at 40 weeks on healthy, viable pregnancies.” Trump’s depiction of lawmakers being overjoyed at the idea of terminating late-term pregnancies is a calculated mischaracterization of the facts and basis of the Reproductive Health Act.
