State of the Union Recap
Last Thursday evening, Donald Trump delivered his annual State of the Union Address from the House of Representatives. The speech was broadcast live on national television, and millions of Americans tuned in to watch. While supporters praised the president’s message of bipartisanship and the importance of coming together across the political aisle, critics pointed out that he also doubled down on some of his most politically divisive points of view. Here, btw takes a closer look.
Related Links: Click here to see the information provided by the Trump administration for his State of the Union
A Bipartisan Future?
In his speech, Trump played up the thriving economy and the fact that the nation is currently enjoying its highest rate of job creation in decades. He pledged to work with both Democrats and Republicans on some important issues such as fighting cancer and HIV/AIDS, and lowering prescription drug prices. At the same time, however, he also re-emphasized the need to build a wall along the border between the United States and Mexico–the same issue that shut down the federal government for 35 days in a standoff with Democrats earlier this year. Trump stated that more caravans of refugees are heading for the U.S. from Central and South America and that the wall is necessary to keep the southern border from being overrun by large groups of migrants: the kind of divisive rhetoric that tends to anger Congressional Democrats.
Not surprisingly, the reaction from the audience to Trump’s speech was mixed. While Republicans cheered on the president, Democrats–especially Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (who was easy to observe sitting behind the president)–visibly shook their heads or disagreed during some of his more divisive comments. Democratic women in the audience dressed in white (the color worn by suffragettes) in order to make a strong visual statement in opposition to the president and his message and policies.
What Was the Official Response?
Immediately after Trump’s speech, Stacey Abrams–a 2018 gubernatorial candidate–delivered the official Democratic rebuttal. She is the first black woman to do so. Abrams used the opportunity to sharply criticize Trump, his administration, and Republican leadership as a whole. Abrams focused especially on the recent federal government shutdown, which was the longest one in history, as an example of this dysfunctional leadership. (Trump, notably, did not directly mention the shutdown during his own speech.)
Additionally, Abrams called out Republicans for their opposition to gun control legislation; for their reluctance to deal with concerns about voter suppression; for their racist approach to immigration reform; and for refusing to take action to address climate change.
Was Trump’s Speech a Success?
Trump delivered his State of the Union Address during one of the lowest points in his presidency. It occurred in the wake of him failing to secure the money he had demanded for the border wall, and in the same week that Democrats announced that they would be investigating his financial records (in addition to the ongoing investigation into his role in Russian tampering in the 2016 presidential election). As a result, many of Trump’s remarks were defensive: he said, for example, that the thriving economy would be threatened if the investigation against him continues.
At the same time, though, his speech sent a clear message that his political base is strong, and that he is unwavering in his political goals, whether Congressional Democrats support him or not.