It was billed as a speech that would unite all Americans, but even with memorable lines, President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address seemed to only sharpen the contrasts between the political right and left.
When Trump praised his special guest, 12-year-old Preston Sharp, for helping to place 40,000 American flags on the graves of dead soldiers, the president subtly socked the NFL players and other athletes who have “taken a knee” during the US national anthem, most often to protest police abuse.
Preston’s devotion, Trump said, reminds us of “why we proudly stand for the national anthem.” The line instantly brought Republican lawmakers to their feet for an extensive standing ovation, while only a sparse few Democrats got up to join in briefly before sitting back down amid the applause.
Trump boasted of eliminating more regulations than “any administration in the history of our country,” and ending the “war on American energy” and “beautiful, clean coal.” But not every American was so proud, particularly with the president’s word choices.
Without dwelling on his failure to repeal Obamacare, Trump shifted to Big Pharma and the FDA, taking on drug prices and access to experimental treatments for the terminally ill. He brazenly promised that “[drug] prices will come down, substantially. Watch.” But many doubt his ability to carry through on the vow.
The president’s call for Congress to produce a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill, which he said is “desperately” needed, was roundly criticized, despite his giving no policy details. Trump did call for private partnerships and a streamlined permitting process, aiming for a maximum of two years.
“Together we can reclaim our great building heritage,” Trump said. But the response was tepid from Democrats, a fall from last year when they had expressed some constrained optimism over a bipartisan infrastructure deal, as opposed to issues like Obamacare and tax cuts.
It was inevitable that Trump would bring up the hottest topic on Capitol Hill – immigration reform. However, what Trump might call an olive branch to the Democrats has only been interpreted as a poison pill.
While “the US is a compassionate nation,” Trump said, he also insisted that his concern was for “America’s children” and its forgotten communities. “I want our poor to have their chance to rise.”
“Americans are dreamers too,” he said, a line that drew opposite reactions from conservatives and liberals, despite Trump’s ostensible intentions. “Let’s come together, set politics aside, and finally get the job done.”
Even when it came to the issue of nuclear proliferation, Trump didn’t manage to win over the hearts and minds that he needs to get much of his agenda through Congress.
“Perhaps someday in the future there will be a magical moment when the countries of the world will get together to eliminate their nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, we are not there yet, sadly,” Trump said, after referencing North Korea.
Outside of the reliable Republican cheers in Congress, responses were no more favorable to the president when he credited “the coalition” with liberating “nearly 100 percent” of the territory held by “these killers” in Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).
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