President Donald Trump delivered an optimistic and unifying message for the 21st century last night in his historic State of the Union address.
Now, I’m really not one to fawn over every little thing the executive branch does. The abuses and the divisive language of the previous administration almost made me lose hope in the office of the president. This Trump era, however, has restored my faith. Listening to Trump’s address last night confirmed this, and I’m sure millions of Americans feel the same sense of pride and positivity in the president that I am feeling.
What immediately struck me after the address was finished was just how agreeable Trump was. It wasn’t anymore “right-wing” than a mid-90s Bill Clinton speech, to be honest. Yet, Democrats remained seated for most of the thing as a part of some hyperbolic and immature “resistance” measure. Resistance to what? I mean, I can understand the Dems being upset about repealing the Obamacare individual mandate, but protesting all-time stock market highs and all time black and hispanic unemployment lows seemed obtuse to say the least.
The president’s message was one for ALL Americans, yet he still reminded his base why they voted for him. Plants are moving from Mexico to Michigan and Alabama, Apple is choosing to invest $350 billion in this country and the tax cuts are leaving Americans with more of their money in their own pockets. Wages are rising and small business confidence is higher than it’s been in a long time. With 2.4 million new jobs being created since the election, it is easy to see how the president can verify that “the state of our union is strong.”
Toward the end of the address the president called on Congress to abolish the loopholes that allow MS13 and other criminal groups to infiltrate our country. His message was one that called for strong, secure borders. Yet, even here Trump tried to appeal to both sides of the isle.
His offer of generously granting 1.8 million DACA recipients amnesty in exchange for ending chain migration symbolizes a spirit of compromise that is characteristic of a great leader. His plan of offering a pathway to citizenship covers almost three times more people than what the previous administration covered.
The other points in his immigration plan included fully securing the border with a wall, ending the dangerous “catch and release” practice, and ending the arbitrary visa lottery program.
President Trump’s final, and perhaps his greatest appeal, was to traditional American values and liberties. He reassured his base by taking pride in the fact that he put a conservative, strict-constructionist justice on the bench in order to help to guarantee second amendment rights and religious liberty.
Trump reminded all viewers why we stand for the national anthem, honor the memorials of our past and why we still go by the motto “in God we trust.”
He reminded us that the capitol building where he delivered this speech is a true living monument to liberty and democracy. By alluding to the American Revolutionaries and the too-often denigrated Founding Fathers he gave his address a sense of continuity with the past.
Fundamentally, Trump said what so many people have been wanting to shout from the rooftops: Americans are dreamers too.
For an opposing view on the State of the Union click here.
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