President Trump Delivers Defiant State of the Union | The Well News

President Trump Delivers Defiant State of the Union

by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON— As President Donald Trump stepped into the House chamber for the first State of the Union of his second term Tuesday night, his objectives seemed obvious.

First, he wanted to defend the record of his administration over the past 12 months; second, he needed to set an agenda that would enable his fellow Republicans to prevail in the upcoming midterm elections.

And, of course, context would be everything.

The speech, which would ultimately clock in at just under two hours, would be given under the cloud of controversies related to the Epstein files — with a number of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims sitting in the audience — the deaths of a pair of civilians at the hands of ICE agents in Minneapolis, and perceived gaffs by members of his Cabinet.

Then there was the growing voter discontent over the state of the economy and how much paychecks are being stretched to the limit week after week.

Just this week, a poll conducted for CNN by SSRS, a widely-respected market and survey research firm, found Trump’s approval rating among political independents, a group key to winning any election in this closely divided nation, had sunk to a new low.

Just 32% of respondents said they believed the president had the right priorities, while 68% said he hasn’t paid enough attention to the country’s most important problems.

Meanwhile, the president’s job approval rating among all adults remains mired at 36%.

Any president might feel chastened by the challenge as he stood outside the House chamber, waiting to be introduced.

Trump did not.

Instead, as he stepped upon the rostrum, with Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., standing and applauding behind him, Trump the president was suddenly Trump of the coast-to-coast rallies he held during his first presidential campaign.

Even more than that, he was the Trump America got to know from the decade he hosted “The Apprentice” TV show, the cool, ultimate authority in a high-stakes boardroom.

And if one really listened with any sense of his history, they could even hear the unmistakable echo of the brash young real estate developer who became a bold-faced name in the New York City tabloids.

“The United States,” he said as the applause that welcomed him to the chamber died down, “is back. Bigger, better, richer, stronger than ever before.

“Less than five months from now, our country will celebrate an epic milestone — the 250th anniversary of our glorious American independence,” he continued. “This July 4, we will mark two-and-a-half centuries of liberty and triumph, progress and freedom in the most incredible and exceptional nation ever to exist on the face of the Earth.

“We will do better and better and better. This is the Golden age of America.”

The Scene Before the Big Speech

The State of the Union is an annual message delivered by the president to the Congress, as required by Article II Section 3 of the Constitution.

Its purpose, as the name implies, is for lawmakers on Capitol Hill to be updated on the “state of the union,” with the president providing details on its condition and his legislative agenda relative to it.

Tuesday’s State of the Union was the 101st such message delivered in-person by a president since 1790.

While that math might not seem to add up, it’s because some presidents preferred to submit their report in writing. It was President Woodrow Wilson who revived the tradition of the in-person address in 1913.

Except for photographers, who are positioned at specific locations throughout the chamber, the working press is mainly located in seats behind and above the rostrum, giving reporters a bird’s- eye view of those seated in the chamber and invited guests.

Republican lawmakers are seated in front of the president, to his left, as is his cabinet. Democrats are seated to the right of the president, with the justices of the Supreme Court and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in front of them.

The members of the House gather first.

On Tuesday night the sound in the chamber as they did so was not unlike what one might hear as the audience filed into a rock and roll show.

If you’re a reporter, you watch.

From this vantage point it quickly becomes evident that Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., is one of the most popular members of Congress, visited by Republicans and Democrats alike, and always engaged in lively conversation.

At one point he took a call on his cell phone, then handed the phone to Rep. Lauren Boebert, who stood nearby in a sleeveless red dress.

A little further down the aisle, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, was engaged in animated conversation with two other members of the Texas delegation, and a few feet away from them, Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., shared a few words and a smile with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D.-N.Y.

In short, there’s a lot of glad-handing going on. When Johnson arrived, a Democratic member asked him to pose for a selfie.

After the photo, Johnson quickly made his way to the rostrum and gaveled the chamber to order using the marble gavel first used in 1793 by President George Washington to lay the cornerstone of the United States Capitol.

With that, the Senate’s arrival was announced and the chamber grew louder as the greetings grew more lively.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D.N.Y., inevitably stopped to talk to Rep. Burchett. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., could be seen sharing a fist-bump with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.C.

Vice President Vance arrived next, shaking hands with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Before making his way to his seat on the rostrum, he stopped for an extended conversation with the joint chiefs, as did Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

Later, Sen. Mike Kelly, D-Ariz., who has had his differences with War Secretary Pete Hegseth of late, could be seen having an even longer conversation with the chiefs.

Across the room, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., could be seen entering the chamber looking very uncomfortable wearing a suit.

The next time Johnson gaveled the room to order, the justices of the Supreme Court arrived, but there were only four of them — Chief Justice John Roberts, and justices Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

The chamber gave them a loud, and notably bipartisan round of applause. Roberts, Kagan and Barrett all looked mildly uncomfortable. Kavanaugh just looked happy to be there.

The president’s cabinet arrived next, and then a tremendous explosion of applause occurred as First Lady Melania Trump arrived via a side door in the balcony and took her seat alongside the entire Trump family and their invited guests.

With that, Johnson once again gavelled the chamber to attention.

In the distance, the doors at the end of the center aisle opened, and one could see the president standing on the other side, awaiting his formal introduction.

William McFarland, the House Sergeant-at-Arms, stepped forward.

“Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States!” he said.

The Republicans in the chamber bolted to their feet and began shouting “USA, USA.” Some even pumped their fists into the air. The Democrats, for the most part, sat on their hands.

Trump greeted several lawmakers as he proceeded down the aisle.

All eyes were on the president as he approached the justices, three of whom had infuriated him last week when they struck down the tariffs he’d been using as a cornerstone of his foreign policy.

He shook each hand and offered a brief greeting to each. For the moment, there would be no fireworks.

Saluting Patriots, Slamming Democrats

For the next two hours, Trump seemed to alternate between personas. In one moment, he’d be the president, proud of his and his administration’s accomplishments. In another, he’d be the proud commander-in-chief, saluting past and current members of the military who had exhibited extraordinary heroism.

Then there was Trump the empathetic leader, who shared the pain of private citizens, including Erika Kirk, widow of the assassinated political activist Charlie Kirk, and the families of victims of violent crimes perpetrated by illegal aliens.

Then too, there was Trump the sports fan, who welcomed the gold medal winning U.S. Men’s Hockey team, and announced its goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his excellent performance at the Winter Olympics.

Mostly, however, there was Trump the rough and tumble campaigner, who spent the better part of his speech baiting the angry Democrats in the chamber, repeatedly portraying them as unpatriotic and completely out-of-step with mainstream American values.

But he wasn’t the only provocateur in the chamber. As Trump strode down the center aisle toward the rostrum, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, unfurled a sign that said, “Black People Aren’t Apes,” a reference to a racist video Trump had recently shared on social media.

As Trump began his remarks, Green continued to hold up the sign, which was directly in the president’s line of sight because the two seats in front of the congressman were empty.

That led to a Republican lawmaker storming up the aisle to verbally confront Green. When that didn’t get the congressman to put his sign down, two other Republican lawmakers walked over and stood in front of the empty seats, to keep the sign out of Trump’s view.

Finally, Green was ejected, a repeat of what happened a year ago, when he waved his cane at the president during a speech in the chamber.

With that, Trump launched into his attack on the Democrats, stating that when he took office 12 months ago, he had inherited “a nation in crisis.”

“Inflation was at record levels, we had a wide open border … we had record low recruitment for military and police, crime was rampant at home and we had wars and chaos all over the world,” he said.

Those to blame, he said, were former President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies on the Hill.

“But after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride, that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before — a turnaround for the ages,” he continued, adding, “We will never go back to where we were just a very short time ago. We are not going back.”

Again, loud chants of “USA, USA” erupted from the Republican side of the aisle.

Trump then ticked off a number of the positives that have occurred over the past year, including lower gasoline prices, the tax cuts the Republicans passed in Congress last year, the stock market reaching record highs and his creation of the Trump Accounts investment program for children, and the TrumpRx website that allows Americans to directly buy some medicines at a discount.

But it was the Democrats he wanted to savage, and he did.

At one point, Trump focused on his deployment of the National Guard and federal law enforcement to “restore law and order” in “dangerous cities” including Memphis, Tennessee, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Washington, D.C.

He deemed those initiatives a “big success.”

Later, he said, “The Somali pirates that ransacked Minnesota remind us there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception.

“Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right here to the USA and it is the American people who pay the price in higher medical bills, car insurance rates, rent, taxes, and perhaps most importantly, crime.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., herself a Somali emigree, shouted back.

“You’ve killed Americans!” a reference to the shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, who were killed by ICE officers in Minneapolis in separate incidents.

“You should be ashamed of yourself,” the president shot back.

He continued his remarks by saying, “We will take care of this problem. We’re going to take care of the problem! We are not playing games.”

Then there was the moment Trump introduced a young woman, Sage Blair, who was seated in the visitors gallery, watching the speech with her mother Michelle.

The president explained that when Sage was 14, she sought to socially transition to being treated as a boy, and hid this activity from her parents.

“Before long a confused Sage ran away from home,” he said. “After she was found in a horrific situation in Maryland, a left-wing judge refused to return Sage to her parents because they did not immediately state that their daughter was their son.

“Sage was thrown into an all-boy’s state home and suffered terribly,” Trump continued. “But today all of that is behind them because Sage is a proud and wonderful young woman with a full scholarship to Liberty University.”

The president asked both women to stand, thanking them for their “great bravery.”

“Who can believe we’re even speaking about things like this?” Trump said. “[But] this is going on all over, in numerous states, without even telling the parents.

“Surely we can all agree no state should be allowed to rip children from the parents’ will,” he said. “We must ban it and ban it immediately.”

The Republicans rose and applauded loudly. The Democrats didn’t move.

With that, Trump turned on them.

“Nobody stands up,” he said. “These people are crazy! I’m telling you, they’re crazy … We’re lucky we have a country with people like this. Democrats are destroying our country, but we stopped it just in the nick of time, didn’t we?””

A similar moment occurred when Trump recounted the murder of Iryna Zarutska, a young Ukrainian woman who escaped the war in her country only to be stabbed to death on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, last year.

Zarutska’s mother, who was seated in the chamber, wept as the president vowed to get justice for her family and to prevent such an incident from ever happening again.

He asked Congress to pass legislation to ensure that violent and dangerous repeat offenders, like the killer of Zarutska, are never released from prison again.

The Republicans rose, turned to Zarutska’s mother and applauded her; the Democrats didn’t.

“How do you not stand?” Trump asked.

It wasn’t the end of the onslaught. At one point, the president opined that “one of the great things about the State of the Union is how it gives Americans the chance to see clearly what their representatives really believe.”

He then asked each lawmaker in the chamber to stand if they agreed with this statement: “The first duty of this government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

The Republicans rose chanting “USA, USA.” The Democrats remained in their seats.

“Isn’t that a shame?” Trump said. “You should be ashamed of yourself for not standing up.”

Iran and Elections

Though the president did speak on some foreign policy issues, one that he was expected to potentially make big news got relatively scant attention — the United States’ current stand off with Iran.

The White House has been building up the United States’ military presence in the Middle East in recent weeks, dispatching two aircraft carrier groups to the region.

At the same time, negotiators from Washington and Tehran are meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in a bid to stave off an armed conflict.

During his speech, Trump offered little in the way of an explanation for what’s going on, except to say he would prefer to end the country’s nuclear program through diplomacy, but that he would “never” allow Tehran to have a nuclear weapon.

“Can’t let that happen,” he said.

Trump did spend more time on the upcoming midterm election, attacking the Democrats for suddenly embracing the word “affordability” when “they know full well what caused the increased prices that all of our citizens had to endure.”

“You caused that problem,” he said, turning directly toward the Democrats.

The Republicans applauded.

“They caused the problems in our economy … and they knew their statements were a lie. They knew it. They knew their statements were a dirty, rotten lie,” Trump said. “Their policies created the high prices. Our policies are rapidly ending them.”

The president also called on Congress to immediately pass the Save America Act, a measure that’s already passed the House but faces fierce opposition in the Senate, which would require prospective voters to show a government issued photo ID or other proof of citizenship before they can cast a ballot.

“Cheating is rampant in our elections, but the solution is very simple,” Trump declared. “All voters must show ID in order to vote. And no more crooked mail-in ballots, except for illness, disability, military or travel. None.

“This should be an easy one,” the president continued. “Why would anybody not want Voter ID. There’s only one reason. Because they want to cheat.

“Oh, they make up excuses – they say it’s racist. They come up with things. But the truth is, they want to cheat. They have cheated. And their policy is so bad that the only way they can get elected is to cheat and we’re going to stop it,” he said.

Though he encouraged Majority Leader Thune to address the matter and get the measure passed right away, the president also announced he had directed Vice President Vance to chair a new effort that would serve as a kind of backup.

Vance, he said, would combat the “corruption that shreds the fabric of a nation” with an eye toward dealing with “fraud” of all kinds.

“He’ll get it done,” Trump predicted, adding that he believes the effort will be so successful, that “we will actually have a balanced budget overnight.”

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue

Scenes from the press scrum in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall (below) by Dan McCue.

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