President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address is being called a “home run” by many conservatives, while the quick exit by Democrats at the end of his speech – caught on camera and flashed across the nation to millions of TV screens – may turn out to be a public relations disaster.
That, and the fact that Democrats sat scowling and not applauding at many of the speech high points did not play well.
And Trump did something Tuesday night that no president in recent memory has done during a State of the Union address: He affirmed that his administration is “defending our Second Amendment,” which was clearly a signal to the gun prohibition lobby and its Capitol Hill comrades that their agenda is a non-starter during his time in office. It was especially significant that the president identified the right to keep and bear arms as “our Second Amendment,” a reminder that this right belongs to all of the people, even those who care not to exercise it.
Still, there is more to do, according to Second Amendment activists. They want concealed carry reciprocity and the National Hearing Protection Act to be passed by Congress and signed into law. But what Trump did Tuesday night was unique; mentioning a hot-button rights issue in a State of the Union speech.
Trump’s high points included reminding the American public that the “individual mandate” tenet of Obamacare is history, thanks to the GOP tax reform plan passed in December.
He also noted that terrorists will henceforth be considered as battlefield combatants, and that the Guantanamo Bay detention facility will remain open; two reversals of Obama administration policies that Democrats have defended.
Incredibly, when he referred to the lowest-in-history unemployment numbers for blacks and Hispanics, Democrats were unresponsive.
And when the president tried to be conciliatory, there seemed to be a cold shoulder.
“Tonight, I call on all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people. This is really the key. These are the people we are elected to serve.”—President Donald Trump
Trump confirmed something reported by Liberty Park Press Tuesday. He has been quietly working to appoint conservative judges to the federal courts. As noted earlier, this may be his most important legacy as federal jurists are appointed for life.
“Working with the Senate, we are appointing judges who will interpret the Constitution as written, including a great new Supreme Court Justice, and more circuit court judges than any new administration in the history of our country.”—President Trump
The president made it clear that his administration has plans for immigration reform that will at least for now stop past practices that have allowed many people to enter the country as family. And, he reiterated his plan to build a wall.
At the end of his address, Democrats seemed to flee the House chamber, and it was caught on camera for the entire country to see. It was visual reinforcement that many Democrats stubbornly will refuse to get over the fact that Trump won the presidency in 2016.
Tuesday’s State of the Union address affirmed that Trump is the president, and that he can act like it. An overnight CBS News poll found that 75 percent of respondents approved of the president’s address, while 25 percent disapproved. While President Trump seemed to hit his stride, Capitol Hill Democrats simply hit the road.
