By Jeffrey A. Rendall
President Donald Trump set an aggressive MAGA tone with his SOTU address on Tuesday
They never let well enough alone, do they?
Speaking of today’s Democrats, a frustrated, agitated and disgruntled lot who were determined to make a stink at Tuesday’s (first of second term) State of the Union Address for President Donald Trump, a man who’s no stranger to big stages, right on-point theatrical-quality political performances – and controversy.
Democrats weren’t about to allow Trump an additional two or so hours of fame to himself Tuesday night, letting it be known well in advance of the president’s appearance in the House chamber that a bunch of them wouldn’t be there. I think several indicated they’d rather stick needles in their eyes than listen to the president talk about Americans and patriotic values. Sad, isn’t it?
According to the Fox folks, 73 Democrats allegedly didn’t show their somber grimacing faces for the Trump performance, though their seats were mostly filled… and the ones that came mostly behaved themselves, though Rep. Al Green got escorted out – again this year – a few minutes into the oration.
I can’t say for sure, but the absent outcasts probably huffed and puffed and expelled hot air to the greatest extent their lungs would permit them to… and they still couldn’t blow down the fanfare surrounding another national appearance from the two-time president who rarely seems bothered by childish, over-the-top grandstanding from the opposition.
By his very appearance on Capitol Hill, Trump demonstrated that he won. The Democrats lost. And there wasn’t a human force on earth that could’ve kept Trump away from the grand spectacle and for him to take his sweet time pointing out all the great things he’s done for America and to lay out for all who listened what he intended to do for the upcoming year.
As forecasted, the speech lasted just short of two hours. With the usual interruptions, ovations, Trump embellishments – and shaming the Democrats to their faces – the minutes expended themselves, though the time didn’t drag and at only a couple points did the content stretch beyond a reasonable level.
Democrats could only stew in their own bile. They didn’t look happy… the ones present, at least.
One of the many highlights arrived when the president invited the gold-medal winning men’s U.S. Hockey team to enter the chamber and receive their just appreciation and heartfelt adoration from America’s political class. Democrats must’ve recognized how awful it would’ve made them seem to remain seated and stoic why the attendees shouted “U-S-A” over and over, the players appearing to bask in a moment they’ll recall for a lifetime.
For a moment there, America almost felt like itself again. Smiles and laughter and cheering and clapping… the partisan bickering and threats (from the Democrats) were forgotten. Temporarily. Or set to the side. The good feelings didn’t endure.
Trump took advantage of his many opportunities to chide the Democrats for their over-the-top antics on Tuesday night. Did he rub it in? Perhaps. I’d suggested to Trump that he strike a more conciliatory tone with his remarks so as to appeal to the persuadable slice of Americans who might be open to hearing what he had to say and set the tone for the upcoming midterm campaign.
Instead, there were moments where the president figuratively rubbed the Democrats’ proverbial noses into the carpet as though they were pooches who’d purposely messed in the living room.
As would be expected, Trump generously touched on whatever he’s worked on in the past 14 or so months, which is pretty much everything he promised to address if the American people gave him another shot at Making America Great Again in 2024. Trump fans and enemies alike have taken note of how aggressive and unrelenting the president has been since he reassumed office, hitting the ground running as though he never left and clearly acting as though he was cheated out of his second term birthright. The word “unabashed” came to mind as Trump looked to his left and right when emphasizing points on various topics.
The president even hinted at staying for a third term. It was a perfunctory gesture. The camera didn’t capture the Democrats’ reactions, but panic must’ve run up the spines of the opposition members. Nancy Pelosi was there, looking much older than her years (almost 86) and clearly craving another chance to rip up the Trump text in front of the world. Not tonight, Nancy.
Going into the evening, everyone figured Trump would devote a great deal of time to topics where Republicans should enjoy an advantage. These included the SAVE America Act, where surveys show Americans of all political stripes favor Voter ID and other elections integrity measures. The economy was destined to command a big chunk of his attention. And Immigration, as always, both legal and illegal. And don’t forget crime. And foreign policy. Yeah, all those things.
Did Trump fulfill his primary goal for the evening – did he make his case to the persuadable voters?
I think (hope?) he did, aided by an ensemble of American heroes Trump employed to demonstrate his various arguments and emphasize how America is thriving instead of being held back by the MAGA agenda. Trump cited a number of statistics when describing the economy, which probably drifted over the heads of lay audience members who watched the program just for the spectacle of it all.
The president also stared down the four members of the Supreme Court who attended, Chief Justice John Roberts in particular, who held a steady gaze when singled out. Are tariffs a thing of the past? Not likely, as Trump said he intended to use a wealth of legal principles to continue his mission to make trade fair – and profitable – again.
As happens in every Trump orchestrated appearance, there were lots of emotional highlights to fill the program. There were families, including the cuter-than-cute little girl Delilah, 100-year-old veterans, a wounded hero of the Venezuelan mission (who received the Congressional Medal of Honor on the spot), Angel parents, Erika Kirk, and the first family, who were captivated by their elder statesman. All-in-all, it was quite a show.
As for the Democrats, I would’ve thought that even they would be smart enough to surmise that it benefits themselves – and their party – to show up at the annual State of the Union address and show appreciation where warranted. I don’t recall offhand whether there were any Republicans who were so offended and disjointed so as to stay away from any of President senile Joe Biden’s four such events (the first being an address to a joint session of Congress), correctly figuring that a strong, united (in appearance) GOP presence was superior to the implication of protest conveyed by a smattering of empty seats.
Wouldn’t there be a slice of the American voting public that could/would be turned off by the standoff-ish Democrat behavior? Didn’t they basically make Trump look like the adult in the room without uttering a word? At times?
Nevertheless, Senator Adam “Shifty” Schiff didn’t occupy a seat. Neither did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, freshly back from her disastrous performance at the recent Munich Security Conference. Did anyone notice they (and others) weren’t there? But Schiff in particular probably figured he’s gone about as far as he’s ever gonna go in politics, so why be present just for prudence?
Who knows, maybe Bad Bunny performed at one of the Democrat counter-protest events. No one would’ve made note. Or cared. Just like in the Super Bowl halftime show a few weeks ago.
If there was an overriding theme to Tuesday Night’s SOTU, it was a plea to the nation to permit Republicans to return to common sense from the policies of the Democrats. Trump laid out the ways the Biden agenda hurt the country, and offered examples of how his issue solutions were steadily making things better. The MAGA energy agenda alone helped rein-in inflation and gas prices have dropped to the point where real people will take note of the improvements. The recent huge snowstorm in the northeast was mentioned, and the president said he would’ve helped them dig out, but Democrats held up funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Take that, Democrats!
Democrats’ antagonism has its consequences. And there are lots of illegal alien criminals who aren’t around in America any longer, thanks to Trump and the Republicans. The State of the Union address was the perfect moment to advance the point.
The question is whether Trump’s signature performance will make a difference in the 2026 campaign, which, as predicted, basically received a bit of a reset and jumpstart on Tuesday night. A biased observer who relies on common sense and understands how things work in the macro economy would be impressed with Trump’s showing and measured spelling out of his policies.
As always, Trump entertained the nation for a couple hours on a Tuesday evening where the vast majority of folks didn’t have many offerings to detract from his stage. Were there enough persuadable voters tuning in to make a difference?
I didn’t watch Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger’s Democrat response, though I heard she spouted much of the same nonsense from the party looking to slow the MAGA train. I guess time will tell.
The aftermath of every Trump State of the Union speech is filled with hope that Americans will cut through all of the Democrats’ and establishment media’s negativity and at least give the president and Republicans in Congress a chance to not only correct the mistakes of the past, but also blaze a trail for a bright future.
Here’s thinking Trump hit a grand slam with his SOTU address on Tuesday evening. Will he get to keep the ball?
Jeff Rendall is editor and publisher of GolfintheUSA.com and has written about golf and politics for over a quarter of a century. A non-practicing attorney from California, he moved to the east coast three decades ago to pursue and combine his interests in all things American history and culture. Jeff has worked as an intern on Capitol Hill and in various capacities in grassroots organizing and conservative organizations and publications, including a nearly two-decade stint at ConservativeHQ.com. Column republishing or other inquiries: Rendall@msn.com .