Tag: state-of-the-union

STATE OF THE UNION

The contents of this blog are a compendium of multiple media reports supplemented by my personal opinion where indicated.

In accordance with Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 of the US Constitution the President “shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” The Constitution does not offer any specifics, such as the date and manner of delivery.

President George Washington delivered the initial SOTU in person to a joint session of Congress on January 1, 1801. Thereafter, most presidents chose to deliver a written report. In 1913 President Woodrow Wilson broke with tradition and commenced the practice of delivering the SOTU in person. Later, with the advent of radio, then TV and later the internet, the SOTU began to be communicated live to a nationwide and worldwide audience. Traditionally, presidents have delivered the SOTU between January 1 and March 1.

Typically, presidents utilize the SOTU to present a positive account of their past accomplishments and prospective plans. Political sycophants in the audience frequently interrupt the speech to stand and applaud while political opponents often just sit stone-faced. Most viewers are aware that the SOTU is short on facts and long on politics, hyperbole and theatre. Fact checkers would have a field day. As the expression goes, “it is what it is.” It should be noted that the opposition party gets to offer a rebuttal.

Last night President Trump delivered the SOTU for 2026. Everyone will have his or her own opinion. Below please find my comments and takeaways:

  1. Trump’s speech was typical “Trump.” That is, he sprinkled the serious content with moments of humor and sarcasm. For example, on several occasions he chastised Dems in the audience for not standing up to acknowledge his special guests, and then when many of them (not Nancy Pelosi) did stand up to show support for the “Stop Insider Trading Act,” which aims to prohibit congressmen from profiting from trading on inside information, he feigned surprise. Undoubtedly, some of his detractors will criticize him for his style, but I loved it.
  2. Many Dems exhibited a considerable lack of class and professionalism. Approximately 70 of them boycotted the speech entirely; some texted; some interrupted by shouting slogans; one or two nodded off; once again Al Green had to be ceremoniously escorted out of the chamber; and most who did attend mostly sat on their hands even for poignant and patriotic moments.
  3. He admonished the Dems for their stance on various “80-20” issues, such as gender transition of minors without their parents’ consent or even knowledge, sanctuary policies, and opposing voter ID for elections. As I have blogged previously we all know that the only reason to oppose voter ID is to foster cheating.
  4. On several occasions he denoted that the Dems’ policies inexplicably favored illegal aliens over citizens, whereas the Repubs’ policies appropriately favor American citizens over illegals.
  5. He called out NYC mayor Mamdani for his hypocritical stance of requiring volunteer snow shovelers to present multiple forms of ID in stark contrast to his advocating no IDs to vote.
  6. He criticized Dems for causing multiple government shutdowns in order to defund ICE and to gain Medicare and other rights for illegals.
  7. He vowed to continue the fight to reduce healthcare costs.
  8. On the international front he mentioned the many peace deals he had brokered to settle longstanding conflicts and the ongoing negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas. He reiterated that Iran will “never” be allowed to possess nuclear capability. I believe Trump knows Iran is stalling (its version of a “rope a dope”), and he will attack sooner rather than later.
  9. My one criticism was he couldn’t resist admonishing the Supreme Court for its recent opinion, which struck down his “reciprocal tariff” policy. He characterized it as “a very unfortunate ruling.” He didn’t have to do that, particularly since his Administration is already pursuing alternate pathways to achieve his goal, and most of the other countries have indicated that they will honor their tariff agreements anyway. Moreover, he will need the court’s support on other crucial matters prospectively.
  10. He emphasized several of his major accomplishments, such as reducing inflation, improving the economy, passing the Big Beautiful Bill, closing the border, and drastically reducing the flow of fentanyl and other deadly drugs. Inflation, unemployment, food prices and gas at the pump are down. Oil production and the financial markets are up. (Remember, the financial markets are a leading indicator, so this bodes well for the economy prospectively.) The BBB will provide the most substantial income tax reduction for the middle and working classes in my lifetime, such as no tax on tips or overtime, reduced taxes on social security for most seniors and the advent of the “Trump Accounts” for children of American citizens.
  11. On several occasions he repeated the theme of patriotism. For example, he lauded the Olympic gold medal performance of the men’s hockey team. They had been his guests at the White House, and he introduced them to wild and sustained applause (even from some, but not all Dems in attendance). In addition, he presented the star goalie with the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. The women’s gold medal team was also invited. They could not attend due to a scheduling conflict, but it is expected that they will prospectively. He introduced a 100-yer-old veteran of the Korean War and a WWII veteran who will be celebrating his 100th birthday on July 4 and presented them both with the Congressional Medal of Honor.
  12. He touted America’s upcoming 250th Birthday Celebration on July 4 and its hosting of the 2026 World Cup this summer and the 2028 Republican Convention in 2028.

Conclusion

A sampling of post-speech polls was generally favorable. For instance, 54% believed that Trump was focusing on the right issues; a majority opined that his immigration and economic policies are “in line with the nation’s best interest;” 45% expressed full faith in his leadership; 43% support his using US military power “responsibly;” and a plurality of 38% felt that he would be able to deal with Iran “appropriately.” Respondents were evenly divided on his tariff policy. However, 45% felt he was paying insufficient attention to the cost of living, and 40% expressed “no confidence” that he could make things more affordable. These polls are merely a snapshot. They are informative but no means dispositive.

Since he entered politics Trump has been heavily criticized for many things, but one cannot deny his patriotism. His deep love for America is epitomized by his twin slogans “MAGA” and “America First.” When all is said and done, I, for one, will rest easily as long as he is the President.

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BIDEN’S SOTU ADDDRESS – ONE MAN’S OPINION

The following blog constitutes my assessment of President Biden’s 2024 SOTU address.

  1. To no surprise, based on the post-address media coverage, generally, one’s opinion and analysis of the SOTU depends on whether one is a Biden supporter or a Trump supporter.
  2. Biden’s supporters have been ebullient over the fact that his delivery was mostly devoid of any of the fumbling, stumbling and bumbling, which have characterized his public appearances over the last few years. I concede that this was true for the most part, but I would add that that was a very low bar to hurdle, akin to a high jumper clearing a two-foot bar.
  3. Like many observers I was struck by his tone. He came across as strident, almost shouting and lecturing. I found that very odd and off-putting. It was not typical of him at all. It was like he had drunk several cups of coffee or red bull or ingested some other kind of stimulant.
  4. In my experience, Presidents use the SOTU address to try to unify the electorate. It is their rare chance to address the entire electorate, to highlight their past accomplishments, present their vision for the future, and make the case that they are the person to lead us there. Yes, they want to present their record in the best possible light, but more importantly they want to heal, or at least alleviate any fractions between the two parties. Their message is conciliatory rather than contentious.
  5. Biden, on the other hand, did not do that. His address was more akin to a campaign speech. He played to his base rather than the broad electorate. I understand that he wanted to shore up his support on the left, but nonetheless I think that was a mistake. Every presidential candidate knows one has to appeal to the middle in order to win.
  6. He doubled down on his policies, which are largely unpopular.
  7. In the process he lied and exaggerated repeatedly. The most egregious were with respect to the border and the economy. For example, after spending three years telling us the border was secure, which was an obvious lie, he maintained that Congress had to pass a bi-partisan bill, which he supports, to fix it. He blamed Trump and the GOP for Congress’ inaction. He conveniently ignored the fact that (a) the border fiasco is entirely due to his policies and (b) he can resolve the problem on his own by issuing executive orders, which is how he caused it in the first place. Regarding the economy he tried to convince us inflation was the lowest in decades when anyone who has bought food, filled their gas tank or tried to buy or rent a home knows from personal experience that is a lie. All he did was demonstrate that he is out of touch with Americans’ daily lives and problems.
  8. He claims he supports Israel, but his actions speak to the contrary. For example, he continued to insist Israel must stand down, and he continued to advocate a two-state solution, which neither Israel nor Hamas wants. Furthermore, the proposed port in southern Gaza he is supporting is ill-advised. Humanitarian aid sounds good, but there is no guarantee the aid would get to the people for whom it is intended.
  9. He continued to exhibit absolutely no compassion for those Americans who have been victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants. Also, he refused to honor Laken Reilly, or even say her name until he was shamed into it. And after he was, he proceeded to mispronounce her name as Lincoln Reilly, twice, even though he had her name written on a card right in front of him. He compounded his error the next day when he apologized for using the term “illegals,” saying he should have referred to them as “undocumented,” which is a “wishy-washy” characterization favored by the far left. He did not apologize to the Reilly family for mispronouncing Laken’s name, and to my knowledge he still hasn’t.
  10. He did not address the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan or the names of those Americans who were killed as a result.
  11. He still has not addressed the rampant anti-Semitism in our schools and in our society in general.
  12. He continued to offer no meaningful solution to the rampant crime wave in our cities and the coddling of criminals.
  13. He continually tried to portray Trump as soft on Russia and being subservient to Putin when, in reality it is he who has demonstrated those characteristics.
  14. He basically ignored his and his family’s corrupt dealings with Russia, China and other enemy states.

CONCLUSION

In summary, I think Biden did very little to repair his image or expand his support base. I think he will continue to lose support among Hispanics and Blacks, which will not augur well for his chances for re-election.

It will interesting and illuminating to see what the post-address polls show.

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