Newsroom speculation to the contrary, he made the repeal of Obamacare a central aim of his program, and he promised to “build the wall.” He said those things because he understands that those were the chief reasons he was elected. It often seems that presidents by this stage of their term already have disappointed many of the people who voted for them. President Trump has not pulled the rug from beneath his supporters but he has not won over his opponents. With this speech, he truly tried to win them over, in many ways. How it all plays out in the coming weeks remains to be seen.
By John Shaffer President Trump gave the speech that many of us have been waiting for him to give, and one that many others thought (or hoped) he was incapable of giving. In a wide-ranging address to a Joint Session of Congress, he said many things that appealed to his base, but also plenty of things that appealed to a wider audience, and he said them positively, with a dignity and grace that previously he seemed to disdain. He showed pride in what he has achieved, but he was not arrogant. In numerous passages he reached out to the Democrat opposition. His delivery was first rate, his tone presidential, his vision statesmanlike – especially in contrast to some of the hurly-burly, the thin-skinned defensiveness and the schoolyard pugnacity of some of his previous statements. We hope this shift in attitude and demeanor is permanent. He came out strongly in favor of tax reform, immigration reform and extreme vetting of immigrants, regulatory relief, rebuilding the US military, and a massive program to revitalize American infrastructure through a public-private partnership. He laid forth a bold plan, as Presidents often do, and, typical of such occasions, many of the words and sentiments could have been spoken by previous holders of the office. But there was a spirit that connected with the audience, and an optimism that was absent from his previous speeches. There were some things that would not have been said by some other presidents, and they were refreshing. One was his support for crime victims, particularly of crimes committed by illegal immigrants. Another was his use of the words “radical Islamic terrorism.” Those are three words that the previous holder of the office probably never spoke in public. President Trump also emphasized that “people who want to come to America should love its people and its values.” He said another thing that it has been out of favor for the President to say: that it was his job to represent the United States of America, not the world.
Newsroom speculation to the contrary, he made the repeal of Obamacare a central aim of his program, and he promised to “build the wall.” He said those things because he understands that those were the chief reasons he was elected. It often seems that presidents by this stage of their term already have disappointed many of the people who voted for them. President Trump has not pulled the rug from beneath his supporters but he has not won over his opponents. With this speech, he truly tried to win them over, in many ways. How it all plays out in the coming weeks remains to be seen. Comments are closed.
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