Takeaways from Trump's State of the Union speech : NPR

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Photos Just one president in U.S. historical past has gone earlier than Congress throughout a State of the Union tackle and stated that the state of the union was "not good."

It wasn't President Trump on Tuesday.

It was Gerald Ford in 1975 with the nation going through related financial issues to as we speak's, together with excessive costs. Folks proceed to say that costs and the price of dwelling are their high issues, and so they blame Trump's insurance policies, notably his tariffs, for making issues worse.

However Trump ignored these financial warts, as a substitute boasting that "our nation is again" and that it had achieved a "turnaround for the ages."

All of it amounted to a reasonably commonplace Trump speech. It hit acquainted notes on immigration and tradition, was wide-ranging and record-setting — the longest spoken State of the Union tackle in latest historical past at 1 hour and 48 minutes — and had a typical quantity of Trump showmanship.

Listed below are 5 takeaways from what Trump needed to say on this midterm election yr:

1. Trump ignored the difficulties persons are going through with the economic system.

Voters have been saying for a very long time that costs and the price of dwelling are their high issues. It is largely what has landed Trump and the Republican Occasion in a precarious place forward of this yr's midterm elections.

And but, Trump largely ignored the financial hardships many are feeling. He gave a rosy outlook, touting the inventory market and decrease fuel costs. However the actuality is, it is simply not how voters are feeling, and Trump didn't have an "I really feel your ache" second on this speech.

Trump's approval rankings are at or close to document lows, and voters are blaming his insurance policies, notably his tariffs, for making issues worse. On this speech, he doubled-down on these tariffs. With the Supreme Court docket justices sitting simply toes away, he criticized their ruling final week that lots of his tariffs had been unlawful. He stated he had give you "different" authorized justifications for holding them in place.

2. Trump's midterm message is… not new

There was no novel political message from the president on this speech. Trump talked quite a bit about his political pastime horses: the woes of immigration, crime and the tradition wars. He tried to hit a reset button on immigration, specializing in border safety and crimes dedicated replete with gory anecdotal particulars.

It is a tactic that is lengthy been employed by Trump, the GOP and conservative media to advocate in opposition to immigration, notably when information does not again up allegations of upper ranges of crime dedicated by these within the nation with out authorized standing.

Trump's message labored in 2024, however two crucial issues have modified: (1) he owns the economic system now, and other people do not feel nice about it and (2) he has a document now on immigration. And whereas folks have stated in polling that they're in favor of deportations, they don't seem to be pleased with how his administration has gone about them — particularly since most of these rounded up don't have any felony document — and after two Individuals had been killed by federal officers in Minnesota in January.

3. There was no legislative agenda.

State of the Union addresses can typically descend into laundry lists of issues the president needs Congress to perform.

Not this speech.

There have been solely about half a dozen particular issues Trump requested Congress to do:

"Codify" Trump's makes an attempt to decrease drug costs, although it is unclear how.Cross the "Cease Insider Buying and selling Act" that might prohibit the Wall Avenue buying and selling of members of Congress and their spouses.Cross what Trump is looking the "Delilah Regulation" that might ban industrial licenses for immigrants within the nation with out authorized standing.Restore funding for the Division of Homeland Safety. After the killing of the 2 Individuals in Minnesota, Democrats refused to authorize new funding for DHS, resulting in a partial authorities shutdown. Cross the SAVE America Act, which might require proof of citizenship to vote. Confirmed cases of fraud, together with by noncitizens, are very uncommon, however Trump claims there may be "rampant" dishonest. It is one thing he has used to justify his 2020 election loss, and it is a declare he might use to solid doubt on this yr's final result — if Republicans lose.

Whereas these are actually consequential, they do not add as much as a serious legislative push. That is not shocking, although, since Trump has spent the higher a part of the final yr making an attempt to consolidate energy within the White Home.

4. The Democratic response had a variety.

State of the Union speeches have turned from staid to raucous up to now 16 years. Outbursts and protests have develop into extra widespread. That was actually the case Tuesday night time. Some Democrats boycotted. Others, like Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, shouted on the president about issues she discovered outrageous in the course of the speech. Rep. Al Inexperienced of Texas carried an indication that learn, "Black folks aren't apes," a reference to a Trump social media submit that includes a video that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first woman Michelle Obama as apes. For the second yr in a row, Inexperienced was faraway from the chamber.

Then there was Abigail Spanberger, the governor of Virginia, who had the duty of delivering the official Democratic response. Channeling the marketing campaign message that acquired her elected in November, she targeted on the economic system. Trump, by not addressing the difficulties persons are feeling concerning the economic system, gave Spanberger a gap, and he or she took it.

She hammered residence a pointy message that many Democratic candidates in swing districts will probably purpose to emulate. It has a superb likelihood of success, as Democrats look to flip solely a handful of seats to take management of the Home, and midterm elections usually are not variety to the occasion in energy — particularly when the president is unpopular.

Come 2028, although, there could possibly be a looking on the horizon for the Democratic Occasion on what it stands for and what course it needs to take the nation in a post-Trump world.

5. None of this may probably matter a lot politically as a result of views of Trump are "baked in."

After the most recent NPR/PBS Information/Marist ballot was launched final week, pollster Lee Miringoff, who conducts the ballot along with his colleagues at Marist College, stated Trump had a possibility "to try to reset with the nation, however it's a tall order when views about him are so baked in."

As an alternative of making an attempt to achieve out past his base, he resorted to making an attempt to bait Democrats, calling them "loopy" in an effort to place himself as "regular" on issues like immigration, crime and transgender rights.

And he turned the tackle right into a present. The gold-medal successful Olympic males's hockey crew was there. So had been veterans, who had been embellished, dwell on-camera, with medals of honor.

Trump might have missed a possibility to talk to voters' issues, particularly since presidents do not get that many alternatives to talk to the nation in prime time.