Whichever Trump shows up for the SOTU, the past 12 months make it clear that the real Trump will remain as always the unexamined, narcissistic, misogynistic, xenophobic, racist,..., bully he has revealed himself to be on his Twitter feed and in his political rally performances. The sad truth is that even a bad performance tonight will likely create a bump in his abysmal polling numbers. That's just the way it works with polling.
Would the NYT please stop the relentless focus on "Trump's most fervent supporters"? Some effort to capture the attitudes and thinking of the rest of the American public would be appreciated. You are leaving most of the country out of the frame of your reporting.
Can't stomach it and I don't plan to subject myself to the hateful diatribe, lies, bigotry, and hypocrisy of this pitiful example of humanity.
Instead, I plan to watch the warriors play. Not only fun to watch but win or lose, always handled gracefully. And as Durant made clearly a week ago, more than ready to accept mistakes and offer apologies, something sorely lacking in this depraved human being who somehow conned this country into the presidency.
Lots of other things to do. A walk, dinner with family or friends, a good book, etc. I would enjoy hearing of his reaction and accompanying lies if this was the lowest rated State of the Union (Or dis-Union in this case).
The way that the mainstream media is continuing to cover Trump is baffling. It's as if they think they're still dealing with a competent, serious politician, when in reality they are dealing with a dangerous clown.
1
Trump to GOP advisors now that they are making money and wrecking the country and holding DACA hostage.
“I’ll go by the script and sound moderate” maybe he’ll be unable to do that! The economy pitch will lead.
Increased the national debt in the backs of the middle class
How are those coal mining jobs going?
2
I don't care what Trump supporters think!
2
Maxine Waters said it all when asked why she will not attend the speech. "Why would I take my time to sit there to listen to a liar."
I will not watch. The mute button on my TV remote is wearing out because it is instantly pressed anytime the maniac's face appears on TV and I see his snarling mouth open to spew out the latest lies.
I hope he goes off script tonight and loses control. It might help on the all-to-slow road to rid this country of its worst scourge since its founding,
5
How about a far out, off the wall prediction of things to come in February and March. First, the President fires Rob Rosenstein. The President persuades Jeff Sessions to leave the AG's job and become senior adviser at the White House
(the old saw "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" so he can keep an eye on Jeff Sessions. He then appoints Devin Nunez either AG or Deputy AG and Nunez is confirmed by the VP breaking the tie at his confirmation meeting before the Senate. Nunez fires Mueller. Jim Mattis, Secretary of Defense orders the military to the 50 largest cities in the U.S. instituting mashall law.
Putin laughs while vacationing in the Black Sea..
1
Will Democrats sit and do nothing while Trump boasts of False accomplishments?
Will they stand by while Trump calls the Press "Fake," or the Russian Investigation a waste?
Willl the Congress sit politely and passively listen (or applaud!) while they are lectured to by an ignorant bullying buffoon?
Better to walk out - or not attend at all!
The Press and others are downplaying this first State of the Union Speech - but it's far more important. This is a measure of how much Fakery and Threat the Congress, Nation... and the World will swallow.
Really? News to me. Most people I talk to are hoping he is very inclusive and even-keeled. Me thinks your headline indicates you HOPE he will have a hard edge to give you easy fodder for another week of click-baiting, cringe-inducing headlines to feed your base. Time to call your motivations in headline selection for what they are really are.
Generally speaking, the media needs to stop putting Trump supporters on a pedestal. They’re opinions really are not that interesting.
3
Heaven forbid that Donald tries to be president of the whole country instead of just his base. Besides, as Donald has said, he could shoot someone and his base wouldn't care. But what Donald says to the rest of the country may have more of an impact than flinging red meat to his base.
1
More demagoguery!, more turpitude!, demanded his minions, who claim to be “good Christians”.
A disgusting person, and a disgusting group of people, are in power, and the only thing I can do at this point is to work to vote them out and not engage with them in any way. I will not listen to any speeches, or read any articles written in NYT if they choose to pretend he is something other than unforgivable.
1
Kills me that anyone sees Trump as a "master negotiator."
1
I’m not so sure many of Trump’s supporters really want to see the country “more unified” - based on what I read on the Internet many of them seem to long for material harm to befall their Democratic-voting countrymen.
Not nice to say but hard for me at least to escape the conclusion that it’s true. Why pretend “unity” when it no longer exists?
1
If Trump reminded Congress tonight that there were "good people" on both sides in Charlottesville, and then tried to lead Congress in a reprisal of the Charlottsville Nazi chant "Jews will not replace us," you can bet that by tomorrow some Republicans in Congress would be vociferously arguing that they heard him say "reinstate" instead of "replace," and that Sarah Huckabeee Sanders would dutifully assert that the president is "not a politician" and people love him because he does not use "politically correct" language.
3
Talk is cheap, and propaganda is meaningless.
SWho cares what he says? Everything hesays is a lie. Everything big or small. Our President is a liar. If he can out and said we have to go to war because A,B or C I would think he is doing it to deflect or make money off it.
4
Who cares ? You gotta dance with who bring ya, as the old saying goes. You elected this semi literate fool and this is what you get.
6
I wonder how many will be watching 45. I for one, will pass.
I predict enough will watch 45 for entertainment. But if you have been following the news lately, this is no entertainment, rather, our democracy in peril.
And it is Year One.
3
His speech will just be more meaningless blah-blah, full of self-praise for his vast "accomplishments" of the past year, and plans for the future that he will conveniently forget, overturn, or completely deny he ever committed to. It's a good night for a good book.
4
Forecast for tonight: dark, with gradual light toward November.
8
Given all the nonsense over the attendance at the inauguration, I'm sure this so-called pres will be just as concerned about the viewer ratings/stats on this speech. At this point, I have no interest in the meaningless utterances of this windbag, and I'm certainly not watching it.
6
"Celebrity Apprentice"
part Whatever. The guy still has no clue.
3
Oh boy. For better or for worse this will be a state of the union address to remember. The way I see it one of two Donald Trump’s will show up at the podium tonight. The first Trump we might see is the Trump who has made numerous sexist and racist comments and is only there to brag about his empty achievements and simple goals he has met. The other Trump we might witness, let’s call him Trump #2, will really come into his own not as a businessman, but as the president of the United States. He will impress and inform people in the way of really digging deep into what’s going on in America and perhaps show us that he can be a capable leader. For the sake of myself, my family, and all of America, I hope Trump #2 shows up tonight and delivers the speech of his life. I’ve got high hopes for our president on this historic day, don’t mess this up Donald.
There's no hard edge to Trump. As has been said he's a bowl of among other things, jello. He will say whatever it takes to get praise, make a buck or serve his master, Putin.
4
Honestly, it doesn't matter what this guy says. His first year proved he's not trustworthy on any issue or even sane on some.
7
As the minutes till the State of The Union address tick away, tension is mounting to a sheer unbearable level, for tonight Donald Trump must be Presidential and speak coherently for several minutes.
But he is as Presidential as my pet Pogona 'Bristles,' whose facial expression resembles his. And to date his public utterances have been notably lacking in coherency. Many are wondering, How bad will it be? As bad as “egg on his face”? With this President no one can say.
2
trump opponents fear speech will lack its usual edge.
Sounds like Trump is going to turn the speech into some cheesy fundraiser with names flashing by. Money can't buy class for Donald.
5
Why is this an article? What about the 70% of us losing our minds over the fact that lie after lie, criminal act over criminal act, spew forth and no one in the GOP sees fit to be part of the checks and balances we need? I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. Truth doesn't matter, facts don't matter, law and propriety don't matter. And that's all *before* most of the consequences kick in.
9
Tiki torches don't provide enough light for the TV cameras.
4
Sigh: it's SUPPOSED to be bipartisan since it is, after all, the "State of the Union", not the state of a party nor the state of POTUS'S mind at the moment.
It is SUPPOSED to embrace the whole country and all citizens!
1
IF TRUMP PLANS TO BRAg ABOUT THE ECONOMY, let him try to explain away yesterday and today's stock drop of nearly 500 points. Which alarm bells just went off?
4
Why do they look for "edge?" Is that all that counts anymore? Since when did controversy and chaos matter as what the President of the United States stood for?!
So much has changed for the worse - and in just a year too!
3
If Republicans hadn’t fought against Obama’s original stimulus package, Trump would have had a lot more to take credit for tonight !
2
No one has mentioned Trump's biggest supporter so I'll ask, where is Putin sitting and how far will he need to reach to get Trumps lips to move?
One term.
3
Once you derailed from the script, it is often not easy to come back to the right place. Yes, it is a must-watch TV thrillingly expecting unexpected chaos.
Glad to hear French words such as 'Carnage' and 'Cabal' have been eliminated. A Popular President, a representative of The People, does not confuse his supporters with foreign vocabulary, although it does not explain why I woke up this morning humming 'The Marseillaise'.
'The Forgotten Ones' was used in The Right's speeches (these were abandoned cats in London during WWII). By the way, Americans are still being forgotten in the rural regions not far from the City, but we are coping better than expected. Trump apparently suggested that there was nothing to be done to enhance our quality-of-living, and that we should move to Wisconsin with Toto.
When watching T.V., there was a popular show where people fell left and right. People of all ages on home videos, and apparently this was very funny. It is plausible that with the same glee, some of Trump's detractors are hoping to see him bumble and stumble, wheeze and baby-talk through The State of The 'Uniom' Address. If Europe asks later what happened, one could be blunt and say that it is a slight disability.
A staunch Republican acquaintance is going to sleep early. This American is not going to watch this President suffer, because it is mean-spirited. What Trump does, or says is a reflection on all of us, and he will be a lucky camper if somebody declares he was 'presidential', or did his 'homework well'.
The First Lady will be fine, and thinking of their son; an Awful Time in History.
1
It will be a series of braggings about the economy, Big Plans For the Future, and a reinforcement of America First. More of the typical circus sideshow snake oil stuff that his supporters love. With some lip service about The Importance of Bipartisanship.
1
I will not watch this speech. It is impossible to fix what is wrong with Trump without getting rid of Trump. We just need to steel ourselves to come together to defeat him and hold him to account for the damage he has done to our country, Constitution, and place in the world.
2
All right now, considering how many different personalities that Trump has, I hear that Twitter is taking bets on which one of Donald's or whatever his other personality's names are come out during the State of the Union.
2
President Trump is today's version of Archie Bunker. Archie simply said what was on his mind, and a large number of Americans had heard/said similar or identical things around their own dinner tables. The age of being politically correct is fading because the people who championed politically correct speech are now aging and getting closer and closer to retirement. And, as one ages, it's not unusual for someone to become more conservative....especially fiscally conservative.
It will be as dull and lifeless as his Davos speech last week. He's been hog tied by WH staff and lawyers. The good news is because others are writing it has a shot at being quasi-bipartisan. If they let him free form up there he would only take about how great he is, HRC's emails, the FBI, and fake news.
7
his hard edge, or fact free edge? i mean those polar ice caps never knew they were in such good shape.
13
Don’t bother watching it.... tomorrow he’ll probably deny he was even there.
31
The only reason I would watch the address tonight is if I thought Hillary Clinton was going to show up with Stormy Daniels and sit next to Melania during the speech. It would make up for that stunt Donald pulled during the debates:)
21
Who even cares? I haven't seriously watched TV for 50 years and I lived in DC longer than Trump or Reagan or Obama (even though I voted for him each time and he was a lousy POTUS): 41 years in the Nation's Capital. Must watch TV? Who says so? I'll go to my New England Town Meeting and be asleep by 9PM and perhaps I'll read about it tomorrow in the inevitable BOLD headlines on the web!!! And no, my head's NOT up where the sun don't shine... I'm just not into popular kultur
4
Hey, man, I can understand. How about doing us all a favor in 2018, 2020 and the future by not voting. Ever. Again!
1
Totally agree. An absolute and total waste of time regardless who’s in office - but even moreso with this guy.
Edge? Ha, nothing but #FakeFacts from the #LiarInChief. So my 401k is up... Not helpful to unemployed childhood friends from my hometown. 40 years of wage stagnation is not what they deserve.
6
We now cater to the voters who choose ignorance and check their stomachs rather than brains for their positions. I wish they'd get library cards and start reading American history. They have an outsized opinion of their opinions.
16
It’s going to be an hour of the usual Trump word salad. Those who will subject themselves to it will be no more enlightened or encouraged when they switch off their TVs for the evening than they were when the speech started — they’ll probably be more confused, par for the course whenever he speaks.
“State of the Uniom” (misprint on the admission ticket) sums up this clown show perfectly. Pretenders to greatness, yet falling way short of the mark.
9
I agree with CANADA that the Trump speech tonight will be one of the least watched speeches ever. His mini supporters may love their TV star blindly but the rest of us won’t watch for fear we might smash in our TV sets.
The American president is heartily despised by the masses and we want the whole world to know that. His slimy actions against the FBI, the Justice department and Mueller investigation this week have only hastened our hatred of this criminal. We want this sexual predator out of office.
21
Hahaha you wish!!! Its the Grammys and Golden and Nighttime hosts and NFL whose ratings have dropped to their VERY LOWEST in history!!! For it is True Americans who love and support our wonderful President Trump and First Lady
Great job President Trump!!
I will not be watching his meaningless speech, too sickening.
19
Trump is the president. There is nothing that can be done. We do not elect presidents by popular vote, by electoral vote.
Trump supporters should be heard, they elected him via electoral college.
Lets hear what he has to say.
9
"I would rather stick needles in my eyes." - Jack Nicholson from the film "Terms of Endearment."
25
I don’t agree.... tomorrow he’ll probably deny he was even there.
The marketing background shows - an inclusive speech "in tone, if not in substance" is just more marketing drivel. Destroy the country - but use a nice soothing tone while doing so.
It's all Trump has ever been - all image, no substance. Its how he made his money - on image.
17
With all of the Russia news, and the GOP cover-up, and the talk of purging the FBI there is really only one question to ask:
Where's Rudy?
Remember Mr. Giuliani, loudly and repeatedly bragging about his FBI information pipeline? About the leaks to come?
Is the NY Field office still under investigation? Comey was looking into that before he was fired.
Where's Rudy?
Trump supporters are rubes. Plain and simple. They've replaced religion with a demagogue.
22
A new year, a new theme, and the end of trump's first act. Let's wait for the finale...
2
which can't come soon enough.
1
Will Trump finally address in his speech the ongoing Russian invasion of our country? I don't think he will, but I do hope to hear something about this from Kennedy. Wake up America, or start learning Russian.
9
The Republicans have lost the younger generation of voters by catering exclusively to its dwindling aged base.
14
All he has to do is wink and his base will get it. This is something he has to do.
1
Rumor has it that spooky crazy Stephen Miller has written Trump’s speech. Only a few faithful will be watching anyway but nonetheless the rest of America will learn of what Trump says.
Talk on the street is angry and restive. The president is despised by the majority and I have heard threats of violence. I am afraid for my family but also my country.
17
I have never watched or listened to a State of the Union speech in my many decades on the planet and I emphatically don't plan to start now. Leaving aside the ultimate meaninglessness of every SOTU speech at least as far back as Nixon, simply hearing a sound byte from the Blatteroon in Chief makes me snarl. Nope, time to cue up some blues on the Victrola and dream of better days ahead.
9
I wonder if the recent 600 point drop in the DOW will offset his boasting about how brilliant he is in business matters (Wharton Biz School and all), and how wonderfully the economy is doing under his watch. A market adjustment is coming very soon, and those who are of the misguided opinion that what goes up, must stay up, are in for a rude awakening.
12
no he does not. the 13% of stock holders that own 87% of the stocks issued control the market.
it is their ponzi scheme to control and manipulate.
This will be the first time we've seen The Third Lady in quite a while.
I guess all those Stormy Daniels inspired blood tests took a long time.
10
"But even so, the hard-line nationalist wing of Mr. Trump’s coalition is worried that he is about to go soft again"
The hard-line nationalists? Really? You couldn't even bother to say "white nationalists"? I couldn't hope for "white supremacists", of course. But "hard-line nationalists" is a euphemism that softens who you're talking about.
9
I’m curious to see how he manages to blame the recent drops in the stock market on Barack Obama.
13
Well, he managed to take credit for an economic recovery started under Obama despite obstruction by a GOP Congress. A Jobs Bill was poisoned and tabled; Obama still managed to create 800,000 jobs. The GOP refused to fund infrastructure repair, maintenance or development. The ACA survived with no subsidies. We have an unqualified man in the WH; he knows nothing about legislation or governance. He is coarse and rude. He follows a gentleman, a constitutional scholar, and a man dedicated to good government. Wall St. is up? Wall St. does not reflect the state of the economy; it reflects the state of investors' confidence. They will take their winnings and bail with short sells. Ordinary Americans are not "investors"; they might benefit from Mutual Funds managed by rich investors. They won't ever be rich.
1
He will blame it on the Russia witch hunt
1
We already know the state of the union: an angry, intellectually vacant narcissist as president and congressional Republicans who have no discernible moral/ethical compass. Listening to the incompetent-in-chief pretend to be presidential would be simultaneously pathetic and a complete waste of valuable time. We have met the enemy and it is them.
Eclectic Pragmatism — http://eclectic-pragmatist.tumblr.com/
Eclectic Pragmatist — https://medium.com/eclectic-pragmatism
16
I realize that the NYT usually takes a civilized tone with respect to,its choice of words. However, “hard edge” doesn’t fully convey what the base likes to hear.
To me, the following terms are more accurate: venom, bile, hate, fear, suspicion, excrement, prejudice...
As much as I loathe Trump, I have little but contempt for his base. Trump is likely hard wired to be what he is. The base? Many of them have chosen to play the role of the “tough guy” with little reason to account for it.
31
The Dow fell 362 points today. Think Trump will mention that in his speech?
21
Former NBC anchor and reporter, Tom Brokaw, and Michael Beschloss, presidential historian, were guests on MSNBC/Katy Tur's program, today. She began by showing a clip of Nixon's last SOTU address, January, 1974, where we see/hear him assert he has given documentation to the counsel regarding what is known as "Watergate" and what will clear anyone of wrongdoing. Brokaw was the on-air reporter who covered that address. 8 month later, Nixon resigned. Both agreed that those who watch the SOTU agree with the president who is speaking. It's not a rating's bonanza.
5
I am incredulous.
First of all, Trump is a horrible speech reader. It's clear that he has little or no cognizance of the scope or nuance of what he's reading.
He's a one-note, off-key entertainer with a limited vocabulary singing a repetitive, monotonous chorus. But, then, the article makes clear that he is mouthing the words of others--others who are often fanatical in their ideologies or in their ignorance.
If I listened to the SOTU (which I won't--can't listen to the man for more than 30 seconds), I am pretty I would not be among the projected wide swath of Americans with whom the speech might resonate.
And to quibble. Sarah Sanders, COY? I think not. SLY, maybe, but COY...nope.
23
Insufficient volume, a minor reduction in more-American-than-thou ranting and in "I'm right; you're wrong" tomfoolery. How can we nurse extremist, right-wing zealots through their disappointment and depression?
6
All I want to hear from him is "I resign". Other than that, I'm really not interested in anything he has to say.
62
All the staunch republican die hard nationalists are people I would not want as a neighbor. Neither to live in their county nor to do business with them. I wish them no harm but they want to harm others.
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in," Matthew 25:35
You shall rise up before the gray headed and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD. 33 When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34'The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself" Leviticus 19:33
18
Just remember that the Bible is a compilation of human experience in fable form, not the scribings of any divine creator guiding the various author's hands from the far side of the sky.
1
That does not diminish the ethical message of Jesus’s teachings.
1
Any bets he brings up no collusion...??
12
I hope the Democrats have a surprise guest of their own: Stormy Daniels! Now THAT would be ‘don’t miss’ TV...
15
Hillary should show up with Stormy and sit next to Melania. I agree with you that it would be good t.v. and might get Donald his best ratings ever.
4
No, thanks. Perhaps our so-called president should give his State of the Union address from his “office”, aka his bed, in his PJs with a cheeseburger or two.
P.S. Looking forward to Maxine Waters’ response to his speech:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/maxine-waters-respond-donald-trump-172049532....
16
Looking forward to young Kennedy's response. Glad to see a Kennedy back in the game.
2
In all honesty, who cares what Trump supporters fear? These are the same women who ran around with arrows on their stomachs saying, "you can grab me anytime you want!" Right? These are the same men who were willing to take to the streets with guns if Trump lost the election, right? These are the same people who elected a semi-literate, racist, grossly misogynist, lying, cheating man who cares about nothing except making business deals, right? These are the people who cheered when Trump wanted to "lock her up," when he said that all Mexicans were rapists and drug dealers. I'm supposed to care about what these people fear? I don't think so.
36
Recent articles in the NYT reminded me that Trump anyone who wants to understand Trump supporters should review videos and written descriptions of his campaign rallies.
4
His supporters want Trump to scream obscenities into the camera to liven up their empty lives? I turn down the volume or change the channel whenever Trump comes on. No way I'm wasting any of my time on Teleprompter Trump trying to read more of Steven Miller's hate-filled tirades in that whiny voice of his.
24
I've learned to hit the mute button very deftly.
1
When he gives a speech in which thre truth is spoken , I'll listen. When he gives a speech in which he gives true credit to the multitude of people who deserve it, I'll listen. When he changes from the ego- driven, narcissistic maniac he is and has always been, I'll listen. When he actually tries to improve this country, its citizens lives, climate control, ecology, education, healthcare, then I'll listen.
UNTILL then, I would just like him to shut up. Thank you.
14
Trumpista's have nothing to fear. Even if he gives lip service to any moderation, it will mean nothing. He will simply be a liar doing what he does best. Lying.
14
wonders when so many of us Americans became callous, vengeful, bullying brutes, who delight in petty, vindictive acts of humiliation, degradation, oppression, and subjection, and petty, mean-spirited, wallowing in over-weening victim-blaming, self-righteous hypocrisy, and shameless Schadenfreude about the misery of those deemed to be the "other."
12
I've really come to loathe this scripted drama of stony faced opposition to bobbing cheerleaders at the most inane nonsense imaginable. It is theater of the absurd at its worst. There is no hallowed halls anymore, just sets and props, Generals, judges, sycophants, tools and glad-handers: who would ever want to shake this guys hand, what has he ever done for anyone but himself.
Maybe it was never different but Trump has brought out the complete an utter absurdity of it. This guy is telling me what the state of the union is: He doesn't have the capacity to articulate the state of his mind. I wish I could escape from the internet, the tweets, the TV or any other form of electronic media and just read the paper the next day. Digest the news, form my opinions and vote in November. NO MORE PLEASE!
16
A speech doesn't matter. We know the hate in his heart for everyone excluding his base.
We have had years listening,watching him,videos capture the moments of lies and hate by him and his administration.
American people are not fools that he thinks we are. I just hope he practices his speech before he reads it.
11
I disagree, Tony. He may hate Democrats but it’s mt observation that he feels nothing but contempt for his base. All you have to do is look at the details of TrumpCare and the more recent tax legislation, giving 85% of the tax breaks to the 1%, and you see the true anchor of his allegiance...and it’s not his poor base. He’s more like an abusive parent, telling a child that the beating he’s taking is for his own good. Don’t kid yourself: Trump hates everyone, including himself.
1
Yes, because ideologues can never be statesmen - they must always remain ideologues
1
I will not be watching. It will be full of lies, so why give him my time? I have been donating to Democrats and will continue to support them with the hope we can retake the House, but I will no longer give this tyrant my time or energy. I turn the radio off every time he speaks. Sorry, NPR, but I cannot listen to him anymore.
16
The speech starts at 9pm?
But that's nearly 2 hours after his bedtime.
I might just watch after all...he'll be drooling by 9:30.
15
The Republican representative from Ohio, Jim Jordan says he is willing to accept a dignified tone from the president. Wow, that's quite a concession. The idea that with the country bitterly divided, it might be acceptable for the president to give a speech wihout being insulting and nasty.
2
Is the word "edge" the politically correct word for rude, immature, and belligerent? Because that is mostly what comes out of Trump's mouth...words that are rude, immature, and belligerent.
15
I won't be watching a phony State of the Union speech. The majority of the country know the "state of the union" already and its going down in flames along with the oligarchs they represent. Trump and the Republican Party are nothing but liars...thats what they do best. Besides, why should I give the corporate media ratings? They surely don't deserve it because they too are responsible for the sorry state of affairs this nation is mired in.
15
This article says it all. Trump's sociopathic solipsism, provocations, and gaslightling of others, is a feature, not a bug, for his followers. It implies that his followers are simply not reachable, even with goodwill.
7
I have to add that humiliating anyone is a prescription for hatred, with generational consequences. And that the daily humiliations that many of Trump's followers experience are felt deeply and exploited by Trump. Amplifying contempt is counterproductive .
1
“It will obviously be must-watch TV.”
Really? I think not. There is a "Hawaii Five-0" rerun that I absolutely "must watch" at the same time.
13
" ... divisive notes, insulting asides and mystifying non sequiturs ... " Indeed. After the endless juvenile insults to Ms. Clinton, Sen. Schumer, Sen. Sanders, Democrats in general, etc., etc., it would be ludicrous for Mr. Trump to promote bipartisanship. He would be the new poster boy for chutzpah.
6
Trump supporters be aware. The American public on the street is talking physical resistance. I have overheard open talk of revolution myself and I must believe they mean it.
5
Revolution?
Can we at least assume that you reported this highly concerning matter to your president or the authorities didn't you?
1
Can't watch tonight.
There's a new 'Test Pattern' the wife and I are dying to see.
8
Hard, soft, who knows? My guess is that he goes for "statesmanlike'. As Trump demonstrated in his senate speech back in March, he is able to read the words from a teleprompter and sound reasonable and rational, and he will most probably follow the same pattern in his State of the Union address. But as he has demonstrated every single day since, everything he says is utterly disingenuous and therefore meaningless. Trump cannot stick to one of his stated positions for the same amount of time that my toy poodle can walk on her hind legs. How he speaks tonight is irrelevant; it will all be forgotten with the next outrage and the next tweet tomorrow.
2
I can't imagine anyone outside the president's woefully small base and those more or less required by their profession to do so has the stomach to actually listen to it.
6
Is there any reason to watch these speeches? It will just be upsetting and there won't be any new information in it. Used to be one listened because it was one of the few times the President actually spoke to the public. We hear directly from Mr Trump all the time, what is the point of this address?
5
Really? We're worried about trump supporters now? The fiddle while our democracy burns.
4
Trump will brag, he will show off and he will take credit for much...most of which will in truth have nothing to do with anything he has actually done except to tell as many as he can it was...is because of him.
He won't be able to help himself and one thing I think we can almost be certain of is that The State of the Union will more likely be a snapshot of the State of Trump's Ego.
Meanwhile in irony and indicative of actual reality, the real State of the Union is that it is rife with Division, Disunity and Discord. As the Rich get Richer and the rest get more desperate and the people more disparate...there is increasingly, as much of a Union as there is of a United States...what both share in what almost seems to be at the one of it's highest points in years is a shared common value between both...
Disunity.
4
No matter what Donald Trump says in his "must-watch TV" State of the Union address tonight, the Democrats have an obvious rejoinder: "The state of the union is divided, and all of the president's acts and words during his first year in office have served only to deepen that divide. He has proven time and again that his word means nothing, so anything he said tonight will soon be replaced by tomorrow's Tweets."
4
I hope he talks more about how he won election. This story doesn't get old for some people.
4
Trump will be reading from a teleprompter. The words will not be his. Any appeal for Americans to work together will not be what he truly believes. Any appeal for bipartisanship will not be what he truly believes. Any statement that he supports the rights of all citizens will not be what he truly believes. We all know what he truly believes. So I will give a miss to listening to this speech.
14
1. As Obama and so many others have shown, when the words written on the teleprompter are words you wrote yourself, and IF you're fluent in reading, then it's perfectly possible to use a teleprompter AND say exactly what you believe to be true and what you're passionate about. In that case, you also won't say things before or after the speech that contradict what was on your teleprompter ...
2. HOW could we know what Trump truly believes, when he constantly contradicts himself, EVEN in his own tweets, and when on taxes and healthcare he has strongly praised GOPe bills that do the EXACT opposite of what he promised to do as a candidate ... ?
I don't think that he himself knows what he truly believes. He probably doesn't have a lot of political ideas, to start with. He simply liked the idea of being president, and the power that goes with it. So he decided to take over Fox News' most extremist lies and rhetoric, which after two decades of propaganda about 35% of the GOP in the meanwhile believes to be the ultimate truth. And as he had a decade-long training as a professional actor, he was simply more competent than the other 16 GOP candidates, when it comes to imitating that kind of rhetoric in such a way that people start to think that you really mean it and are speaking from the heart ...
2
Who cares what the speech says. Trump will have forgotten what the teleprompter told him to say by the middle of next week, and we'll all be back sitting ringside at the circus.
11
"Trump will have forgotten what the teleprompter told him to say by the middle of next week." You have much more faith in him than I do. I think this Friday is a stretch for him. Once he succumbs to the Twitter machine all rational thought goes out the window.
1
It’s more than a little unfortunate that millions of Americans are looking for a Nazi-styled address tonight. Even Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, both presidents with similar right-wing leanings as Donald Trump, at least made a lukewarm attempt at inclusion, even though the overtures were distasteful to both.
The American president is supposed to be a figure who, for all of his deficiencies of character and policy, should at least use the State of the Union address as something more than a direct appeal to a minority of citizens. This president fails the smell test and it’s 12 hours away.
Of course, his abysmally-anarchic administration has assiduously lent to tonight’s address an element decidedly different from what a viewer would expect from a far more accomplished orator and manager. The litany of embarrassing failures which are the disappointing hallmarks of his tenure will be difficult for him to skirt with anything like aplomb.
And the looming disaster for the president tonight will be the constant distraction of the presence of his quite unhappy First Lady, an unwelcome undercurrent that is certain to distract from whatever it is he wants to convey.
He will, in the end, seek comfort in the ripping effect of his tenure. It’s all he knows.
6
Well, no matter what he says or how he says it, we all know he's highly unlikely to tell the actual truth...
19
Trumpsters need not cry, Progressives need not cheer when Our Dear Leader appears momentarily to be presidential as he reads dutifully from the teleprompter tonight.
He cannot change his spots. His basic nature cannot be plastered over with a single rational speech or two. We know him well now, folks, and will bide our time over the following 24 hours, watching for his signature whining tweet to restore the peculiar but familiar world he has embraced.
10
I won't be watching. Most of what he says will be most annoying and the few good sounding statements will be lies. Best for mental health to avoid contact with this human toxin.
20
The good news for them - and bad news for everyone else - is that this speech means exactly nothing. Trump will be a good boy for an hour, he'll read the speech off the teleprompter (probably for the first time), and within 24 hours he'll be back to a Twitter feud with some random celebrity (likely one of color and/or a woman).
You watch.
12
Please stop normalizing the grifter.
He's hiding something so awful that he's willing to destroy all Constitutional norms to keep the awful thing hidden.
History will scorn the grifter's collborators.
21
He has no clue about the Constitutional norms.
2
I rather read his tweets on Wednesday
1
Miller's puppet tonight, Trump tomorrow morning.
5
State of the Union or State of Trump? How many times will we hear; "Since I took office..."; "When I..."; "When my..." How many times will we hear; "I've directed MY State Department; MY Attorney General; My EPA... rather than- "The"?
Perhaps later tonight, the NYT can compare other State of the Union speeches to tally their number of "Me,Myself and I"-isms with the one we will hear tonight.
16
The message of the speech—- look at your profits—-no matter what —- GOP making money eh...
See ya.
3
It doesn't matter what Trump says. He's a monster, plain and simple, and everything he touches is corrupted. Any progress the country makes is in spite of him, not because of him. I won't be watching because he literally makes me sick to my stomach.
17
Did I read somewhere that the names of his donors will be flashed on a screen? as he speaks?
5
Although I can't stand the criminal destructive Trump I will watch his SOTU. It's important to know what you are against in order to win the fight against it.
2
Although I'm loathe to admit it; I'll be free riding on the likes of you tonight, Patriot. I literally, cannot bear to put myself through it. I'll catch the recaps later. (Made possible by a responsible press, I'll add).
5
Nixon in 1974 gave a State of the Union in January and by August, he is OUT. I wonder for 45th it will end up like this. History REPEATS itself. And Actually Nixon was smarter than 45th, because he was a lawyer and used to READ, unlike 45th, who only watches Cable and get info from acquaintances.
5
Nixon was a deeply flawed but highly intelligent man. Trump is just deeply flawed. No comparison between the two
6
Trevor -- does a rich fantasy life make you a better person, than you would be otherwise? HISTORY doesn't repeat itself. But dream on.
There should be no worries about Trump mitigating his message. He changes it daily already.
2
Remarkable how Trump supporters parrot the most incongruous talking points, likely influenced by the hype at the time of the election. For example "He’s a master negotiator". Nice to be untroubled by evidence.
6
If trump can read stephen miller's words off a teleprompter tonight, without stuttering too badly, the speech will be considered a success?
Wow...talk about lowering the bar.
My four year old daughter could literally be the gop's next president.
10
Do his fans realize it’s not a game show?
6
Tonight may be the last time Trump addresses Congress. As Sarah Palin was a half-term governor, Trump could be a half-term president.
6
I never thought of childish immaturity as edgy, but maybe I've just grown old and out-of-touch.
6
It will go down as the least watched speech since the advent of television. The Grifter holds many of these LESS records.
10
Oh surely not! It will be the most watched, highest rated, SOTU ever! No other President will have gotten such good ratings, had so much applause and so many standing ovations. Even his opponents will applaud. It will be amazing.
1
For year we had a neighbor - who was successful has been producer exhibitionist that liked to trot around naked. "Don't look" my wife at the time would warn our friends, "it only encourages him." Hurt his ratings. Boycott.
9
It doesn't matter what Trump says in his State of the Union address, or anywhere else. He changes position from one instant to the next, abandoning previous positions as if they never existed. His words carry no weight; he has no credibility whatsoever.
Given the choice, I'd rather watch a random number generator, for at least it has no pompous pretensions of competence.
9
This would be a good time for Trump to pretend that he is the President of all of the people as opposed to the focal point for a very angry white minority. Of course this would be purely symbolic. He's certainly capable of pretending. Let's see if he has it in him.
1
Starting with birtherism, if not way before, Trump has been a caustic presence
attacking the body politic with relish. And now one speech that he reads all the way through is supposed to make me feel 100% sanguine about the direction of the country. If infrastructure is such a great thing why did they deny President Obama even a hearing on *his* plan. Obviously, Trump can fool a lot of the people all the time, otherwise he strikes me as a person who insults my intelligence and thinks I can't remember what happened yesterday. I can even remember when he attacked Bush for using a teleprompter. To me, hearing him drone on while obviously reading the teleprompter is the definition of "low energy." I thought that the teleprompter was there to make the speech seem contemporaneous. If he's reading, why not just use a paper in front of him and be honest about it?
6
I don't plan on watching the speech nor listening to a word the pundits who will invariably rail against it will have say afterwards. The whole spectacle is completely pathetic.
12
Sorry but who cares what his supporters love?
I love democracy.
Does anyone in the WH or Congress care?
16
Yeah, I don't get why we're obsessed with analyzing what Trump supporters want. They're a minority-- most Americans are not Trump supporters. He lost the popular vote and his popularity has only declined.
15
You love democracy as long as your side wins, otherwise not so much.
What's with "sides" and winning and losing. Keep this up and we all lose.
3
I am curious to see what faces Paul Ryan will be pulling in the background.
... hmmm. On second thought, maybe not.
7
Here's a president who will be reading a speech written by someone else from a teleprompter, speech that he will deliver without any fire in his belly (he will be too concentrated on trying to read), and that he will deny immediately afterwards in his tweets.
The same man viciously attacked his predecessor for ... reading speeches from teleprompters, even though his predecessor wrote his speeches himself, and as a consequence, knew how to guarantee a perfect delivery, as he remained 100% consistent with himself before, during and after the speech.
How sad that part of the GOP voters still don't see what a clown this man is, and how he's taking away America's greatness day after day, rather than making it even greater.
And how sad that Republican lawmakers will probably stand up and applaud his words more than fifty times, during the speech, as if all the horrible things he said and already did could/should simply be ignored.
For the majority in this country, it won't be necessary to hear the president read a text written by a racist and ignorant 30-year old to know that the union is in a very sad state. And if you take the number of lies told by this president into account, we probably won't learn anything real about the true state of the union either.
I hope that those progressives who stayed home last year will finally have understood that yes, voting matters, EVEN when there's no "ideal" candidate ...
18
After being ignored for decades, I still compromised, held my nose, and voted for Clinton. You guys still lost. With that said, here's hoping the Democrats have learned a lesson and will nominate someone actually worthy of the votes they've so long taken for granted.
1
@ ChrisH
This isn't about only part of the American people, we're in this all together, so it's America who lost.
It's obvious that Hillary would have moved this country forward, and that Trump and the GOP are doing the exact opposite.
Blaming "the Democrats" for Hillary's loss is an argument that frankly I never quite understood. Only a small minority in this country identifies as progressive, whereas Hillary defended (during the campaign, and for decades already) ideas and ideals that until today a clear majority of the American people share, and only a minority of GOP voters oppose. And you cannot possibly call those ideas anti-progressive, it's just that some of them don't go as far into the same direction as some progressives would have liked.
Finally, as Saul Alinsky has shown, ALL real, radical, non-violent, lasting democratic change has always been step by step change. And the main reason why this step by step change is so difficult to accomplish is because of what he calls the "political illiteracy" of part of the people: the belief that if change doesn't happen overnight, it's no longer worth fighting for it.
And so "you guys" go standing at the sidelines simply yelling "not enough!" when those standing in the mud just managed to get us one step closer to the finish line ... .
The right to vote shouldn't be confounded with freedom of expression: voting means steering the country into the DIRECTION of your ideals, NOT expressing/communicating these ideals.
1
Maybe there's a good wrestling match or a Jerry Springer show that Trump supporters can watch during Trump's State of the Union Address so they won't be disappointed.
10
The fear amongst his base: Not enough hatred.
31
Those that the Dotard has invited to the State of the Union address tonight should be ashamed of allowing their good deeds to be used as propaganda to indirectly make Trump look like a human.
From Trump's point of view, by associating himself with these people, he gains credibility - something which he does not have, and never has. In his life he has done virtually nothing to further social inequities, interracial harmony or unification of a dramatically divided nation.
Trump is for Trump - he is a showman, a con artist, devoid of substance, meaning and empathy. By associating with him, his "guests" pander themselves. Disgraceful.
10
His supporters need not worry, there will be enough lies in his speech to keep them happy.
17
I have no doubt that if Trump survives long enough to run again in 2020, he will immediately begin calling on the FBI to conduct an investigation of the Democrat chosen to challenge him.
7
Is it true that Stormy Daniels will be attending Trump's State of the Union Speech?
10
No.
Somebody else rented her tonight.
7
I believe she will be on Kimmel afterwards.
I will not be listening to Trump's speech tonight. Can not stand listening to his grade school dialogue and constant blustering rhetoric. In fact, I turn the channel whenever I hear him on the radio. As a retired veteran with thirty years of service, he disgusts me. Complete lack of moral character, a disgrace to our country and the office of President.
26
Thank you for your service.
My cable is out. Hope it’s repaired in time for the impeachment hearings.
18
Why waste everyone's time? We know what the State of the Union is. It ain't good.
Next year, it may be called The State of Trump, once he fires Mueller and eliminates elections.
15
I would think Trump supporters would like Trump to be authentic and speak his mind honestly and candidly and not be afraid to show case the successes of our union and share the challenges that need a bipartisan effort to resolve. I don't think Trump supporters feared Trump being presidential.
1
According to rumors now circulating, tonight's State of The Union Message will be radically different from any of its predecessors, or, to be more precise, even more radically different than anyone imagined.
If any credence is to be given to them, a huge screen will be installed behind the podium from which President Trump will stand that will allow both those assembled and viewers at home to see the President's Tweets on the State of The Union. Yes, the President will send Tweets and perhaps then read out some of the more trenchant ones, for example the final Tweet, which will almost certain to be “The State of the Union is good, thanks, to me. Yes, thanks to me, thanks to me, the old bad, really awfully bad, terrible State of The Union is now a good — very, very, very good — State of The Union.”
5
“They’re moving a little bit from ‘Trump the fighter’ to ‘Trump the winner,’” Mr. Gingrich said Monday. “There’s more of a sense of, ‘Look, I’m the president of the United States. I don’t need to pick a fight.’”
Mr. Gingrich really should try his hand at standup comedy, since he's so politically irrelevant anyway. What a hoot, that Newt. The President doesn't need to pick a fight? That's rich. Where's Newt been the last 12 months?
16
I’ve always thought of conservatives as the literal “sticks in the mud” of politics. Rejecting creativity and impeding progress. Consistently unwilling to evolve with changing social and economic needs. The shrillest and least sophisticated among them aren’t just “sticks in the mud”, they are literally trying to shove the mud back uphill. Reality eludes them in ways it’s difficult to comprehend.
14
He will likely heed people's advise and stick to the teleprompter, but it will all be a smokescreen for the divisive politics he sells everyday. What the Republicans are attempting to do to the FBI and the DOJ is the most 'un-American' behavior I've witnessed in my life. The party that once tried to identify with law and order have let Trump steal their identity and soil our nation.
All of this to impede the investigation into a foreign country meddling in our elections. It doesn't get lower that that. I can only hope after tonight's charade we will continue to find out what they have to hide.
9
If he stays on script it will be a snoozer. He is seriously low-energy when he has to "read" a script. And it is so transparent that he doesn't believe a word he says when reading a script written for him.
10
I am a Public Administration major and will not watch the speech for the first time in 15 years. If he would tell the truth about black unemployment, that it is still higher than white unemployment that would be worth while. Wait we are talking about trump, he does not know how to tell the truth.
12
"lacks the edge they love"? You mean he won't chant "lock her up"? Or it's acceptable for rich guys to grab women's private parts, or peer into teen dressing rooms, or tell them that Mexico will pay for a wall, or beat up demonstrators and don't worry I will pay the fines. I am boycotting this. I would rather watch an old episode of "Make room for Daddy".
9
He won't let his base of deplorable, unemployed, disenfranchised, delusional, racist and misogynistic MAGA voters down. To be fair: this is a statistically significant but relatively small subset of his actual base...maybe representing 2.5 to 5% of that group. Pretty small. But Trump plays to them because he loves to offend for the chain reaction effect it ignites. From his mouth to their ears..to the tabloids, the networks and the internet. .
For example, he will , in the most grandiose, obnoxious and self aggrandizing way take full credit for the recent surge in the stock market, low unemployment, and a tax cut whose effects have not been measured yet in terms of raising middle class wages. He will rail about companies bringing their cash back to the US, the bonuses that will be paid to senior executives, and large dividends to their stock holders.He will hold forth on his "wall" that he has been harping on even as illegal border crossings are at an all time low. In other words, he will use his most vitriolic ( but hardly polished speaking skills) for the most hard bitten members of his base. He knows that he needs them on his side to keep the home fires burning....even after the House has burned down. No pun intended.
7
I'm not concerned with those people who want Trump to sound undignified and further divide this country word-by-word with his ignorant, nasty and cruel rhetoric. What I would like is for the NYT to explore another topic as the State of the Union address is imminent: "Vast majority of all Americans continue to grapple with minority faction ruling the country."
9
Let's hope he is the real Trump and not an imposter. We want all of his best rants on display for the Congress and the people of the United States. The more he spews his hate and ignorance the better I like it. Let's go into the mid terms with the facts and not some sugar coated, meaningless words.
2
Watching Trump's State of the Union address is as useless as watching jello set, but not as dependable. A total waste of time and energy.
8
Well, here are my plans for tonight, rather than sit at home watching TV I think its movie night. I would rather be out doing something for my community, purchasing a ticket along with a root beer/popcorn than having my TV on while this newly appointed dictator tells the citizens of this all ready GREAT COUNTRY how he has fixed everything in 12 months. Watching the State of The UNION SPEECH would like watching a newer better version of Dumb and Dumber movie with #45 playing both parts. if you feel the same way, please join me, go out and catch a movie or dinner. Help make the tv audience viewer-ship the lowest ever in history.
6
If Trump sticks to his script to look Presidential, he is lying. If he veers off his script, he will still be lying. So why bother listening to him?
8
Boycott it. Impeach, indict, imprison, Trump. There is little else worth saying on this subject at this point.
21
He’s only talking to supporters. The doomsday crowd all moved to Canada... didn’t they?
And yet he was and still is better than Hillary.
I agree, John. He's better than Hillary. Now all we have to agree to is ... at what?
(Remember that old joke, buddy?)
5
Why? Because he isn't Hillary? If that's the only criteria one had to meet, then Republicans had a number of "not Hillary" candidates in the primaries from whom they could have chosen. Instead, they hitched their wagon to this mammoth buffoon. I'm flabbergasted that, after a year of Trump's chaos and bedlam, there are still people who believe, such as you do, that our country is in better hands with him than we would be with Hillary Clinton.
3
Not according to The American People john.
We The Peoplr clearly wanted Secretary Clinton but trump's elitist pals in the electoral college forced him on us anyway.
5
I'm not watching or listening to Trump's speech. He has proved himself to be a liar and a thug and nothing that he can say at this point will change my mind.
12
Hard edge? The draft dodging, tax evading, girl chasing, over-indulged, sometime bankrupt and dead-beat son of a millionaire has a hard edge? Name calling? Using his new podium to snatch health care benefits from vets, oldsters and kiddies? That hard edge? The edge that lets him split up tax paying hard working families and send parents back to countries they fled during times of natural disasters, wars, poverty ? What a tough guy. Race ya to the bottom.
19
Why bother watching ? You know that the moment his lips begin to move he'll be lying.
37
Trump has no ideology but Trump!
13
Twitter Trump. TV Trump. Teleprompter Trump.
Will we ever see a presidential Trump?
No. Now and forever deplorable. Ad nausea. Ad infinitum. Deplorable Trump.
15
Even staged wrestling matches don't engage in the disgusting racism, bigotry, dishonesty, anti-democracy and cesspool product that defines his base. If they're bored, I can, unfortunately, think of a number of vile things they could do instead.
12
Trump's State of the Soviet Union.
22
Do we have a Democrat with enough moxie to stand up and yell “You lie” when appropriate?
25
They'd go hoarse
7
Thanks for goading him with this headline. :)
3
Hard edge?
Ha!
There is NOTHING hard about trump.
Just ask Stormy Daniels.
22
She went back for more, so...
Zing. Best comment of the day.
6
She went back for more money...
4
We don't need 'edge', we need someone fit for the job. Leave 'edge' for reality show ratings...and please, Fake president Trump, go back to TV Land.
14
Luckily he will give in his resignation
2
I'll wait for the reviews before I see the show. -- thegamesmenplay.com
2
I have to tune in to hear all the "believe me's" and of course "so much winning you'll get tired of it"!
His MO is now predictable, along the Russian model, purge your enemies, destroy the state, weaken the country by isolation and insult.
Nothing he says do I believe. Nothing his press secretary says do I believe.
Nothing Fox News says do I believe.
He is a Russian tool who does not understand who he's dealing with. His base is ignorant about the violence and anti-democratic nature of Russia. Putin gladly spreads propaganda and fake news throughout the planet and he smiles and says no they don't.
He has no love of country.
He cares only about himself and his family.
He is cunning and wily and making millions at the expense of millions.
He is supported and bolstered by a complicit Republican Party.
We the people need to vote him and his lackeys out in November.
Listen carefully to everything he says and call him on it.
Write the GOP Congress and Senate.
Sit in at town halls.
Protest in the streets.
Keep his feet to the fire at all times------ And get our country back again.
16
He only cares about himself. He would throw his kids under the bus in a heartbeat to protect himself.
5
So his supporters are friendly enough with the Times that just a few of them count as thousands. Geez.
1
As a lifelong reagan republican I am astounded by trump's approval amongst actual conservatives.
The man is an undisciplined blowhard and probable criminal and no 1% tax cut is going to change that.
For shame my fellow republicans
22
I think the reactionaries who back Trump contort the meaning of the word "conservative" as badly as they do "liberal".
6
Why should anyone listen? Of what possible significance, of what possible importance could the speech be? We know that he will rip to shreds whatever carefully crafted persona his handlers have created for him before the week is out. Assuming he doesn’t go off-script midway through. And we know that everything he says is a lie. What is the point of paying him any mind save for trying to get him out of office?
9
That headline is a great example of yellow journalism aimed at changing the minds of viewers (and maybe a few congressmen) who have already decided to skip the Bloviator in Chief’s inevitable self-congratulatory stand-up routine. Fake news, I say.
1
It is surprising that the Times is writing about the tone of the speech while the treasonous thug and his henchmen are purging the FBI, attacking the Justice Department. The speech will have nothing to do with what these people are actually planning while they continue the destruction of the government and the work it does for the American people.
Hopefully, the special prosecutor can put a brake on it. There certainly must be a trove of offenses including the obstruction of justice which is becoming more blatant every day. The increased effort to obstruction of justice is proportional to fear of indictment for the underlying crimes including the treasonous conspiracy with a hostile power to win an election.
Then there is the quid quo pro of offering to eliminate or reduce sanctions that is ongoing. There had to be other crimes resulting from Trumps need for loans to save his bankrupt businesses which probably included the quid quo pro of laundering money for the Russian oligarchs. The more people like Nunez compromise themselves the wider the recipients of Russian aid must be.
9
Everybody has to put their pressure on their own Congresscritters and senators about this, because they don't listen to anyone else.
Trump has to be removed by impeachment to avoid chaos.
7
I will not watch nor will I listen to Donald Trump tonight. What's the point? He will tell his supporters, maybe 35% of the counrty on a good day, what they want to hear. He will tell you about all the great accomplishments he's achieved (in his mind) and he will tell you how everybody from the press to the FBI to the special prosecuter are all conspiring to unjustly accuse him of collusion and obstruction of justice. It will all be there. It will all be lies. And tomorrow he'll go about doing what his last advisor to talk to him tells him to do. Pathetic, but that's what you get when you have a minority president!
10
His speech will mean nothing.
As he's demonstrated countless times nothing but noxious fumes come out of his mouth, everything he says is a lie -- reversed, denied or proven wrong the next day ... why would anyone listen and believe a word he says this time.
You would have to be a fool to listen to this guy when it's all worthless promises and meaningless bragging about how great he is, the script of his life.
What his supporters fear or believe also doesn't matter, the vast majority of them will stand by him no matter what. The collective ignorance of this country is beyond comprehension.
The rest of us better wake up and take the nation back.
10
That's it. Sarah Sanders says it's must-watch TV. I'm watching NCAA basketball. I can wait for NPR's recap tomorrow morning.
9
To join Doug Hill.
Don't forget about CNN for real close analysis.
2
I won't watch Poxy Donald.
But I'll be watching Joe Kennedy's rebuttal.
14
If he really means to reach out, all he needs to do is push Merrick Garland for the next opening on The Supremes. Should I wait around for that or go to sleep early?
8
Trump is president of Wall Street, the Cliven Bundys, the fossil fuel industry, and the white supremacists--not the collective people of this country.
Who cares what Trump says anyway in the speech. You can't believe a word he says, or whatever he says that is reasonable and decent, he then goes back on his word.
I think I will use that time productively and clean the basement tonight.
18
I also fear that Trump might lose that hard, volatile edge.
I, though, am not a supporter, but someone who sees that edge, as well as the man himself, as a fundamental threat to democracy. And the last thing I want is that unhinged authoritarianism to be obscured by some momentary, disingenuous feint toward reason.
Let the man continue to flower, in all his irrationality and relentless march toward self-incrimination.
5
"Government is the Entertainment Division of the military-industrial complex."
-Frank Zappa
13
Will President Trump rise to the occasion? Has he ever?
4
Yes he will rise...just like a floater.
1
Why I am not tuning in, first, it will be a lie, not worthy of listening to. Second, If he does work Magic and unites the country it will be the devils doing, not anyone I want to soften too, one, tiny, tiny, tiny bit.
3
My cable has been out for a week or more. I'm in no rush to get it repaired. It's a great excuse not to watch the absurdity of a Trump State of the Union address. I think it would be physically painful.
3
I am no Trump supporter, but I suspect that the Times is goading the President in an attempt to provoke him to be Trumpier tonight.
As a news junkie, I always watch the State of the Union address, but I don't know why. It's not really a speech. That is, it has no thesis or theme, but is merely a laundry list of proposals, coupled with a few applause lines. So I expecte tonight's speech to be every bit as dull as every other State of the Union address I have watched over the years.
As the camera plays over the assembled menagerie, we all can see who governs us.
1
His State of the Union Speech may be very inclusive and toned down. But it's just a Speech written by that 32 yr. old wily, wolf in sheep's clothing, Stephen Miller. And Knowing Trump after the hand-shaking, he will immediately turn around to become his vitriolic self again. His inclusiveness would be after a lot of exclusions. And what he said and was reported is 'fake news' in his next tweet. Just another lying day in the life of a lying President.
5
There's no fleece on Miller. Only scales.
5
I won't be watching, either way. There is nothing the president could say that would possibly make up for or reassure reasonable Americans in the face of all the damage he is doing to our political norms, institutions and constitution.
I am also very tired of reading articles about what his base thinks and feels. They make up 25% of the American populace, and have an outsized influence that will be diminished after the 2018 elections. IF the administration doesn't find a way to get more help from foreign governments in changing our electoral process.
5
This article, like most of the coverage and commentary about President Trump, is making his administration and many of the nation's most pressing problems seem more and more like soap opera--tiresome, superficial, overwrought, predictably unpredictable, and a hyped-up deterrent to participation in real life issues.
The only thing that matters now--except the Muller investigation--is investigative reporting. We need much more of it, because It's increasingly the only way we get an actionable glimpse of reality instead of a mind-numbing flood of virtual reality.
4
This reads like a premise in search of support. Aside from the Krekorian quote where is this narrative coming from? Just a nebulous belief that the MAGA crowd wants to see WWE-style bombast from the podium?
That seems plausible given the depths we have sunk to in expectation of this President and his follower's zero sum game of points-scoring (i.e. anything that heaps misery on they imagine to be their opponents has to be good right?) but who knows. One hopes this administration would use the opportunity to refrain from tossing bombs and chum in the water. Miller's hand at the wheel doesn't inspire and is the issue. Trump himself is not attached to or believing in anything he says - no issue truly matters to this man - only how it registers with how he is perceived and how much credit and adulation he can lap up in the process.
3
I'd rather watch the rinse cycle on my washing machine.
14
I was thinking spin.
5
I agree with him when he said that it is necessary more control in the border. Four years ago I had the tourist visa denied, but I am not sad. The USA need protect your border against terrorists and illegal immigrants.
I don't born in The USA, but my spirit is American.
It doesn't matter what Trump says in the State of the Union speech. It will be just words and we all know that Trump's words are meaningless. Today's rhetoric can be dispelled by tomorrow's outrageous tweet.
4
Trump will probably read a bloodless speech telling us how he's saved the US from disaster. He's shown himself capable of reading from a teleprompter. You can always tell when he''s doing it. The words are always pronounced carefully and sometimes contain more than two or three syllables.
He did it at Davos and he can do it again. Unless his idolators give him rousing ovations and he rises to the moment. Then we'll have the real Trump, or rather the "real" Trump.
2
The stock market gave up one percent this morning, will that likewise deflate the over the top braggadocio from the failure in chief? Not at all! Trump does especially well in a down market.
4
Trump will have nothing of genuine insight to say about economics. I don't think he imagines how other rich people play his moves.
3
Let's be perfectly clear, the swamp ain't been drained. This is the most corrupt administration in U.S. history. There is no intention of draining anything except money from the bottom 90 percent to the pockets of the rich. Chief among them members of the Trump family.
The biggest question for tonight is how often Trump will stumble over the script that has been prepared for him, given that he will likely not have read it in advance.
6
At this point I am beyond caring what Trump's supports think or what he pretends to think. For the time being, I am embarrassed to be an American. That will change when Trump and his Russian loving, treasonous crime family are held to account. For the first time in my adult life I will not be watching the State of the Union address. Instead, I will be watching college basketball in an attempt to forget what is currently happening in this country.
9
God forbid that he lose his hard edge. When are we going to get out of this reality TV show? And back to being the most modern and progressive leader of democracy that God would be more likely to bless?
5
There's nobody watching this farce from the far side of the sky. Us evolved social animals with even more elaborately evolved cultures are on our own here.
2
Not tuning in tonight. It's a waste of time if the best anyone can hope for is for Trump to "read faithfully from his script". There will be the sadly by-now-normal division along party lines, the scripted applause, cheers for embarrassingly tacky "patriotic" bluster. And then, it's back to tweets.
This is what we have come to?
10
This is the problem with liberal's love affair with their democratic presidents, such as Obama. They pay more attention to how they speak than what they do. Obama was a slick speaker, and yes he will go down as an historic president but not a consequential one. Whether you like conservative policies or not (and I will assume most readers of this newspaper HATE republican ideas of self sufficiency and small govt and keeping more of one's OWN hard earned money), Trump is already a consequential president with an historic tax reform law, a very conservative SCOTUS pick, and deregulating the onerous burdens Obama put on our business world. The liberal media can spin how they want, but we in the public see an expanding job market, stock market, and optimism. Obama suffocated optimism in his pursuit of over-regulation and bigger government.
4
Where are the jobs? Who is getting raises? Real raises, commitments from employers for money that will stretch into the future, not a one-time bonus that gets eaten up in next year's tax from the new witholding tables you haven't yet seen (by design by your erstwhile GOP leaders).
7
The animosity of business people towards Obama always was strange. Obama took the time to learn about economics from those at the famous Chicago School when he taught Law. Every big policy he proposed offered private sector components where he might have just advocated for another bureaucracy that would be far easier to control. The encouragement of alternative energy firms was right in line with the policies used to promote new industries throughout our history. His policies and efforts would have fit just fine with the Republicans like Eisenhower or Rockefeller in the 1950's and 1960's. So why the animosity towards Obama, now?
9
Conservatives who live in a big complex country who want government tiny, want private power and influence to overwhelm the rights guaranteed under the law because they think that wealth and power indicate virtue and ability while the lack thereof indicates vice and incompetence. Such people will find that they are unable to protect themselves against the powerful and unscrupulous.
Obama was an intelligent man who had learned to master himself, even if he was a left of center Democrat. Trump is a wild man who cannot control his own mind.
4
We all know it will the words of John Kelly in any case!
3
I'll be watching the original "King Kong" on TCM tonight, instead of the live King Kong.
18
It's just going to be a partisan poopfest, further underlying the fact that this incompetent president and joke of an administration is only serving a fraction of the population.
15
"remember that we work for the families that sent us" said Mr. Jim Jordan.
This is one of the problems in a nutshell. The Pres works for ALL of us, not just those who voted for him.
7
I can't stand watching him! Such a disgrace to the presidency. I'll go to the gym during the State of the Union and then catch up with the news.
13
Responding to Ms. Sanders's "must-watch TV" quip, my response to her is I have better things to do with my time then watch this man read word for word from a teleprompter, the GOP vision of a divided America where it's O.K. for their president to lie, attack the media, and to have a sexual affair with a porn star while his wife is pregnant with their son Barron.
11
I'm chilling the booze and getting the popcorn ready. What else can you do but treat this now as gallows humor?
4
If you take a drink every time he lies it could turn out to be quite an evening.
2
'Some suporters fear Trump will lose hard edge in speechGee whiz, I'd hate for Trump's base to be disappointed with his SOTU speech tonight. Hopefully, Mueller will indict Trump just minutes before the SOTU to get him revved up for his base.
Come to think of it, I'd love to see Trump come off the rails tonight too. C'mon Mueller!
Popcorn!
6
Who cares what he says. Not California!
6
facts are not going to be considered in the content of the address; or the post SOTU white house perspective on audience size, message acceptance, and presidential demeanor. Why contribute to the narrative?
3
I'm predicting a run on Dramamine prior to the speech.
I wonder what the world's biggest country club bore will have to say?
Either way, I'm sure he'll give himself another A+!
9
Krikorian wants a speech that's principled but not obnoxious from Trump. Talk about impossible dreams!
3
Wonder if he'll mention the 800 folks about to lose their jobs as Harley-Davidson closes a plant. Or the thousands of other jobs that he promised, which haven't materialized. Or rising gas prices. Or out-of-control rents. Or continued wage stagnation among the lower middle class. Wonder if he'll mention any of that.
15
Sure, right after he delivers his treatise on the finer points of being an adult.
3
Why would anyone bother listening to this? Is the scripted president a window into anything? Is an off-script president going to surprise anyone? Is there any indication he would or could regain balance?
We're going to a movie. Maybe "Molly's Game." At least that will be more entertaining and less likely to cause an ulcer. And more worthy of our time and attention.
3
To me, it doesn't make any difference at all. We already know who is this man is.
6
Thanks, but I've seen and heard all the teleprompter Trump I need. I wonder what universe Newt Gingrich is living in :"I'm president, I don't need to pick a fight"?
I'm sure that thought has never crossed Trump's mind.
4
Skip this and tune in for the impeachment hearings.
16
I will NOT be watching 45's State of the Union Address tonight.
I want his ratings to be abysmal.
I will read the transcript of his lies, along with good, reliable fact-checking in this paper tomorrow.
That is all.
12
It doesn't really matter what the president says since he lies so often. His word is worthless, actually, not worth-less, more like worth nothing.
9
Trumpistas need not worry your "guy" will accommodate your voracious appetite to lash out at liberals and minorities and lest we forget the "abnormal" people you believe should be deprived of rights. The rest of us will be working on taking our country back before climate change redraws borders and disrupts our way of life. We intend on moving on with a country that set out to lead by example and promote freedom rather than isolationism and protectionism. We do out number Trumpistas and numbers do matter. Are we there yet?
3
Donald Trump is not my idea of a source of information. In addition, I find it painful to look at him. Think I will skip TV altogether this evening and spend the time reading FIRE AND FURY.
10
For Trump’s first SOTU speech I would like to see someone reprise GOP Rep. Joe Wilson’s exclamation of “You lie!” during Obama’s 2010 speech. Whereas it wasn’t deserved in Obama’s case, Trump has certainly earned it.
9
I'm going to watch "House of Cards" on Netflix instead. Then I'll triangulate between the outrage and the triumphalism, to get some kind of understanding of it.
First time in 70 years of my adult life that I've skipped a SOTU address.
11
Just two words about Trump's speech: Who cares?
8
Enough with the Mark Krikorian quotes. Is this guy on a retainer or something?
3
So Joe Kennedy III will be giving the Dem response. A millionaire to rebut a billionaire - you gotta love US politics.
2
I won't be watching.
7
Dear trump nation,
Regardless of how human your president acts tonight for the cameras, always remember, he is still the same racist, sexist, homophobic, draft dodging electoral president he was last year so don't sweat it.
8
Let's face it, Trump's supporters would like him to show up wearing a uniform of his own design, with lots of medals and maybe a cool symbol of a T, with lightning bolts, and some skulls or something.
9
Gee the NYTimes once again fretting about how Trump's supporters feel. Enough already!
4
So the wizard takes off the hood, puts on a suit and reads from a teleprompter. We all know what's underneath. He's not fooling anyone anymore.
8
I fervently hope this is the lowest rated SoTU in modern times.
Perhaps we can all go watch reruns of Shark Tank on CNBC instead to really get Trump's goat. (See Mark Cuban rivalry)
4
I think I’ll finish watching Stargate Atlantis on Hulu. It’s at least well acted with good scripts.
3
No Democrat with any self-respect or concern about our nation should attend this horror-comedy show filled with "fake news".
8
Trump and "ideological purity"?
Utterly laughable!
Whether you like him (amazing, but still...) or don't, if you're at all honest with yourselves, you'd have to admit that he is the least "pure" politician in any respect to ever be in the White House! Politically corrupt, blatant conflict-of-interest self-dealing by both him and his family, and all sorts of illegal tax dodges and scams, and of course the small "impurity" of election-tampering and obstructing justice...
6
Everyone get out their Lie-O-Meters for the big show tonight. Be sure your meters are biggly charged, they will get a real workout tonight!
6
The sad irony is that his Carnage Inaugural Speech is now relevant. New life for old Title--McCabe and Mrs. Miller?
3
Just try to remember through out his speech that this president is a political meat puppet. He was elected and now owned by the 1%. Trump was hired by and for them and he's towing their line. He is simply a teleprompter reader.
18
I would love for the teleprompter to break down within the first 10-minutes of the speech. Then, let's hear what Trump has to say!
14
Let's hope this is his last State of the Union Address.
23
Stock Market: S&P down 1%!
A fitting commentary on the “State of the Union” speech.
6
I am not going to waste my time listening and watching an uniformed bigoted narcisisst read a speech written by others. I have ZERO desire to listen to him brag that he is *LIKE* a smart person (as opposed to BEING a smart person). The transcript of what he actually says will be on line in the unlikely event that I ever have any desire to read it.
If I had a ticket to the SOTU Address, I would show up, be seated, and get up and leave when he began to speak. As noisily and in as obvious a manner as possible. If asked, I would state that I was going to the bathroom, where in addition to the noise and the sights, there is also the smell. Even better than the speech itself.
The Emperor has no clothes.
17
In his Essay on Human Love, the French humanist, Jean Guitton—decades before Trump—wrote words remarkably applicable to him:
“Each of us projects the outline of a situation, which could satisfy our propensities. If we have a tendency to believe ourselves persecuted or to feel guilty, we project a situation in which we shall be persecuted or condemned. If we love conflict, retort, and irony, we project a situation in which we invite attack. If we love to be the one who re-establishes order and is alone able to do it, we project a situation where everything is desperate; we attract catastophe in order the better to be able to remedy it. “
Recall that one of Trump’s favorite words is “disaster
9
I don't believe there should be cause for concern among his base. He has proven time and time again he cannot go for more than 15 minutes without throwing bombs and red meat to his most loyal supporters. Heaven forbid he speak to positive things and the nation as a whole. What fun is that?
7
I wont be able to watch it. I have to sort out my sock drawer tonight :(
18
I have no desire to listen to this speech. I am sick of "i can tell you", "believe me", "it is the best thing that ever happened", "better than in the entire history of the country", "the greatest", "the best" and on and on ad infinitum. Unbearable! And to top it off - not one word spoken by our "liar in chief" can be believed.
16
If past is prolog, one of two things will happen in the speech. Either he will say something bipartisan and decent, prompting his base, Fox and the Congressional hard liners to scream bloody murder until he tweets out ad nausea and ad infinitum the usual white nationalist resentment and lies. Or he will cut directly to the white nationalist junk.
Will the speech will give us any new or useful information? I don't believe so. Given his prior teleprompter speeches, for instance, we already know he can read. There has been considerable doubt in the area. The speech might, however, give Mr. Mueller something more to go on. I suppose that is the silver lining. Perhaps everybody but Mueller's team should boycott the speech?
All in all, what Mr. Trump says today will very likely be the opposite of what he will say tomorrow. In particular, as I mentioned above, if his speech implies anything along the lines of humane treatment of brown people, Trump will invariably be required to respond to his very fine supporters and tweet out tomorrow any number of transparently racist tweets.
7
Like a game of 52 pick up.
He holds the cards.
He tosses the cards.
We pick 'em up.
6
I'll give you a short summary of Trump's State of the Union speech,
Or at least the speech he would make if required to tell the truth.
Divisive demagoguery disaster. Nation severely divided with no chance
of coming together. I'm sure not going to do anything to stop all the attention
I'm getting. But I'm in the White House and I'm in charge
and that's all I really care about. Anything bad is Obama or Hillary's fault.
7
I will boycott Trump's SOTU. I can predict it will be lies and hyperbole, and it will only raise my blood pressure. I recommend boycotting to everyone.
15
The 16 women accusing him of inappropriate conduct, assault or harassment should attend the State of the Union address.
Let them sit front and center. I'll pay the airfare.
It would be a case of he said, and she said and she said and she said and she said.....
9
I implore everyone to NOT watch the speech to ensure that Trump gets vastly lower ratings than Obama did.
10
Tonight we'll see another episode the fake celebrity apprentice-president appearing on stage as a an empty suit full of bluster. He may think he can appear presidential, but that train left the station years ago.
7
I have always had zero interest in electing Hillary Clinton. I watched 20,000 people show up to hear Senator Bernie Sanders and I watched 20,000 people show up to hear Donald Trump. Meanwhile, I watched Clinton refuse to talk to the press and host "listening" events that drew fewer than 300 people. I still do not believe she won the "popular vote" and I have zero faith in the Democratic Party with it's "superdelegates" that are each given a vote equal to whole congressional districts! These are the big-money insiders, federal lobbyists that legally bribe the party on platform issues. I watched Clinton say, well we can offer more incentives to companies to hire urban minority kids... ie Walmart. I watched her say $15 an hour was too much money for workers... It was an INSURGENT year with voters fed up with the establishment, fully represented by Clinton Democrats and Bush Republicans. Trump pegged it! He said, the Democrats have rigged the primary. Bernie doesn't have a shot. That's why a lot of people voted for Trump. He's doing what he was elected to do BLOW UP the establishment gridlock! He's refusing to kick the can down the road on immigration, forcing Congress to actually fix instead of bandaide with DACA, and a handful of other "protection" deals. Why should immigrants be forced to work in the shadows, where businesses can abuse them physically and economically? Everything in this country is broken! We need election reform and open primary elections in all 50 states!
3
Mary wrote:
"... I still do not believe she won the "popular vote" ..."
Well. That tells us all we need to know about your connection to the fact-based world.
1
I agree with some of the issues you raise with the Democratic party and Hillary. I disagree about your thoughts on the popular vote - Hillary won that fair and square.You are giving Trump more credit than he deserves though. Have you no issue with his 2000+ documented lies? Sure, he is shaking things up, but in a very chaotic way that is causing even more polarization. Regarding primaries, I like the California model where they 1st have an open primary, then the two finalists run-off. That method would hopefully prevent another Trump from slipping through.
3
The answer was, and is not, Trump.
3
When will Trump supporters realize that this utter clown only exhibits statesmanship and successful presidency when he literally plagiarizes the policies and words of his predecessor?
6
SOTU speech, in my dreams: "Effective immediately, I resign as President of the United States of America."
12
Can someone explain why Trump supporters -- a scant third of the country -- get so much media attention?
17
Precisely -- why are these people, and the disgruntled Bernie, Jill Stein supporters, minorities all -- allowed to drag us down either because their candidate wasn't the nominee or because (in the case of the Trumpettes) they have refused to reinvent themselves and move from a dying industrial age into the technological information one, from white hegemony to globalism?
I predict that at the end of four years -- God help us -- the Trumpettes will be worse off than the rest of us -- poorer and, at last, disillusioned. -- thegamesmenplay.com
2
Trump could stand up tonight and read the entirety of "Mein Kampf" (in German) and you would have church leaders, GOP pundits and Trump's base crowing marveling at his pronunciation and solemnity. Conversely, Trump has so poisoned the well with all but ~35% of the country that he could recite Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech" in its entirety and incite a riot because everyone would, quite understandably, would view those words on his lips as pure mockery and provocation. If Trump highlights the stock market rise, it only highlights Trump's passionate assertion just a year ago that the entire stock market was in a bubble, destined to burst at any moment. If Trump cites job numbers, it only highlights that Trump told everyone the jobs numbers are a hoax. And, of course, the less Trump says the Russia investigation the better (assuming he intends to avoid impeachment).
Such is the state of our "union." The man sent to be a bull in our national china shop has indeed broken and/or weakened just about every institution (including and ESPECIALLY the already waning institution of Christian churches) he has touched. Unapologetic incompetence, petty bigotry, untruthfulness and corruption are everyday occurrences in the Trump administration. Culturally, there has not yet been a spark of controversy that Trump has failed to fan into a bonfire of hatred between disparate groups.
None of this, of course, will stop the GOP from applauding him like trained seals.
10
Definitely won't be tuning in to hear about how big his inaugural audience was a year ago.
7
Did I read that right?
Trump's speech will be considered a success if he can read the teleprompter without having to sound out the big words...like a big boy.
From "Four Score and Seven Years Ago..." to "See Spot Run".
Thanks again fly-over states.
13
This is a story?
Trump's racist supporters don't think he'll sound racist enough?
Bipartisanship is in? When has Trump acted in a bipartisan manner at all, and we all know if he calls for it tonight he will be shaming Democrats on Twitter tomorrow.
We, and Trump's hardcore supporters, know that he will say what he has to say to Congress but his policies and desires are closer to white nationalism than anything we've seen federally in a century.
This speech will just be another telepromter speech from Trump that does not follow up on anything he's done, and will not be telling of anything he will be doing. We know who is is by now.
7
Some Supporters Fear Trump Will Lose Hard Edge in State of Union Speech:
I think what this means by "Edge" is inconsiderate, unfunded racists divisive attacks against immigrants, the press, International allies, Democrats, the government, The CIA, FBI and other intelligence agencies.
That's what his followers love, fund a Wall that will pass in history as a monumental failure to not just to unify people but stop illegal immigration.
But once again that's what they love.
6
Whats all the fuss about?
It's going to be nothing but the usual superlative-heavy, dishonest, distorted, lying bombast for which he's well known.
Now, if only someone, a Senator perhaps, would dare scream - "You LIE" at a key moment.
7
Trump's State of the Union Address is, what I like to call "Must Miss TV."
I'll wait until tomorrow's edition of the Times; at least that way, I can read what Trump says, instead of hearing it.
6
A "State of the Union" - and Mistake of America
6
someone posted this here last August:
"During his speech, his supporters looked confused about how corporate tax cuts would help the middle class
so he said "Benghazi, emails and lock her up" and that seemed to settle the crowd until nap time."
11
Trump's supporters will only be happy if he acts like a know nothing buffoon. That should be easy.
8
More than a fear that "some" Trump supporters will not find the "hard edge" they are looking for, is the real fear that people at this paper have that he will have that "edge."
1
"Must-watch TV," says SaraH Sideeye Sanders.
That's what he cares about. If we don't watch and he gets abysmal ratings, he'll implode!
3
Supporters fear president will try to unite the country.
5
Test number two for the stable genius. Last week it was confirmed he could tell the difference between a horse and a giraffe. Tonight we can see if he can read a speech. How exciting.
8
Trump will reserve the "hard edge" for his tweets in which he'll gush his racism, xenophobia, hatred for Muslims and the media, and ranting about immigration and the wall. He'll do that to mollify his base which never needs to fear because he's been a lying vulgarian and racist his entire life and that won't change.
6
I taught my dog how to roll over, play dead, high five me and fetch a ball. Donald Trump has been taught how to read a teleprompter. Big deal. The State of the Union address has been and always will be in contemporary politics an opportunity for a president to enjoy a few tricks that the Congress has learned: clapping wildly on command, automatic standing ovations, withholding applause, looking either gleefully enthusiastic or appearing gravely disappointed. Stupid human tricks. May we please move on from analyzing this BIG MOMENT?????
4
First, the State of the Union has always been about swamp propaganda: "Your tax dollars are being put to good use. You can depend on the government to spend it wisely." Right.
Second, it's about the ruling party's current agenda. In Obama's case it was about the continuing, steady march of cultural Marxism across the land. Hopefully, Trump will outline how that little parade is now headed in the opposite direction.
First, we expect; second, we're all hopeful for, save, of course, NYT Editorial Board and "reporters".
1
You give Trump way too much credit, such as understanding and being able to explain what Marxism is actually all about. I suspect the Times' Editorial Board and its reporters whom you so deride could give a better and more accurate definition than Trump ever could.
Honestly, the notion that Obama was some crackpot bent on the destruction of the American way of life is a conservative talking point that is tired and old and needs to go, especially because it is so supremely unhelpful to our nation. You don't have to have liked the man, but to cling to the idea that he was the worst thing to ever happen to this country and that The Donald is sailing in to save it with all the majesty and resourcefulness of Washington crossing the Delaware on Christmas Eve is ridiculous.
5
But on the mark.
Two brow-raisers here:
1.) "Hard Edge." Really? That's a very generous way to describe Trump speeches. I think you mean "Hate Filled and Xenophobic."
2.) You just said "Stephen Miller... is in charge of this year's address..." Well, if that's the case, and he has no one to constrain him, Trump supporters won't be disappointed by a speech written by possibly the most hate-filled, disagreeable person on the planet.
8
I am a liberal and this article is too much even for me. We are just hours away from the actual speech, we will all find out in short order what tone he takes. This is a purely manufactured story, a total non-issue.
3
Just because they are haters, doesn't mean that Trump won't betray them. But in truth they can relax. His is much a captive of his own cruel passions as a showman who thinks he can manipulate anyone.
11
I never watched him on "The Apprentice" and I'll not watch his show tonight. You all pay too much attention to him and have for far too long. Life is short; spend your time focused on something worth the while.
23
Years ago, I heard Bill Moyers speak very eloquently about the great responsibility of those who created television programming. He said that we all needed to keep in mind that when viewers selected a program - they were also entrusting us with one or more hours of their lives. Hours we could never return to them. I think it made each of us take greater care in our work. Now, that I’m older - I often think of Moyers’ comments from another angle. Do I want to surrender an hour or two of my life to this particular program? Hours I will never be able to retrieve? This is an easy call. I do not have nor will I entrust one to two hours to the 2018 State of the Union speech. I fear it will not rise to Bill Moyers’ standards.
21
In general, a Presidency does not have a great affect on an economy.
However, after deregulation and other policies of the Bush administration, we entered a crisis that demanded swift and decisive action.
One of the main factors that pulled us out of the Great Recession was the “stimulus” that was put in place at the beginning of the Obama administration.
I felt that the stimulus was to small and further diminished by Republicans who fought to shrink it, and to add perks for their rich friends, which further weakened it’s effect.
That stimulus was one of the main reasons for the success that we enjoy today.
It’s unfortunate that it wasn’t at the level that the Obama administration wanted.
If it were, Trump would probably have a lot more to take credit for tonight.
7
I will not listen. We know enough by now to know that no matter what "statesmanlike" performance his handlers ring out of him, Trump will do and say what he wants to do the next day, walk it all back, and continue to prove that no matter what he says, he has no trouble lying - quite the contrary. With luck, he'll go off script and let that truth shine through.
As to the worries of his followers that he may lack the hard edge they want - as usual, they forget, or ignore, the fact that this country belongs to ALL of us, not simply the Pure of Faith.
14
If Trump were smart, he would do what is right on a whole range of issues supported by the great majority of Americans instead to pandering to his base of Deplorables. If he did that, he could be a hugely popular president. Instead, the Republican terrorists will lose Congress in the midterm elections and Trump will be a one-term President (if he lasts that long).
6
I grew up with the press trying to figure out the Soviet Union by interpreting who stood where when the politboro gathered on the balcony. Now we have the press treating the SOTU as a meaningful signifier. It is just our most cringe-worthy annual dose of domestic propaganda. Why is this covered as a meaningful event? It is a speech drafted by consultants and speech writers to improve presidential poll numbers. The tradition of pointing out symbolic guests and interrupting the speech 45 times for standing ovations just adds to the awkward charade. Please - don't watch it and don't cover it.
16
Thomas Jefferson agreed with you.
His strength was writing, so instead of standing in front of people speaking, he just wrote his message dome and sent it down the street. You'd think T.J. would've had a marvelous accent.
Forget ANYTHING Trump says or how he says it and then sit back and see what he is ACTUALLY doing. As we speak, this is a President and his loyal cronies that are doing everything in their power to dismantle the last vestiges of democracy in America.
7
Regardless of what he says, one side will love it the other side will hate it. The predictable consistency of today’s world is really quite remarkable. Almost perfectly absolute, which normally isn’t supposed to happen.
1
One wonders how smug the Supreme Court justices will look for this production of their "Citizens United" decision.
9
They all saw plenty of smugness at the political Grammy show, which actually included a few brief bits of music, it's been reported.
Well said.
GOP Speaker Paul Ryan took in tons of campaign donations from the billionaire Koch Brothers not long after passing that tax bill. They him there'd be no cash til they got all the tax cuts they demanded.
Ryan's smug face will be in view all evening behind The Donald's freshly dyed butter yellow hair, and orangutan orange spray tan.
And Mike Pence will lead standing ovations, with that distant gaze of "when are they going to impeach this guy!"
3
RIDICULOUS (Adj.) Definition: Democrats complaining about a winner getting campaign money when their presidential candidate LOST despite having six times the money that the WINNER had available to him.
Id est, you win elections by telling the voters an intact idea of why you should be elected. Cf., Trump, Donald J., 2016 Election winner, U'S' presidential race.
Last night on PBS (Channel 13) we watched "This is the House That Jack Built" which was about President John F. Kennedy (JFK).
The appearance, mannerisms, style, grace, and verbal skills of this man was a pleasure to observe once again.
To follow up the above outstanding qualities displayed by JFK by watching the travesty to be displayed by Trump delivering his State of the Union speech is more than I can bear to do.
Thus we shall take a pass on tonight's ............. outrage.
13
It is painful to listen to a poor reader read; it is obvious that Trump does not know the function of commas, semicolons, or periods. It is comical to watch his out of synch hand gestures and flailing arms to emphasize important words or passages. He reminds me of an orchestra conductor who has no sense of rhythm or worse, has lost control of his players.
Very distracting indeed. I am sure that Stephen Miller goes into contortions listening to Trump's delivery.
4
In his speech, like all his other baseless promises he made to his gullible supporters, he will announce that he and his administration have changed their minds and they are going to sign the TPP, "but only if they get a good deal".
1
"Ideological purity," as defined by whom? The POTUS is supposed to represent us all, not just a partisan minority, as he has demonstrated himself to be to date. We know through he tweets for what he stands, for whom he stands. The rest of us do not appear to matter, according to his tweets.
I, too, hope he heals the split but I am not hopeful that even if his words state so, that his actions will disappoint us again.
2
His base can go to the grocery store and purchase raw meat if his speech does not meet all their needs. Or should we just revert to the games in the Roman coliseum as in days of yore?
5
Trump's supporters elected him to divide America. How pathetic that they hate our country so much that they're disappointed he doesn't ridicule things important to MOST Americans.
Of course, the speach means nothing because the white house operates on impulse and never because of a plan. But that's besides the point.
6
With the names of donors flashing across the screen, it will be more like an info-mercial for the Trump Organization, or a Telethon for Trump carnival reality show. Why should a President be raising money for an election that is 2+ years away during his 1st State of the Union speech? It's disgusting.
6
For the first time in my adult life, I will not listen to the State of the Union Address.
10
I will read the State of the Union, always have and always will. It is all very nice to see the president delivering an important speech but at the end of the day do we even remember what Obama said? As for Trump, I find it hilarious that his base supporters are looking for "red meat." Really? This is a speech to the union not some fairground rally for a bunch of yahoos. Trump like all politicians knows when and where to give certain kinds of speeches. To expect him to be a Reagan (conservative but modulated delivery) is ridiculous - Krikorian should stop believing his own baloney. At the end of the day neither had/has substance but Reagan was an actor, Trump is a realtor. Too many people have too many expectations of one speech - drain the swamp? Battle corruption? Expecting politicians to include the president to tackle corruption is like asking the fox to guard the chicken coop.
2
Guaranteed he says "terrific" and "tremendous" way too many times.
Also he'll claim credit for the soaring stock market yet he has made no significant policy in over a year. He's repealed environmental regulations which might allow some unscrupulous big corporations to increase profit-taking but that does not make America great. It allows more polluters to avoid "paying" for release of pollutants into our collective air, water and land environs.
Trump is all hat and no cattle as the Texas expression goes.
Ask any Trump supporter to name three actions taken by Trump that have benefited low and middle-income working Americans and my guess is you'll see them spout Fox Entertainment (it's not news) or Fright Wing AM radio talking points that fail to answer the question.
Trump has not negotiate any tough deals nationally or internationally although he claims that is his strength. He has ended many Obama era programs claiming he'll make better ones, but hasn't produced anything to replace those social programs. Health care was a case in point. He had no new ideas or directions. Same with the never-ending Afghan war. "I'll fix it in 30 days" is a classic promise that Trump often reneges on. He's done nothing substantive.
He is a dotard who embarasses America at every turn.
6
I'm going to make a wild prediction...this State of the Union Address is going to be the BIGGEST and the BEST. Believe me.
Not a word he says (regardless of which way he spins it) is worth a second of my time.
6
Supporters of Trump quoted in this article:
“He’s a master negotiator. He plays with Democrats. I’m going to judge him on what he does in the end.”
“Let’s keep focused on what the American people sent us here to do: Drain the swamp, drain this place and remember that we work for the families that sent us."
“There’s more of a sense of, ‘Look, I’m the president of the United States. I don’t need to pick a fight.’"
And in other news from Opposite World...
4
I’m not watching. Trump supporters and those that voted him in are in charge so this is their mess to deal with now. He never pretended to be anything other than a dishonest, woman abusing cheater to his wife and this country. Watching him is a huge waste of time. I can’t fix this mess. All I can do is vote and call my Congresspeople. Netflix here I come.
6
Never before have I had to decide to NOT watch the state of the union speech by the President of the United States because I knew it would be emotionally upsetting.
3
Sounds like a lot of people will be disappointed if Trump doesn't use hate speech like many of his supporters would like him too...Stephen Miller must be busy hiding the hate in the words that Trump will deliver later this evening.
2
Some Trump supporters fear the moon will crash into the earth because there are no strings holding it in place, women might control of their own bodies, and sanity might prevail in place of a multi-billion dollar wall.
3
2008: "You lie"
Recommendation:
2018: "Liar, liar, pants on fire."
27
Oh come on now, The Times is just trying to egg him into being himself, rather than a puppet reading a Steven Miller speech.
10
The media are already gearing up for the next episode of the Trump show - the state of the uniom. They speculate on whether his address will have a more bipartisan tone, like they have and expect us to have forgotten the last two and a half years. Do not let them treat you like you are an idiot. Show some spine. Do not watch, do not listen. Nothing will be said that has not been said before and all of what you will hear is worthless drivel. Pick up a good book, maybe something on the great scientific achievements of our time: machine learning, space exploration, something like that. Real things that people are doing while our political class and the media drown themselves in irrelevant, anti-intellectual junk. Read the book and make sure that your TV and internet feeds are switched off so that you will not hear one second of the president's speech or subsequent "analysis".
7
Considering the list of insulting Trump tweets made during his first year in office, it would be, er, unexpectedly pleasant if he actually delivered a speech telling no lies, refusing to take credit for the Obama recovery, insulting no one, and ...
Very very nice if he announced the resignation of the Vice President, the appointment of a popular landslide winner (by 1 % of the 300 million citizens of the nation, many barred from voting because they have just been horribly allowed to be BORN from their mothers’ wombs after 9 months of pregnancy or have not yet turned 18) ....
And that after Ms. Clinton”s confirmation, he would resign because his private business interests were suffering while he served in the White House and he needed another $100 billion to pay for silence from nations, porn stars and other women, and pay off investors, contractors and employees through malicious use of the Federal Bankruptcy courts ...
Would give the rest of his money ti the ACLU, NAACP, and anti-defamation organizations focused on Jews, Muslims, blacks, LGBTQ&S folks, and everyone from a (ok everyone knows the malediction) nations, Sweden, NATO, SEATO, women, his daughter’posterior, scientists, Black Lung sufferers, etc. and lifelong dedicated law officers who rebuilt Hoover’s FBI into an efficient honest organization, something I never thought I’d say ...
The NY Times, Washington Post CNN, and other members of the 4th Estate.
Another American dream about to be shattered.
6
“He’s a master negotiator. He plays with Democrats. I’m going to judge him on what he does in the end.”
Wow ! Is the NYTimes going soft ? There were actually some accolades in this article. Let's be real even though they pound our Preident unmercifully on a daily basis, without him they have nothing to say. I hope one of these days the NYTimes will return to printing " All the news that is fit to print ".
3
Possibly re the headline....but let's go over it again gang. I know the NY Times has to be "objective" re covering this guy but I don't.
Trump is a rabble rouser, bigot, admitted sexual predator, pathological liar, ego maniac demagogue.
He has no ideology or morale compass. He will say anything to anybody at any time to make himself look good.
If he thinks being bi partisan at the speech will make him look good he will do it.
If he thinks giving out dog whistles to his bigot supporters will make him look good, he will do that too.
17
Will Trump be driven to the podium in a golf cart?
23
In our local news poll this morning, 2/3 of the viewers said they would NOT listen to the soulless cretin speak.
19
Trump wallows in the swamp.
9
Will Trump call all Mexicans rapists, praise Britain First, and insult a Gold Star Family or will he disappoint his supporters? Will his best friends, Stormy Daniels and the Hamburgler, be invited or will he snub them?
10
Bipartisan ship, trump ?????,,,,, my way is the only way
1
Hard edge? A clever euphemism for lies and racist ideology.
14
Once again, this paper is giving credence to this fringe element who supports a crass, divisive, despotic caricature of a leader. STOP IT.
13
Think Melania will be there?
2
Hilarious. Only the NYT could turn “inclusion”, a word of the liberal gospel, into a negative when it comes from Trump.
Trump will speak Miller's mind 9pm tonite. Trump will tweet his mind 5am tomorrow.
251
Ha.
Good call !
3
How inclusive can the speech be with Steven Miller as the author of the speech. It is very obvious when he is behind the pen.
1
And by 9:00 am, many Americans will lose yet another little bit of theirs.
Again.
1
Yes, Mr. Trump is caught between the proverbial 'Rock and a Hard Place' in appearing too soft is an afront to his Core and his 'Give 'em Hell' mantra continues to alienate him to everybody else. He created this two-headed monster during his Campaign so for, at least once, he should have nobody to blame but himself.
2
This is first time i will not watch a SOTU....As a Democrat, I did watch George W Bush's SOTU's.....This current POTUS makes me MISS George W...
Instead, I'll watch some old Miami Vice episodes on Netflix...I don't even want to watch the Democratic rebuttal, nor the network coverage....Anything involving Trump is depressing and uninspiring....
17
NYT, really? Why waste precious editorial space speculating on what Trump will or will not say in tonight's SOTU address? This president is a lying simpleton, so whatever he says, whether it's inflammatory, conciliatory, doom-and-gloom or optimistic, cannot and should not be taken at face value.
I have plenty of pre-recorded shows, some of them even farces, that I will watch tonight instead.
13
Where is the story about the Trump administration missing the deadline to enact sanctions against Russia? I came here to learn more this morning, and find nothing at all about it on the NYT home page. Instead I find this ridiculous speculation about Trump's tone tonight - how is that the top story?
12
Tone means nothing. Substance means everything.
1
Action speaks louder than words. THAT is substance!
1
In other words, this President has nothing to offer as he is completely devoid of substance.
1
Let him say what his supporters want, it won't fill the dark void in their souls.
10
All farce. All of it.
9
The Union is in a state of disaster, and the clown President is to blame. I hope the truth comes out soon, and we can look beyond Trump's racism, inward worldview, misogyny, nepotism and money-laundering.
13
... and at this point... Who really cares what he has to say????
9
Who is going to loudly scream “liar!” when Trump starts spewing his usual alternative facts?
7
Then maybe they can tune into wrestling to get their needed gladiator adrenaline rush. We are more like Rome before the fall everyday, with Caligula in the Oval Office.
4
Hey! What’s with this? You trying to encourage him??
4
Why should anyone watch?! All it will be is Donald bragging about everything he has done, bragging about an economy he had NO part in building, all lies!
Can not watch a man who has lied and cheated all of his life! And knowing that the vile Stephen Miller wrote the speech makes me want to vomit!
Oh America, my heart aches for you.
4
Don't worry, Trump supporters, there'll be plenty of opportunity for stupidity, race-baiting, lies, division, and incoherence in the year ahead.
6
Showboating by Boaty McBoatface - who cares! I plan to be colouring my hair and gossiping with neighbours about how the elite is corrupting our poor Republican party.
3
I'd rather gouge my eyes out and set myself on fire than watch this abomination.
8
I'll be counting Trump Pinocchio's tonight. Hope I can keep up.
2
Who's going to believe what comes out of Teleprompter Trump tonight? Besides, Twitter Trump gonna step all over Teleprompter Trump's speech tomorrow.
2
What is needed to provide some edge is a courageous Democrat calling out in a loud voice: "You lie!!". What goes around comes around.
3
I won't be watching Trump and the Republican Party lie to the nation tonight because that's what they all do best....LIE.
3
What? You mean the NYT is disparaging Trump again? Must be another day ending in "y".
You loved the candidate who said you need a "public position" and then a "private position". But only to her Goldman Sacks audience. The Deplorables didn't agree.
Then why did Trump hire all the people from Goldman Sachs?
2
The "deplorables"are destroying this country through their childish aversion to reality.
2
What the trumpaloons want is a cage fight, not a speech. The rest of us just want that horrible bloated face spewing hate and rage to go away. I'll spend the evening hunting for lose change in the sofa to send to Bernie. Vote DEM in '18!
8
I guess Trump supporters are expecting that he will reiterate his racist, bigoted, xenophobic statements like he has on twitter. Also the President has little influence on the economy. If anyone should receive credit for our economy it should be the Obama adminstration after inheriting an economy heading into a depression. The Republicans, to this day, refuse to acknowledge the accomplishmens of the Obaam administraiton and are rejoicing in Trump's attempt to negate any of the progressive policies that were put into place despite a racist Republican party that attempted to block any progressive policies as they continue to do right up to the present. The ignorant, indifferent, and unenlightened have taken the bull horn to only show their ignorance. As my mother always reminded me" empty barrels make a lot of noise".
3
If his handlers give him a double or triple dose of medication to keep him from getting too agitated, he might get through without his typical bluster or any major mishaps. I, for one, plan on finishing "A Gentleman in Moscow" and skip the whole charade.
2
I will give you a preview of Trump's address. Trump speech will be non-stop self congratulation consisting of a mixture of gross exaggerations and outright lies. He will them go on twitter pointing out that this was the greatest State of the Union Address ever! Better than Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Wilson, both Roosevelts and Reagan put together. I just saved you from wasting two hours of your life. You are welcome.
4
I'm sure he will get in a couple derogatory remarks about women, minorities and immigrants.
3
Just don't watch. The low ratings will rile him.
10
I fear more than a teleprompter speech from Trump.
2
"Hard edge"? Really? This guy is the dullest knife in the drawer. Hope he morphs into the old bipartisan, let's work together ploy. Will make the evening totally hilarious. Would rather watch ants devour a grasshopper.
6
I'll be watching a real , patriotic American tonight . Homer Simpso.n here I come!
3
"What I would like to see is a speech that is strong in its principles but not obnoxious in its tone."
That's just a little backwards. Trump has no principles, zero scruples. And he's the King of Obnoxious.
4
I cannot think of a better time that during his so-called speech someone stands up and yells "LIAR"! In this case it would apply, "in spades".
4
Everyone should set their PVR to record a three hour block of the BET Channel tonight to make him go completely insane, but only if they’re not broadcasting his speech. And make sure to cancel any scheduled recordings that may be pre-empted by him.
4
I am looking forward to Joe Kennedy's rebuttal.
4
"When President Trump delivers his first State of the Union address on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, his most fervent supporters are anxious that he will squander the most high-profile moment of his presidency with a soft speech that bends more to the predilections of the political establishment in Washington and less to the populist army that sent him there to drain the swamp."
Well, Don, didn't it occur to you on the campaign trail that if you pander to the worst in people to get elected, it could come back to bite you when you try to appeal to the best in people to get things done? No? Well, how naive. I suppose we could excuse that because you're "not a politician," but you don't even have to be a good businessman to figure that out. It just takes common sense, and they're is no evidence yet that you're either a good businessman or have any common sense.
Go ahead, give whatever kind of speech you want. Coming from you, any speech is going to infuriate over half the American people. Oh, and I'm going to skip your address to watch "Black Hole Apocalypse" on NOVA. Fitting.
7
are you saying he will not be as divisive/ more inclusive.. doubt that .. he panders to his base.. no matter how despicable it is .... it is great to hear all these Democrats running for office... the year 2018 will end in a great way... the expulsion of the russian colluded GOP from our daily lives... and with them trump...
2
"Subtract love, add anger." I'm not a Dr. Who fan for nothing. Donald Trump has Dalek written all over him - an empty tin can, but still with the capacity to blow us all up.
Are Congresspersons and Supreme Court justices required to attend? Couldn't they say they have to wash their hair or couldn't get a sitter or something?
6
What he says is of no consequence to a serious person.
6
Unfortunately, a new fool is born every moment.
2
All Pres. Trump has to be to get 'the edge' on his address tonight is read the Nunes' memo with the recently freed Julian Assange sitting next to Malina Trump in the upper chambers.
2
Oh, I thought he was delivering it via Twitter Feed.
10
I will definitely not watch, nor listen, nor follow the endless follow ups of this stage show. The current resident of the Oval Office is not a person who deserves being listened to.
13
If his supporters are lucky, trump will turn around and sucker punch Pence.
7
I would so pay to see that.
2
Thanks for the laughs!!!
1
I would rather listen to someone scratch a chalkboard with their nails.
Time's up, Trump.
8
We’ll see if he can stay on topic without praising himself and his perfection.
4
Are you kidding? We're going to waste 90 minutes of our lives hearing how brilliant he was to beat Crooked Hillary and get elected; how remarkable he's been rescuing our shrinking economy; what a great negotiator he's proven himself to be because Mexico is paying for the wall; and what a great prognosticator he was at predicting that somewhere, anywhere, there would be another terrorist attack....Oh, all that, and he's got a great head of hair.
3
My first time since voting I am not watching a State of the Union speech...
What union? An what speech? Only ignorant ideological extremes..
A whole year listening to annoying limited vocabulary and babbles...
No Thanks...
13
Edgy or not, it is typical Trump works wonder in the vegetable garden.
I won't be watching, but it doesn't matter. On Wednesday morning, Sarah Huckabee Slanders will join Trump in declaring this the most watched speech in all of human history. Ryan, McConnell and Graham will heartily agree. And Fox will cover it all accurately, of course.
12
Who's going to watch? I'm not. These speeches are nothing more than dog and pony shows. They all get up and brag about how great they all are — There are better things to watch on television than all of these bozos.
4
You could not pay me enough money to watch that clown spew lies. Hope many will choose to watch another channel.
9
I hope someone from the democratic party will call his lies out during the address after all GOP has set up this precedence.
4
"ever the rest of the speech is like, much of it is designed to give Mr. Trump a chance to brag by recounting the successes of his first year: the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, a rollback of regulations, the passage of a $1.5 trillion tax overhaul and stock market gains. "
So much winning. Gorsuch, who tilts the ideological balance of the court rightwards off a cliff, eliminating regulations devised to prevent another 2008 crash and protect the environment, a tax cut that vastly enriches the wealthiest and a stock market following the inertia of the Obama years while companies wave token bonuses in lieu of pay raises and start massive layoffs. So much winning.
8
I can't help but think the focus and tone of Trump's speech tonight will be for the benefit of the Republican voter so the GOP can keep their seats in the November mid-terms. Trump may come across sounding all bi-partisan, but at the end of the night, he only cares about his Republican buddies and voters. The only person he'll be fooling will be himself.
6
Maybe Stephen will slip him the wrong speech and he will end up ranting about janitors not doing their job. The Republicans will applaud. His base won't even notice. The press will notice, but still commend him for sounding presidential.
6
Last time he made a big speech, he talked about American carnage. Little did most of us suspect he was bragging about himself.
5
I feel a mixture of fear and loathing, curiosity about who the cameras will pick out in the gallery, the pomp and circumstance, (forgive me for the borrowed phrases). Over my morning Joe, not Scarborough I'll just call it:
Live From Washington, It's Tuesday Night!
4
After Bernie Sanders lost the primary to Hillary Clinton, I voted for Donald Trump in the general election.
The reason was that I wanted the American people to have a discussion of the impact of illegal immigration on population growth.
Many scientists agree that population growth is destroying the planet, but they don't speak loudly about it. The issue is not even discussed in major newspapers like the NY Times.
Yet population growth is the reason for global warming. It is the reason an estimated 800 million people worldwide suffer from chronic malnutrition. It is the reason for grinding poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, India, parts of Latin America.
Although illegal immigration was Trumps signature issue, he has undercut his arguments with rhetoric hostile to immigrants, and poorly chosen language. Moreover, he is hostile to the other change needed, which is lowering birth rates by means of family planning.
And now he is backing away from the key changes that would lower immigration:
1. We need an e-verify with teeth, so that firms do not employ illegal immigrants.
2. We need to stop immigration based on family unification, because family can extend forever.
3. We need to end the VISA lottery.
But we also need to control our own fertility so that we provide a model for third world countries.
4. We need free access to family planning and birth control.
5. We need a one-child policy like that of China.
6. We need to pressure Mexico to adopt similar policies.
1
Trump's supporters should have no such fears. His State of the Union address will contain the same lies and hate that all of his prior speeches, scripted or otherwise, have exhibited.
8
The State of the Union should be for the whole country. It should propose lofty ideals and challenge us. This is not wrestling or daytime TV. The unwashed masses that can't appreciate the nuances of political rhetoric should tune in tractor pull somewhere. I'm sure trump will be back to his uneducated and uninformed eloquence soon enough.
8
"Much ado about nothing" and a no one, as far as I am concerned. It is a waste of the Time's fine journalism to write so many words about the predictable. That is that Trump will, let us say, "exaggerate the truth", honor himself for all the good his delusional mind has convinced himself of doing, impugn everyone from Obama to Mueller and beyond.
If he can control himself, and that is a big "if", he will read lovely words from the teleprompter, with a showman's false sincerity. I would wager, however, that as his sycophants in Congress give rousing applauses to his every utterance, he will forget himself and lose restraint. And then...get ready folks, the spewing will begin. I will not watch his speech. My psyche is too traumatized for more of the same. But, boy, am I looking forward to the Rachel Maddow's of this country - and the Time's wonderful Op Eds - to once again ease my mind and give me hope.
5
I am in my 70s and have watched every State of the Union address since before I could vote. However, I have lost respect for anyone in the Republican Party and in it’s wacky leader. What little faith I have left in the Democratic Party is puddled somewhere in the basement. Thus, I will join those who will be boycotting the speech in Washington by boycotting the speech on my television. I see no reason to waste my time listening to what will, based on experience, be yet another pack of lies and exaggerations, followed by meaningless drivel from pundits.
7
According to Polifact, only 16 percent of what Trump says is true or mostly true. So why should we listen? What speaks louder is this: That Trump refused on Monday to impose Congress-approved sanctions for election meddling on Russia, and that the CIA says Russia will attempt to interfere with the election in 2018. Something stinks to high heaven in Denmark, and no amount of scripted pomp will cover it up.
8
His trainers will rain in him - he'll read the teleprompter - the republicans will cheer and clap wildly - the democrats will occasionally manage a weak cheer for the sake of "bipartisanship". Hopefully no democrat will yell out "liar' for the sake of decorum. Are we really supposed to forget the events of the past year? I don't have time for an essay here. Suffice it to say Mueller presses relentlessly on ... unless of course he and others (Rosenstein) are fired. It will be a dangerous year for our democracy.
3
I wish we could convince the hard right to be less ideological and kinder, to see that their focus and solutions are off, that much of their fears are unfounded and misplaced, but their concerns that Trump won't come across as binary (black and white), i.e., nasty as usual is not really newsworthy, certainly not my concern.
3
Trump is not a fully former adult, he is a man-child, stunted in imagination, responsibility and veracity. At age 70, he operates from the emotions of an unhappy 12-year-old. I imagine his supporters who wish for him to be at his hateful and shenanigan-driven best at our country's SOTU are equally stunted.
3
Here's hoping someone brings Stormy Daniels to this farce.
7
Trump has already amply proven himself to be a) a compulsive liar, and b) willfully ignorant and incurious of facts. What he says is not to be believed, ever.
Here's what really matters: Vote on November 6.
8
Far more than previous States of the Union, Trump’s first will be scripted and staged for its maximum momentary effect. Then the dangerous clown parade will go on and on, with Trump (and the GOP) trumpeting, in the immortal words of Mr. Toad, “stuff and nonsense.”
1
Folks, if you are confused about how the corporate media covers Trump, including so-called "liberal media," all you have to do is to become familiar with terms like "propaganda model," explained in the book "Manufacturing Consent," as well as "economic fascism," a term I suggest you look up on Google.
Authoritarians tend to do a few key things: validate the delusions of religious fundamentalists, xenophobes and racists, AND get business and financial cartels (industrialists) on their side.
The corporate media in the U.S. is part of those cartels, as in "corporate media conglomerates."
Once you read on those topics, then you'll understand the normalizing-of-Trump role publications like NYT, WaPo, LA Times, and others have.
1
Fear not. He will Tweet it in.
2
His SOTU is irrelevant unless it ends up being a self-serving tirade of fear and vulgarity. Then it’s business as usual. Otherwise it’s a empty formality.
2
I will not be watching the State of the Nation speech because what I will hear and see on television will be so different than what is really there in spirit. In my mind’s eye of past history during my lifetime, which sent my older brothers to war in Europe.
What I would see in my mind’s eye is a traitorous majority party cheering and saluting on their feet as the tyrant warns the public who won the election in a landslide and how much loyalty the government owes him, as he warns of the consequences of disloyalty with recent example of his abuse of power.
No the Republican majority will not be giving the fascist salute to their Leader. There will be few if any cries of Hail Trump; but there might as well be and I don’t want to see it dressed up to look like something American.
4
More like ideological hatred! Not ideological purity , who cares , he has shown his true colors just like his supporters . Have to say at least they stay true to their cockeyed way of looking at the world that they fear and hate , whilest he blathers , panders , and goes back and forth and on and on. Those who say there is a cunning mind behind his behavior are simply reading too much into his behavior . This is not a well mind . America we have our very own Rob Portman .
1
Trump possesses no core principles, no moral compass, no regard for truth.
Trump only cares about being adored, only about himself.
If he does indeed roll out a message of unity tonight he'll pull it back, all it'll take is more Amnesty Don attacks from Breitbart or maybe a phone call from Sean Hannity. Or a tweet from Coulter.
Racial provocation, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and anti-Muslim rants are some of the elements of Trump's appeal to his base...he can't abandon these foundations of his campaign and Presidency.
If Trump stays with the script and doesn't fall off the podium, we'll all hear and read how he's finally become Presidential.
4
Oh please -Trump at his core will not change. He will not become "more Presidential", he will not become "more inclusive". I personally will not watch his speech. Trump is incapable of healing the split in this nation. Trump has revealed his true self on more than one occasion - a person that is a bigot and misogynist. A person who lies freely. A person with no ethics. I don't care about the extra 50 bucks a month I am getting - it doesn't make up for the damage he has done to this nation.
3
A lot of people were worried when rhetoric was toned down during the Berlin Olympics back in '36, but their fears proved unfounded--the regime hadn't really changed at all.
2
I just can't understand the mindset of wanting any "leader" to describe his country as "carnage" ... and then cheer him on as he MAKES IT into his vision of carnage. It's so obviously counter to his supporters best interests that one would think they'd do anything to stop him, not cheer him on as he does it.
1
I will not be watching the State of the Union speech because I am not into self-flagellation. It is painful to watch and listen to lies, exaggerations, insults, threats, put-downs and fantasies about all of the "accomplishments" of this administration. All this, while our great American institutions are laid to waste. Furthermore, the expectations are such that simply reading off the teleprompter, not slurring or not having the Fixodent fail are grounds for declaring a fabulous speech.
2
If Stephen Miller's fingerprints are all over tonight's speech, then it will most definitely be filled with "hard-edge, anti-immigrant language". I'm anticipating to hear President Trump's first "Hate of the Union" address. I sure hope I am wrong. The last thing this country needs is to be even more divided than what we currently are.
4
I'm sure it will be "the largest and most approving audience EVER for a SOU speech, and the best SOU speech EVER!" I'll be interested to see how few watch it.
1
State of the union speeches are political speeches, ergo, short on substance, long on cheerleading. A swath of America needs to constantly be reassured how wonderful, er, great they are, like children, blame 'convenient others' for real or imagined difficulties, rattling the saber at them, and others still want to hear the vitriol that Trump has made 'great again'. His speech will be particularly meaningless considering the lying ignorant contradictory egotistical mouth it comes from, and even more worthy of being missed than all the others I have missed in the past.
But, media and others will dissect the speech as if there is anything there, but we've already seen what is there - how about taking every 17th letter, give it its numeric equivalent of where it falls in the alphabet, create a matrix, multiply by avogadro's constant over PI, divide by the speed of light: amazingly, the answer is always 44 + epsilon (error term, plus or minus).
1
Who cares what he says? The only part he'll actually mean is the part where he lauds himself for a job well done (as if).
The rest might as well be pulled out of a bag of Scrabble tiles for all his words have been worth.
2
In other words, Trump is going to say whatever he feels (there's no thought process here) will advance the interests of Donald J. Trump. There's not going to be any interest in advancing the interests of the United States, let alone looking at reality.
In other other words, Trump's flacks and suckers are going to be upset, indeed hysterical, if their little tin god doesn't shriek hysterically at everybody who's not white, not a guy, and not their brand of Christian.
It's unclear that any of this is news at this point.
2
They are wasting their time "fearing" anything he says. None of it will be true anyway and 48 hours later he'll deny that he never said it.
3
What is said tonight will be forgotten by Wednesday morning. Trump will go on another Twitter rant. Outrage will ensue. The words uttered tonight will go down the memory hole.
The only words that will matter over the long term are those spoken in the room where Mueller's team conducts his interviews, the room where Mueller's prosecutors speak to the grand jury, and what members of the US and foreign intelligence community are telling the press about what happened - and is happening - with the Trump campaign/Trump administration, and the Russians and their allies.
Nunes may succeed in delaying the House Intelligence Committee's investigation, but there is no statute of limitations on treason.
1
Personally, I've set the bar a little lower. I'd be happy if he can just get through without any infantile name calling or bold face lies. For Trump, this would indeed be a major achievement.
2
We are now over a year into Mr. Trump's presidency and two and a half years since he announced his candidacy yet I am baffled that anyone is still looking for meaning in any of the words he uses. Any nod to bipartisanship or moderation in the SOTU will be hollow and obliterated when the House releases their political attack on the FBI and the country later this week. I recognize that some people are holding on to the hope that Mr. Trump will at least look over his shoulder back towards the political middle but there has been no evidence to suggest he has any interest or ability to do so.
1
Not watching this speech is a no-brainer for me -- just a few seconds of seeing his face or hearing his voice induces nausea, so there's no way I'd subject myself to a whole speech of his lies. Maybe, if we all boycott, the ratings will be low, which will send a message that we're tuning him out.
2
As others have noted; for the first time in my adult life, I will not be watching the State of the Union. I am simply too disgusted. When will this nightmare end?
3
What does it even matter what he says anymore? What will be true? If the pattern holds, not much. The words of our current president are as meaningful dust in the wind, sadly.
In terms of our morality, of our humanity, our country has been brought to our knees. We have lost our post as being seen as a leader, globally.
And more personally, our "president" cannot be looked upon as a leader for our children. We as a family look at Trump like a rated 'R' movie; the kids are simply not allowed to watch, because he is such a horrible example of how to behave as an adult.
I cannot bear to watch. I'll see the embarrassing cliff notes tomorrow, I'm sure.
2
Once again we are seeing 45 being judged on performance instead of substance. I understand -- there is little substance available. Still, I am saddened that the focus of the State of the Union is more on whether the President can read from a teleprompter without too much fumbling rather than addressing the dissolution of our democracy
1
Doesn't matter what he says. It's what he's doing that's terrifying.
4
I will watch to get my own measures for the Lie Scale, the Hate Scale and the Crazy Scale. Also, I’m interested in what Stephen Miller and John Kelly are thinking, now that they are the puppetmasters.
2
I will not be watching or listening. It's already clear what kind of people this president and those who support him are and what kind of policies they will enact, and unfortunately that's not going to change.
I'm focused on November.
3
I can think of no other president in my lifetime (I was born in the final months of the Eisenhower administration) whose State of the Union speech was met with this particular brand of anticipation. Typically, we've wondered how the president would characterize the health of the nation, and paint a vision for the future identifying which issues are priorities and which policies should be pursued. Okay, in the case of Bill Clinton we wondered how long he'd talk.
The anticipation preceding a Trump State of the Union is a whole other debased thing... Can he stay on script? Will he rile his base at the expense of the majority of Americans? Can he not be belligerent and obnoxious? That there's even speculation about his "sticking to a positive message that can resonate with a wide swath of Americans" speaks volumes about his inability to fulfill the most basic requirements of his job description.
Meanwhile, who cares what he says? We already know Trump's vision for the future -- subsidize the wealthy at the expense of the poor, sell our National Parks, drill everywhere, minimize staff levels and functionality at the State Department and the EPA, conduct Twitter wars with our adversaries and allies alike, and plot the firings of Rod Rosenstein and Robert Mueller... while the rest of the world wonders how good Americans let this happen.
4
Thankfully there will be some college basketball games on that will be far more interesting to watch than 45’s blathering & self-gratification.
2
They fear he will not be as cruel and mindless as he usually is? What kind of people are these?
1
The only new wrinkle will be scrolling names of donors to indicate that the sale of America is still on.
2
Since Donald is so determined to keep campaign promises, he will release his tax returns during the speech - right after he details Mexico's plan to pay for the wall...
2
I refuse to watch Trump's state of the union address. I am already in full fledged Trump overload mode and starting to twitch. I see and hear so much of this highly regrettable "president" that the prolonged sight of his face and the grating sound of his voice may cause me to have a seizure. Since he was elected I feel as though my country and everything I have ever believed in is under constant 24/7 attack by the dark forces of plutocracy, corruption, bigotry and fascism. Furthermore, since I know that 99.99999% of everything he is going to say tonight will be a lie, I see no point in participating in an act that will be one of deep emotional and psychological masochism. Instead I will read tomorrow's coverage in the NY Times, the Washington Post and doubtless watch many a late night comic pundit eviscerate him on TV. No doubt Sara Huckabee Sanders will address the size of tonight's viewership stating something like: "that was the most widely watched and well received state of the union speech ever made in the long history of state of the union speeches!"
1
So this is the bar now? "...the president will be judged a success in many quarters as long as he reads faithfully from his script, resisting the urge to respond to perceived slights or settle scores.." If the president can avoid acting like a toddler, he's presidential? For the first time in 25 years, I won't be watching the State of the Union. There is no sincerity, no integrity, no principle left. Only narcissism and power grabbing. I hope the NYT and other media outlets will call the speech for what it is and not insult us with how "presidential" he was because he could finally put a two-word sentence together without sounding racist and incompetent.
2
I'm just beyond tired of caring about the thoughts/feelings/expectations of people who support Trump.
2
Let him read Green Eggs & Ham....it would be more believable.
1
Did you all miss it? Trump already gave his speech. It was universally hailed as the best inaugural unifying speech since the street of Washington, D.C. were flooded with rapture during the glee of Trump's Inaugural American Carnage Address.
Impeach, indict, convict Trump yesterday. Restore justice in America today.
1
Ms. Sanders declined to provide details on Monday about what Mr. Trump planned to say. But she added coyly, “It will obviously be must-watch TV.”
Not for me, thank you.
2
Who wants to bet his Republican sycophants will give him a standing ovation? He's the perfect reflection of them. I won't be watching. I don't want to see pictures of him either. Ever.
2
Looking forward to a great speech, it will be a pleasure not to be lectured. I got physically ill every time the previous president gave one of his inane lectures.
"Some Supporters Fear Trump Will Lose Hard Edge in Speech" -- what by using his "big words," his "great words," his " the most bestest greatest biggest words?"
1
The edge? They mean hateful and divisive, don't they? There are many things I want to say about Trump and his supporters. None of them are printable here.
1
"Stephen Miller, the president’s senior policy adviser, is in charge of writing this year’s address"
That's all I need to know.
2
The SOTU address, like President's Day, needs to be abolished. Both are designed theoretically to celebrate the office, but in practice elevate the occupant of the Presidency. And the current occupant, the worst POTUS in American history, does not deserve this honor and, in a moral universe, would be boycotted by all.
1
Nice night for Netflix.
1
It depends on whether he’s on his sedatives or not.
Don’t forget, he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and he wouldn’t lose any supporters.
He was right.
2
I know what he'll say: He'll lie. He will lie and lie and lie, and his supporters will cheer at every one, no matter how outrageous or easily disproven. The media I count on for revealing the darkness and truly evil nature of this administration still wastes precious space speculating ridiculously about the tone, if he'll pivot, blah blah. He Will Lie. He will not become presidential (I still cringe when Fareed Zakaria said that a year ago). If I see one editorial comment in the Times to that effect, I'll scream. He Will Lie. This is our country, this is our future, and hope is the thing with feathers.
1
Republicans are worried? Everyone should be worried. The Donald is about to speak.
1
I'll be on a plane tonight headed for Portland, OR. I have no plans to watch the SOTU address or the re-caps tomorrow. Trump will read a prepared speech, have some special "guest" in the audience as tonight's sideshow, and will gloat about how he fixed our economy singlehandedly from a golf course (or a tanning bed) in Florida.
I agree with others who suggested that tonight's parlor trick should be Stormy Daniels in the audience. Pun intended.
1
The first pundit to say after the speech that Trump looked "presidential" ought to be tarred and feathered live on C-SPAN.
1
No matter what he says, it makes no difference since others and not him wrote the speech, and Trump is their vision of their cartoon.
Trump is incapable of writing his own speech, being a decent human being, not hurting others needlessly, and making it always about himself, and maximizing his personal, financial return for himself.
As has been shown the last few days, he will lie and destroy anyone, who does not accept his lies and vision of Trump World.
He is exactly who they and he said he was.The man has no soul, and is a useless, empty vessel.
He is out to destroy our democracy and country, through his actions avarice, and those of the G(reed) O(ver) P(eople).
3
If I want to watch a puppet, I'll watch Pinocchio or the Muppets, not self righteous demigod.
20
I feel I already know how this is going to play out. The bar is set so low, that Trump giving a speech where he doesn't call neo-Nazi's "fine people" will be seen as successful. There will be comments about how "presidential" he is now, or how this is a "turning point". Then the next day on Twitter he'll go back to the same divisive far-right politics as usual. And somehow everyone will be SHOCKED.
19
The speech will be a bunch of hooey totally at odds with how he behaves, totally ignoring his corruption and his ongoing attempts at tyrancy. He will read it off the teleprompter and manage not to stumble, and network anchors and the New York Times will declare that this is the day he became presidential. And within eight hours, maybe less, Trump will do something idiotic and un-American--more in character, in other words, than this speech--and prove that all of you wanting to normalize this presidency need to snap out of your delusions.
7
Who cares what he says today.
He'll say something different tomorrow.
13
Donald Trump is giving the State of the Union message.
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
1
Boycott the speech. He only cares about ratings. Make them tank, bigly.
14
You would have to tie me to a chair Clockwork Orange style in order for me to watch this travesty.
14
I will definitely watch the speech and come to my own conclusions instead of letting the NY Times tell me what to think about it in their headlines tomorrow.
2
Mavin, haven't you figured Trump out by now? He's a con artist. Nothing he says means anything. This was blatantly evident decades ago, and is still true. Do you doubt it? Just his claim that Obama may not have been born in the US was sufficient to rob him of all credibility forever.
2
He'll bring the house down!
GM:
Yeah, the same way he brings down EVEYTHING that he touches. Six bankruptcies and counting. Bankrupting the US is next on his list, because it would be the BIGGEST, a record setter by every measure.
1
There is no reason to believe anything this man says. Why bother? Haven't we had enough of sock-puppet journalist gushing about how "presidential" he sounded?
4
Please.
You'd have to tie me down and prop my eyelids open a la "A Clockwork Orange" to watch this "person".
The only thing I'll be watching tonight is Stormy Daniels on Jimmy Kimmel's show.
10
Wow! I really love the comments here, they make me laugh when I want to cry or throw up.
4
"The edge they love..." aka hate speech.
Could we please stop normalizing depravity? At this point, virtually everyone with power or a podium is complicit in it.
Part of the problem is that nearly everyone has colluded in normalizing this thug's violent and vile rhetoric. From foreign leaders who smile and shuck and jive with him in public even though they decry him behind his back, to journalists who continue to allow that fool at the podium to ignore their questions and get away with transparent lies and evasions, to a Congress so recalcitrant and complicit it too should be investigated, to voters who abdicated all responsibility to their country when they elected a visibly unfit candidate, to his 1% backers who pull every puppet string for their own gain...this man is a devastating reflection of a country that has lost its moral barometer.
We were always a long long way from perfect, but it's hard to see any watermark when you're ten fathoms deep in the swamp.
14
You cannot fool all of the people all of the time. But Trump will try. Betcha. Sad.
5
There is a history of bigotry towards Hispanics here on Long Island that was institutionalized by the County Executive years ago who was advised by none other that Trump's right hand girl, Conway, now advising Trump. The bigotry is rooted here deeply and several years back, a gang of White Youths murdered a Hispanic man in Patchogue N.Y. in Suffolk County. In recent years the MS13 Gang became established here and murdered several individuals, one being Ms. Rodriguez' daughter. A former Federal Prosecutor in NYC, named Sini became Suffolk County Police Commissioner. Last year, both Attorney General Sessions and Trump visited Brentwood and met with Police Commissioner Sini and other officials to bring light to the violence. Soon after that, Commissioner Sini ran for and won the position of County District Attorney. Sini also had Ms. Rodriguez on his transition team. The anti-Hispanic bigotry is spreading fast. I hear some of it and it reminds me of the 1930's German rhetoric. I anticipate Ms. Rodriguez will be used to build further hatred and anger towards Hispanics. She's a fool for allowing herself to be used by these bigots as she herself is Puerto Rican. I in no way sympathize with the MS13 gangs but wish to bring light to the fact that a program of hateful propaganda is being perpetuated here. There are many thousands of Hispanics on Long Island and they are good and decent people like our ancestors. Trump is a disgrace for using this victims Mother. She was fooled.
5
A snake cannot change its nature. His supporters need not worry. The monkey and the crocodile, yada yada. If it killed him. He would do what he does. He cannot help himself.
4
"There's nothing there. No shame, no honor, no conscience, no knowledge, no curiosity, no decorum, no imagination, no wit, no nous."...Author Martin Amis's description of Trump.......should be a great speech.
6
I'll read about it in the news later. He is unfit, a proven liar and a crook. Not worth my time to watch.
11
Why should we care how Trump supporters feel about his decision to read from a teleprompter? Why is the media not talking about the fact that Congress voted by an overwhelming majority to impose sanctions on Russia for its interference on the elections and the President has ignored it! Shouldn't that be your top story, NYT?
5
Oh say can you see
Who's impaired mentally
It's the President of
The most powerful country
Constitution, what of?
He don't care for that stuff
All that matters is how
Great he thinks that he does
As for Russians, who cares?
GOP unawares
Or rather it's cool
If it works in their favor
Too bad what existed once
Soon never will be
What's disintegrating
Becomes China's bounty
4
Think I’ll skip it and watch the impeachment, instead.
6
Using the word ‘fear’ in every single article on Trumps very move exposes the Times dedication to journalistic stirring up of the public’s responses. I have a permanent crook in my neck thanks to all of you; where shall I send my chiro bill?
While I deplore use of the term "fake news" as used by the manipulative con man Donald Trump, I have to say that this story is pretty close to that description. The NYT would do itself and us a favor if it would quit:
--Overusing the word "fear" or "war" to characterize differences of opinion. Exaggeration is a form of falsehood.
--Writing OMG stories about what "might" happen, as in, "What if Trump says this?" or "What if Trump does that?" He does enough horrible things that we don't need to imagine actions or words he might take or use.
--Using speculative stories like this to drive an outcome. Knowing Trump reacts to media in an attempt to demonstrate "politically incorrectness," it appears that this is a story designed to provoke a newsworthy reaction from Trump. It's bear-baiting. It is juvenile journalism and unworthy of the NYT.
Just stick to the facts.
2
He's a liar, lies at the drop of a hat, so what's the difference what he says, it's only for show in any case.
6
This may be the most insipid, meaningless headline I've ever seen in the NYT. What is this, a reality show? Oh, right.
11
I'm going out for an early and long dinner and tuning out him and all the blabber analysis post 'speech'. Though I can't get the tiny little thumb and forefinger 'o' out of my mind's eye.
Somebody will have to tell me if missus shows. Or the porn star.
4
Now with all the hoopla about a Kennedy set to refute whatever Trump says tonight, the upcoming Superbowl hype is going to feel like kind of a let down.
I say we boycott this charade. The low ratings will rankle him more than anything. But he will just lie about it: "My speech had the highest television ratings of any Presidential speech ever." I can hear it now. I already know what the state of this "union" is; no need to listen to, as Bob Dylan says, "Worthless foam from the mouth."
13
Ratings obsessed reality tv President. Not watching.
12
I plan to pack for a trip to Europe. I do not need to be told that the State of the Union is a trainwreck.
9
act presidential
Acting? Acting? Seriously!
4
What? His supporters aren’t going to get the reality show they bought in November 2016 with their Faustian bargain? Not enough soap opera for your simple tastes?
2
“One Nation under God”, how did we get so vehemently divided? When we gather together in our places of worship, how do we behave, before God? Do we dare require each other to believe exactly as we personally have chosen and are ‘called’ to believe? Do we daily lie to each other, as Sarah Huckabee spins out her answers to genuinely questions from journalists? Do we gather together in our places of worship, to give thanks to God for his blessings and then profanely refuse 1.8 million visitors working in our neighborhoods? How do we face Amighty God with such behaviors and then leave the Holy Place Of Meeting and face the world around us, to share His Good Will, “Love one another as I have loved you”?
2
As if a 45 minute speech read by Trump using a Teleprompter means anything .
7
I will not be watching Trump. Trump will slather himself with praise for accomplishments he has not achieved. He will spread his lies and false facts, all the while waiting for "applauds". The bully needs to feel loved and if he doesn't, he'll spew his hatred on twitter, demeaning anyone who does not cheer him on.
Trump is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. I'd rather spend my evening reading a book, then to waste my time watching his "fake speech".
7
Why do his supporters even want to hear a "dark tone?"
5
Good question. What makes a person long for bigotry, ignorance and hatred?
1
I do not know a single person who is going to watch the State of the Union speech tonight.
11
I wont be watching or listening to this so called president's state of disunion ramble that's for sure. I think I'll be out weeding my garden in the dark or something similar. Anything more productive than to have to absorb this man's pathetic lies.
9
Trumps better go off-script and use that time begging the President of Mexico for the cash to build his Unicorn Wall.
As per usual, Trumps has done a Bait & Switch on his cult followers and they think the US paying for that is a good idea. You folks add it to your taxes if you want it, but the promise was for some OTHER country to finance it.
3
Trump will spew lies and take credit for others' work. We've seen this show many times already, so why watch again tonight? I'll be curling up with a good book.
7
there is no gift on planet earth that could make me watch this creature. I almost can't tolerate the still photos.
The first thing that comes to mind when I see him is to spit.
6
This speech is absolutely meaningless. It's another opportunity for Trump to tell lies and puff himself up and for media pundits to congratulate him from reading from a teleprompter. Aside from putting on sack cloth and ashes, prostrating himself before the Lord and begging forgiveness for all of his lies and misdeeds, there is nothing he can say that I'd be remotely interested in.
3
As one tweet stated, The State of the Uniom should take place in the Covfefe room."
If he sticks to the teleprompter as told and instructed, it will be a so-called 'dignified' and 'inclusionary' speech of a Trump impersonating an American president. Meanwhile, tomorrow should see about 100 nasty tweets filled with his usual vitriol to make up for behaving so well for his handlers. That will show them!
4
Regardless of what President Trump says this evening to the nation, on live TV, he will later deny that he never stated X,Y, or Z and that everyone except Fox News reported fake news.
So why even bother with the donkey and elephant show Mr. President? Why waste America's time?
10
Speech, what speech? I'm going to a yoga class tonight.
4
No matter what the script tells him to say, Trump has already revealed himself as an extremely small, mean, selfish, greedy man. The bottom line for Trump is always the bottom line for Trump.
2
Trumps speech ,which I will skip,will contain exactly what was written for him to read.There is the possibility of a Twitter like punch at the FBI or others who
Offend his Machiavelli like violence.
In any case many will put his words back in the mind of the speech writer who
Wrote them.Trumps mind is lunching at the Golden Arches.For Trump could There be any other kind of Arches.?
2
We we need to drain the swamp of politicians like Jim Jordan.
2
Newsflash for the NYTimes:
Old, bigoted, backward-thinking Trump supporters are not the future of this country—most of them are the destroyers of this country.
Ask us under the age of 45 how we feel about the prospects for our children and grandchildren under this generation of pathetic Republican leadership.
They've abdicated their duty to the citizenry in the name of loyalty to wannabe Oligarchs and Kleptocrats. They've sold out our Democracy and the health of our country and resources.
My children will be the first to know the shame that Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell and their profit-focused goons in this Congress have brought upon the United States of America.
E Pluribus Unum.
Get out of the way, the next generation is coming.
9
Sarah Huckabee Saunders' idea of "must watch TV" is my idea of a frustrating, pointless waste of time.
Trump has established himself as the most insistent, bald-faced liar who has ever demeaned public discourse.
As such, anything he has to say is by definition false. Why bother?
6
So here it comes - the annual opportunity for pundits to pronounce him as "presidential". To bad they don't hold him to it the other 364 days. I refer particularly to the damage he's doing behind the scenes, undermining every department and agency so it can't watch out for the national and public interest. I learned today* that any academic who has ever received a federal grant is now ineligible from serving as an adviser, which opens up bodies like the EPA to exclusively politcal and corporate appointees.
By the way, the invitations to tonight's event referred to the "State of the Uniom", which perfectly symbolizes how slipshod an administration we have.
Heaven knows I make my share of typos, but I don't have a high-profile responsibility to the public.
*Rep. Bill Foster, C-SPAN "Washington Journal", 1/30/2018
7
The sequencing is suggestive: first, the Nunes Memo has been freed for release upon Presidential review, while Trump resists instituting new sanctions on Russia. Both draw criticism.
Next, tonight gives a conciliatory and cross-the-aisle SotU, which results in a fresh wave of "he looked presidential." He frames himself as a negotiator and as compassionate toward all Americans and even, perhaps, toward immigrants.
Wrapped in this narrative of being concilliatory, compassionate and bipartisan, he releases the Nunes Memo and uses the momentum it gains in right wing press to announce he will be firing Rosenstein and dismantling the Mueller investigation.
He shows every sign of needing to stop the investigation in order to cling to power. Of what point is the Nunes Memo if not to provide cover for a new Saturday Night Massacre?
13
When the GOP is in power, its supporters demand ideological purity. When the Democrats are in power, Republicans condemns them for not act bipartisan enough.
4
A great learning opportunity for Trump supporters: A free country is not ruled by 36% of the citizenry. Period.
Also a great lesson for Trump himself. IF he wants to learn anything.
We'll see.
4
I have a different fear: that because he will be reading the statement, he will have the chance to fool some more of the people. You want to see real Trump? Watch a press conference or read his Twitter feed.
4
I can't watch Trump for 90 minutes or however long his strident, braggadocio, nonsense lasts. I just can't. I'd be interested to hear what the young Kennedy has to say afterward.
2
My bet is that Trump will mostly stick to his script, except for a few improv-ed "Isn't that just terrible?'s" and various fragmented meanspirited mutterings.
The real "red meat" will be saved for the Twitter aftermath- "Twittermath" if I may coin it so. Trump will rail against all the slights and lack of kowtowing by the Democrats in the official and unofficial responses to his sourpuss braggadocio. He will slip his leash and go hog-wild tomorrow morning, probably showering us with ominous hints of alleged felonies and assorted outrages perpetrated against him (inexplicably) by fellow Republicans Rod Rosenstein, Robert Mueller, and whoever else is on his hit list this week.
Let's hope that the Democrats somehow get it together enough to distract him into ranting against their lack of appreciation for his "stable genius," baiting his wrath away from the Russia investigation and this miserable memo-gate fiasco. (Sorry, but I just couldn't resist- I'm in a term-coining mood).
The speech will most likely be anti-climactic, but the Fox News coverage of its merits and flaws will dictate the main content of this week's news cycle by providing Trump's post-speech ranting points. Whatever they tee up for him, he will surely flail away at. The right-wing media essentially owns what's left of Trump's brain, so the real "speech" won't be delivered on the floor tonight- it will drag out over the course of the whole week and limp into next. Like an embittered nativist zombie.
2
I'm a lifelong Democrat, my father was a local union president, before the Flood, and I despair when I see what the Democrats are doing. They seem to be completely tone deaf. A Kennedy to give the Democratic response. What we don't need is political dynasties (aristocracy?). I held my nose and voted for Clinton but the Democrats must do better and a tired call to nostalgia is not it.
2
There can be no "union" as long as Trump is president. It's his way, or the highway, unless the Democrats can take control of the house and/or senate.
Nov. 2018 will be an existential choice, if we want to regain control of OUR country.
1
There is often the amusing cliche about certain cities that if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it will surely change.
That's why it's hard to understand anyone's worry about Mr. Trump's words.
His intellect is dominated by unconscious, indiscriminate impulses, and it will surely swing wildly, just as climate change ravages the planet.
Unfortunately few words from him are worthy of serious scrutiny.
Only actions.
1