Leaving aside the SOTU address, I would like to commend the reporter Glenn Thrush for his pointed pun, "stand-up comity", in the first para of the article. Says it all?
5
SOTU is traditionally a President's chance to look good after half a term of one of the most demanding jobs in the world. Just the fact that Trump got through it without any major screw-ups will help him.
The conciliatory tone was likely just for the speech. It'll be back to twitter wars as usual by the end of the week I'm sure.
It's really a drag that the wall has become a political football. Actually, the idea of a steel see-through barrier accompanied by the other technological and logistical support the border patrol people have requested would be a good solution.
But the whole issue has been framed politically as a win/lose proposition. If Trump gets even a part of the wall he will claim total victory over Pelosi and the democrats, and too many democrats have staked their party's reputation on not giving a single inch of wall to Trump.
It's the same dynamic as the shutdown - total win or total loss, no in-between.
It's really way past time to stop doing the nation's business this way.
Our system is designed on the principle that opposing political parties can civilly debate and negotiate solutions that may not be 100% of what everyone wants, but work well enough to agree on for both sides.
We badly need to get back to that principle before our political institutions deteriorate any further.
2
Peace and prosperity is what we have thanks to Presidents policies... if the democrat Mob don't like it then say so and move to a socialist paradise like Venezuela.
Reading through the comments here, its clear no one likes it when Trump looks good. Haha.
I refuse to watch this man who has lied over 8000 times since he took office. So what if he calls for unity, his tweets tomorrow will destroy that sentiment.
2
WOW......I watched the entire speech. Then I read the Fox News responses, the New York Times responses and the Washington Post responses. Every one of them read into the speech what they wanted to hear. Absolutely total opposites! I don't think anybody really listened. They all formed their opinions before the address started. I knew this country was bifurcated politically but not to this extent. Heaven help us......our political system and media systems are broken and I see no obvious remedy. WOW.
This was a brilliant show. Trump was addressing those who don't read the NY Times, The Guardian or the Washington Post. This was his only chance to gain national coverage to the man-in-the street without the interference and interpretation by the media. It was all about his and the Republicans to spread enough narrowly focused impressions that single-focused, simple-minded voters might support.
The length of his speech alone probably lost Stacey Abrams' half of an otherwise normal national audience.
Trump also may have converted a percent or two Jews to switch their votes to him. His plea for criminal justice reform would normally have limited Republican support. Never-the-less, it might switch a vote or two towards the Republicans. Same principle applies to his use of Blacks & Hispanics in the audience.
His tactics clearly made a fool out of Pelosi who had difficulty controlling herself and listen to Trumps blather. It also made the
"Women in White confused whether to stand & clap or show support for Trump utterances: Utterances they would have cheered hysterically if uttered by Obama. They appeared more like puppets than newly elected Congressional legislators.
What many knee-jerk Democrat sycophants really wanted Trump to say was, "I am a total sleazebag, homophobe and male predator. Unfortunately, his strategy appears to have achieved his objectives.
"As part of our commitment to improving opportunity for women everywhere, this Thursday we are launching the first ever government-wide initiative focused on economic empowerment for women in developing countries."
This out-of-the blue claim is belied on many fronts. Just 2 examples:
(1) The UN, which began to promote the economic productivity of women in developing countries as early as the 1960s, is targeted by Trump for savage cuts at every opportunity.
The same emphasis on women's econ productivity characterized the World Bank, which Trump also seems eager to eviscerate.
(2) In 1974, the US Agency for International Development created a highly active and well funded Women in Development office, for which the economic empowerment of women was a key thrust.
WID, along with other USAID offices, must have funded hundreds of such projects in the developing world. (See the Agency's vast record of papers, publications and evaluations.)
Especially in the 1970s and 1980s, USAID's emphasis on women' economic lives was so strong, that "Impact on women" became a formal criterion by which all prospective USAID projects began to be evaluated.
This is by NOT to say that these programs were successful in their goals, as the record amply demonstrates. Far from it.
But as in so much of Trump's imagination, his claim to originality is wildly wrong.
Any attempts to reinvent this wheel under such callous, uninterested hands will surely be disastrous.
1
This is the last of the "good times" for Donald Trump. He has an immediate funding deadline on February 15th. He also has a debt ceiling that needs to be addressed in the next month or so. He also has to pass his "negotiated" Nafta deal (a tall order), and he has various deadlines coming up with China and other countries over unilaterally imposed tariffs. He and his Administration can barely address one issue, much less a multitude of them at the same time.
2
Over 40,000 children undergo cancer treatment per year. 12% will not survive. Trump vows to throw the paltry sum of $50 million per year (for 10 years) toward child cancer research, He is willing to waste several billion dollars on an ineffective wall that actually could lead to cancer cures if directed that way. The National Cancer Institute has an annual budget of $5.74 billion. The near identical wall money going to the NCI would more than double annual research funding. Looking at the overall picture, I'm sure many more American lives are negatively affected by cancer than the wrong doings of illegal border crossers. I hope the Democrats stand firm against wasting billions of better spent dollars.
3
My favorite parts were the moments when Pelosi pretended to look at the papers in front of her, to avoid looking at Trump or responding to his comments. At least she wasn't looking at her phone.
2
Donald Trump conducted a clinic last night...on how to lead. You all know it, you’ll never say you do but you do.
Any political party with Joe Biden as the front runner and Stacy Abrams as a “rising star” is in trouble. You know that too.
3
"“Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country,” Mr. Trump said. “America was founded on liberty and independence — and not government coercion, domination and control.”"
There is nothing more coercive and domineering than the government forcing a woman to give birth against her will to appease the religious right.
As for the conservative socialism hysteria, making sure all Americans have healthcare isn't socialism. It's common sense and basic human decency.
6
Let's be fair. Socialism for corporations, Big Pharma and Big Agra is perfectly OK!
3
This SOTU will be remembered for Trump's false assertion that America will never go for Socialism. As Ms Doolittle said to Prof. Higgins: "Just you wait Prof. Higgins, Just you wait." Be warned all you Billionaires.
3
Congress.
The applause was deafening
And too frequent
Ringing around the circular room
Thudding on dark panelling.
The room was lined with benches
The benches lined with heads
Slowly sinking toward the centre
Words like discarded cans rattled
With no meaning
Phrases rejected from Hallmark cards
And such sad empty promises
All echo about the same.
They don’t deserve the applause.
The benches were full
But the heads were empty
As hands smashed together
Clapped! Again and again— for nothing—
Inside that dark hole in the ground.
1
Trump’s strategy of “divide and conquer” works very well, but only for him and his rich friends.
The Republicans are getting rich through betrayal of the country.
As long as no one stops them, they will continue.
Will anyone stop them?
5
As I expected, the speech was orchestrated, and yes, there were the required, requisite joyful rants which drew the applause of most the Republicans in the audience who seemed to be programmed by a mysterious controller.
Trumps views on his pet subjects, immigration notwithstanding, were divisive underneath all the glory in spite of all that was said. It is the politics of fear if we listen carefully.
He threw in the required survivors, all legitimate people who deserved to be recognized and taken seriously, but they were used as pawns to solidify Trump’s campaign’s efforts, because in essence, this speech was nothing short of this.
It was almost gratifying to hear what he said about the number of women in Congress. Looking back it's as if he threw rolls of paper towels to the women in white in the audience. I knew a bit of grandstanding was coming when he said, “Don’t sit down yet”. It was a set up! He got the reaction he wanted. He is a showman, people.
His lie about the effectiveness of walls, i.e., El Paso, was stunning, as are many of his lies and lack of fact checking when disseminating information. We won't hold our breath.
There was little mention of health care, nothing about gun control, no mention of how the Union is going to handle the children without parents being held in limbo without hope, and no plan.
The state of the Union is not great. The speech was arranged as most people thought, and the Union is probably as divided as it was yesterday.
3
Very compelling SOTU, but I'm stunned that 75% of the people who watched the speech liked it. It wasn't all Rs that watched the SOTU either. I don't think it bodes well for Dems in 2020. So takeaway is that Trump very effectively communicates during these speeches and that his messages resonate with America.
I didn't like that the Dem women dressed all in white, though. (BTW, what a moment when they all celebrated when Trump gave them a nod approval for their success. It was nice to see them so happy.) But, it was like the goal was to make it to congress to "represent" rather than represent their constituents. Hope they remember why they're there!
1
They wore white to commemorate the suffrage movement and is a message of solidarity to women across the country. It is to say they know the hard work women have put in, and we are not going back on that. It was a moment to acknowledge the work women have put in and continue to put in across the nation. It is a very respectful nod to “where they came from”.
3
The economic recovery has been going on for nine years at a consistent unrelenting determined pace since the catastrophic Bush recession. Yet in this ninth year trump asserts he inherited "a mess" and incredibly claims ownership for the whole recovery, including the low unemployment rate. "A mess"? Sure ... it's Obama's fault is it that he handed Trump a lousy economy that had created 16.5 million jobs? If you have near full employment, rising stock markets, strongest dollar in some time, rising consumer confidence, lowest uninsured percentage . . . What's the mess he inherited? In truth trump's been blithely riding the economic recovery success coattails of his predecessor.
10
Pay attention not to what Trump says but what he does. The SOTU speech in this administration is divorced from reality. It’s written by people whose job it is to write things that will appeal to and placate the masses. Messages of unity and cooperation are always welcome.
But reality is a different story. In reality, Trump sends armed troops to the US/Mexico border with no apparent mission; he strips little children from their parents and locks them in cages like dogs; he reneges on agreements made, as he has done several times with negotiated, bi-partisan deals on immigration. He appoints unqualified people to serve in key roles and does his best to foster partisan divisions across the country.
Don’t be fooled by teleprompter Trump. It’s not really him speaking.
9
That one takeaway from the SOTU speech last night that I would like to see is Trump from the White House.
5
I felt no sense of comity (that's c-o-m-i-t-y, as Ms. Conway pointed out) in this president's speech. He is an actor, a ham, and reminded me in that regard of Ronald Reagan...selling a poison pill with honeyed words.
2
"Comity" or comedy? Trump pretends he wants bipartisanship, but his actions put the lie to his claims.
Most Americans, as the Times has reported, don't want a border wall, understanding that technology offers a cheaper and better alternative.
Further, Trump didn't seem to get that Democratic women were applauding themselves, not Trump, when he claimed to be the impetus behind more women entering the workforce. Actually, he may be right, but not because he's been helpful. Rather, it's because women need to fight his agenda, especially his objectification of us.
Much of the applause was well-deserved, but it wasn't for Trump. It was for a young cancer survivor, a Holocaust/Pittsburgh survivor and three gentlemen who served in WWII.
Then there were the lies, especially about late-term abortion. No babies are "ripped" from their mothers. Instead, such abortions are done only when the mother's health is at risk or the fetus is not viable. It's heart wrenching for parents to go through this. And Northram didn't say he was "executing" babies. He said he resuscitated them if the parents wanted, speaking of babies that were near death.
2
When the President made "legislation" vs "partisan investigation" a dichotomy I could only utter HYPOCRITE. Should we forget the Benghazi investigation farce, calls to "Lock her up", charges of the Clinton Foundation corruption, and direct DOJ further investigate the Clintons?
Trump pointed out that employment of women made great progress under his administration. The white suited congress women on one side of the aisle showed a stark contrast to the mostly dark suited white, old men on the other side of the aisle. No, Mr. president, you don't get the credit.
Trump plead that congress choose bipartisan legislation as opposed to partisan gridlock. I thought Merrick Garland and Republican obstructionism during Obama's administrations.
Earlier in the day Trump hosted news anchors and made nasty comments about Biden, Schumer and Warren (and some ugly posthumous comments regarding John McClain). His arrogance in calling for working together considering his belittling with those he disagrees is breathtaking.
I do hope there is policy and legislative advancements occur. I just don't believe any of it matches Trump's agenda or demeanor.
5
Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels.
2
My brief "take-aways":
1) Tropical Hispanics trying to enter the USA are automatically assumed to be criminals before they enter or apply for asylum.
2) The killings of American police officers by American citizens do not deserve mention, public support, or improved firearms control.
3) Israel: good. Neighboring Muslim-majority nations and Palestine: bad. No ifs, ands, or buts.
4) Promote medical research on childhood brain cancer over anything else. Research on all other medical disorders must get to the back of the line.
Fixed it for you: “The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat [sic] agenda . . . .” Every time you quote a Republican using their incorrect and intended to be derogatory "Democrat" instead of the correct "Democratic," The New York Times style guide should require a "(sic)".
2
Every time I read a piece about Trump in the NYT I feel compelled to seek out the perspective from FOX just so I can better inform my perspective. Oh for the days of yore when media attempted to present a balanced view.
3
Might you be specific in your complaints?
@Mike Sullivan I hear you. I watched the live stream on Fox and read the chat while reading the live analysis from NYT. That's the only way you can try to get a somewhat balanced view.
Democracy is alive and well! American issues, savory and unsavory, are alive and well! Onward ho!
It was the beginning of the 2020 campaign. And he did very well. He's running on jobs/economy... crime/immigration... no collusion... and capitalism v.s. socialism. Caught the Dems flatfooted. WAKE UP DEMS. Or it's Trump in '20!
13
I realize that journalists have to write about and 'analyse' the speech. But face reality. Its political rhetoric written by a professional speech writer. Has very little to do with what Trump's plans are. i.e. What he feels like when he gets up at mid-day.
4
"Stand-up comity" - the best phrase in and theme of your coverage, and a potential Pulitzer Prize winner.
That said, a want a different Tuesday night in which I'll be doing something else - anything else. All I heard were the same old lies, wrapped in the flag with the addition of theatrics while presenting the parade of
Remarkable people he introduced who were tangential to a SOTU speech. And he mangled most of his transitions between topics, betraying a total lack of involvement with the subjects at hand unless they could aggrandize him or potentially protect him from the onrushing investigations.
Special kudos to all our congressional women who turned his sop to them into a victory moment (Trump: "I didn't expect that" - his most honest five seconds of the night, which he proceeded to misinterpret as support for him). Honors, too, to Speaker Pelosi for her stoic patience listening to his divisive ranting, subtly but appropriately reacting ("the clapping" was priceless) and keeping her House in order when it might have "over-reacted").
But my highest regard goes to Stacey Abrams, our new American superhero, able to leap Trump's tall absurdities, exaggerations and bloviating in a single speech in the service of truth, justice and the real American way. Great things are coming from her and our Democratic women in Congress. But first, let's contain and then excise Trump and trumpism so that we may restore America's true greatness.
4
Who could have guessed that railing against illegal border crossings at levels not seen since 1971 would win Mr. Trump a campaign? And that people would believe him when he said his predecessors did nothing.
I started researching immigration legislation after Republicans said that the Democrats once campaigned hard to reduce illegal immigration. And they did! They passed legislation in 1996 that reduced it. At the time, that legislation was thought to be draconian. Then Bush built 700 miles of fence which reduced it more. Then Obama brought it down to levels not seen since 1971, where it is today.
3
A major takeaway from the State of the Union speech was the facial gyrations of Speaker Pelosi obviously with a bad denture fit or perhaps just constantly grinding her implants into oblivion much like the trail she leads for her female puppets clad in white, glued to their seats and unable to have a moment of individuality or freedom from the lock-step control gestures of Madame Speaker.
Second was the sneering sniveling gestures of New York Senator Chuck Schumer and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. What happy personas they conveyed as poster boys for the left.
With unity and compromise on the table, the jeer crowd cowardly retreated from responsibility and instead embraced Maduro and Socialism. Nice work for the apocalypse party presenting another cup half empty.
1
There are those on Republican side who have been calling last night's State of the Union speech "Reaganesque". I wonder what aspects of the speech they found to have anything to do with president Reagan.
President Reagan loved the US Constitution. His speeches were full of direct or indirect references to the constitution. So, in light of the burning issues of our time, from those who called Trump's speech Reaganesque, one need to ask whether they heard Mr. Trump referring to:
1. Freedom of press;
2. The need for Congress to perform "checks and balances";
3. Executive branch adherence to democratic principles championed by the founding fathers.
Furthermore, on US foreign policy Mr. Trump expressed his desire to bring home US troops from the Middle East. Again, Mr. Reagan would have used the occasion to remind the world of fundamental values that are uphold by the US, anywhere and under all circumstances; which are protecting:
4. Human rights; and,
5. Innocent civilian lives in any conflict.
Mr. Trump's complete silence on the last two items were not only far from being Reaganesque, but indeed imprudent.
Given Mr. Trump's affinity and wholehearted support of Saudi Arabia's rulers - while they are busy with their genocidal war in Yemen and savage killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi - it is foreseeable that his legacy will not to be defined by his domestic achievements, but rather by his embrace of decisions taken by a bunch of Saudi criminals.
2
What Trump seems to forget is that this is America, and I am my brother’s keeper. And I am neighbor to the black man, the white man, the woman, the children and the prisoner. Any suffering inflicted on my countrymen is suffering inflicted on me and on the sacred founding principals of this nation. And I will do all I can to redress it.Certainly I am not alone. Unite or die.
3
I believe I heard two sentences mentioning education and no mention at all about the climate change crisis.
3
I feel as though Trump supporters have learned nothing about his tactics for getting them to take the bait. Democrats as Socialists? Yep, let's just skip right over that and head toward dictatorship.
And this quote from Trump..“There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child"...because we know it is all a mother's responsibility and not the father's. Why then is it not the woman's choice?
4
@Candace Young
Here's another contrast: infants ripped from their mothers' arms at the border and never reunited with their families. This reality speaks volumes about Trump's
lack of compassion and concern for the wellbeing of children and families.
1
I could not force myself to watch the State of the Union address. My rage against Trump's pompous grandiosity, his lies and his misinformation made it impossible without becoming apoplectic. And knowing Congress knows he is lying and does nothing only makes me sicker.
The immigration emergency is a fever dream by a man seeking to terrify his constituency.
Of course Trump wants to end the “ridiculous partisan investigations” because they will reveal to all exactly who this man is: a thug and a criminal.
Women's rights? This from a crotch-grabber who brags about it? All those women in white I saw jumping and down on the news reminded me of The Handmaid's Tale.
Why isn't he in jail yet?
2
Best Actor for Drama goes to President Trump for his performance in “Don’t Believe a Word I Utter”. Gee...he loves the pomp, ceremony and attention. Can a narcissist have a better platform? Watching this conman is truly performance art.
2
Have you every hear that song with lyrics that go like this: backstabber......smiles in your face!
I have encountered many a man whose tone was calm but the words were like knives. Any one who suggests that Trump offered an olive branch or had a concillary tone simply wasn’t listening. Good grief, he threatened the country is he didn’t get his WALL!
2
Trump began his SOTU address noting that the agenda he was presenting is not his but that of the American people; however, this American did not hear much that I claim ownership of.
Our "stable genius" blathered on and on for over an hour using the same false claims about immigration dangers, empty rhetoric regarding the economy and employment status in the United States, and praise for his job as president. He suggested that investigations into his unethical, and perhaps illegal, maneuvering (although he didn’t use these words) interferes with the ability of the government to make progress in doing its work and suggested that they are dangerous for the country—when, in truth, they are necessary for the safety of same. Though he seemed to stick to a written speech not of his authorship, he threw in enough "very, very's" and "so, so's" to let us know it was him reading it. His presentation, reminiscent of Brando's rendition of a mafia Don, with unspoken threats drifting just beneath the surface.
I watched the audience with interest: the steel-faced high-ranking representatives of the various arms of the military, his brightly lipsticked daughters, his smirking son-in-law, his wife (is orange contagious?she's now oranger than him), and the missing faces of his sons, that, like those important issues left unsaid, were blaring in their absence. Mitch seemed sad much of the time.
Would that compromise and negotiation were Trump's bailiwick.
I say: Lock him up! Lock him up!
11
Trump, Individual 1, was shallow, ineffectual, uninspiring and divisive. He has already cast his die. His history as a cheat, scammer, narcissist, misogynist, racist and liar color his every word. He is never to be trusted, respected or supported by most Americans and even fewer in the intl community. His presidency is viewed as a fraud by many and as a catastrophe for our country by most of the world.
8
He scored a Grand Slam on abortion with the quotes out of New York and Virginia. Democrats are dumb as stumps to deliver this kind of red meat personally to the President.
2
@Richard Mclaughlin He lied. What else is new?
3
Incredible it is to read some of these comments... Yes the speech was on a teleprompter but an incredible speech none-the-less. I like the fact that Trump has a pro-American thread, spread throughout his speech. I like his "We are not Socialist" Statement... My Dad fought against the Nazis in WWII, from D-Day to the Battle of the Bulge, to meeting the Russians on the Elbe River. He would be be appalled at AOC and her ilk in Congress.... A couple of the first actions the Socialist Hitler took after gaining Power in Nazi Germany was to Nationalize Health Care and Take Away the Guns from its Citizens...... AOC, Bernie and the others are freaking Nazis in sheep's clothing....all for Big Government Coercion, Domination and Control and .... That's what Hitler sought, Stalin sought, Mao, Pol Pot, Kim ll-sung, Maduro and more sought. The result.... enslavement, poverty and murder of a hundred million souls.... Welcome to Socialism you freakin' ignorant fools..... God Bless America and Donald Trump for stemming the Socialist Tide in this Great Nation….
1
@Paul Sulley My dad was an immigrant and a refugee from the Nazis. He would have known Trump for what he is: a demagogue who knows how to appeal to the least common denominator. Too bad too many Americans are suckers for the con artist in chief who has been bought lock, stock and barrel by Putin.
6
That Hitler was a Socialist is a well-known trope of those attempting to deflect attention away from those who actually share a common belief in the superiority of the white man and are fond of swastikas and Nazi salutes, in other words the extreme-right.
The National-Socialist moniker was just a crass demagogue attempt to appeal to as many Germans as possible by pointing at whatever enemy would resonate — foreign powers who treated Germany unjustly after World War One, Jewish profiteers, and the Bolshevik/communist. A lot of the initial supporters were disenfranchised workers who could be more easily manipulated by a party that called itself Socialist.
Though times have changed and what was right or wrong in WW2 is not always the same today, I would say that most WW2 soldiers would be appalled by the crassness of Trump, his stepping on the many things that actually made America great, and his embracing of autocrats.
It often both amuses and saddens that those denouncing Socialism in America have no issue collecting Social Security or being on Medicare.
2
With Trump, one has to constantly remind themselves that this is a man who has the attention span of a five ear old, otherwise why would he just hours before the address, demean the leaders of the opposition and then only a few hours later, call for unity in a speech that was obviously written for him?
No matter how hard they try, it is impossible for the media to normalize the utter chaos of this presidency.
2
Congress is right not to give Trump $5.7 billion for his unnecessary border wall, just to excite his base. but I would support offering him $6 billion plus carfare to quit and leave town ASAP. some might call that a bribe, others a life insurance premium.
6
It’s true that Trump has done a lot to bring more women into Congress (as a result of the midterm elections). That wasn’t supposed to happen of course. Indeed, he tried to keep that from happening but failed. Their new strength in numbers—made dramatic by so many of them dressing in white—was really an angry reaction to him and his policies. That reaction to his misogyny was already huge on the weekend he was inaugurated. (Maybe he was counting them as part of his inauguration crowd to make it the largest in history!!) But then it’s not out of character for the Donald to try to pass off a loss as a win. I foresee a few more such such Trump “wins” ahead.
2
Out with old, in with the new.
The new face of our country was on full display in Congress last night with more diversity and more women. But that was just half of Congress. The other half was the group about to receive a whole lot of pink slips in 2020. It cannot come too soon.
2
While trump's speech was replete with lies, exaggerations, and self-congratulatory statements, the republican's chanting "USA" was an inappropriate and bizarre response in the House Chamber. An attempt to make trump feel at home at a rally?
9
I don't trust a word he says. Never have.
Just ask all the contractors and people he has stiffed in his lifetime.
8
According to CNN poll and a CBS poll, roughly 76% of viewers approved of Trump's SOTU address. Trump also got suffregette costume-wearing feminist legislators to cheer something Trump said for a full 2 minutes. Trump united both sides of the isle, for a few brief moments, when chants of "USA, USA!" erupted in the hall.
If you didnt watch the SOTU, you missed out on a great speech and a brief, heartwarming moment of unity between the left's favorite object of hate and the left itself.
3
Global warming/climate change, a plan to control carbon emissions and build a green future, not one word; 50,000 plus people killed by guns in the US every year as well as the horror of Parkland and Las Vegas, not one word. This little man is not interested in the welfare of our country or us its citizens.
3
Mr. Trump inherited his wealth from Fred Trump. He inherited his economy from President Obama. He inherited his populism from Senator Sanders. My goodness. Even his lies, racism and fear are not his own. He got those from the Republicans.
7
Trump speaks and writes at about a seventh grade level. He seems totally incongruous when reading a flowery speech written by others with some writing ability.
2
Investigate/ Legislate/Look Into/ Legislate/ Inspect/ Legislate
Investigate and Legislate
Investigate Much/Legislate against the Wealth Gap and Income Inequality
Investigate for 2.5 More Years! There's so much to uncover back to 1981.
Pelosi is the most disrespectful, stubborn, power hungry person ever in politics. The makes my skin crawl with her sickening attitude. Moreover the disrespectful stubborn democrats with stern facial appearance like robots. They don't want what's best for the country. They want what they want. CONTROL! Like little children!
2
@John
Hey dude.....that was a weak post. All ya got?
2
That’s how I feel about Trump, Mitch and the lying Republicans. The party of deny for years.
Will Ringling Bros. please bring the clown suit to the oval office and reclaim their lost soul?
1
NY Times' pundits may not like Trump and his policies, but the common people of this country understand the logic of his arguments regarding the wall, immigration, trade, abortion, socialism, wars, diplomacy, etc. Last time he had enough support to get elected. Next time he will have more support because he makes more sense than Democrats and pundits in his arguments.
14
@Alex E Dream on Alex. Trump is what he has always been: an utterly corrupt and ignorant man who is a danger to everything decent in the world. I'm one of the common people and I know the difference between reality and Reality TV. You have fallen hard for Trump's new Reality TV show: Executive Time. A majority of the voters rejected this last time. Even more will this time and this time it will include the majority of voters in PA, WI, and MI.
59
last time he lost by 3 million votes. his arguments highlight his ignorance. next election he will be in jail
22
@Alex E
Using TRump and logic in the same sentence is at best an oxymoron.
At worst it shows the ignorance of those you refer to as “common people.”
Maybe what you mean are those people lacking common sense.
17
A suggestion: require the president to deliver SOTU in writing, or prohibit all in attendance from clapping and standing.
3
Perhaps the most cynical address by a man who counts cynical addresses in the hundreds or thousands.
Two black guests invited by a racist. Feigned sympathy.
Three victims of immigrant crime invited by an virulently anti-immigrant hysteric.
Kudos to women whom he normally regards and treats with contempt.
Insistence on his WALL despite the data contradicting ALL of his reasons for building it. (Gotta' love the part in his speech about all the wealthy people living behind walls.)
Climate change? Next.
Civility and the need for compromise. Just that afternoon he ridiculed any number of people in public.
Castigate the Democrats for holding up judicial appointments. How do you say Merrick Garland?
Withdrawal from the nuclear treaty. Blame the Russians but withdraw before they do. Vladimir was thrilled.
This was quite a performance. Indeed, it was only a performance.
9
I refuse to watch the liar, insulter, conspiracy theory monger in chief. He does not give respect to others, so does not deserve my time.
10
Mr. Trump say “America was founded on liberty and independence — and not government coercion, domination and control.” Is coercion, domination and control by corporations and the ultra-wealthy part of liberty and independence?
3
His behavior sometimes appears schizophrenic...like last night.
5
In his spraying of various Democrats (and previously, Republicans who crossed him) with derogatory labels and his diving into the SOTU address without letting his host, Speaker of the House Pelosi, introduce him, DT seems to have taken on a new title (if hardworking Navy staff will excuse this new application): Chief Petty Officer.
3
"Takeaways From Trump’s 2019 State of the Union Address"
"Mr. Trump suggested that investigations into his conduct posed a threat to national security."
It is not the investigations that are a threat to our national security, it is Trump and his conduct that are a threat to our national security and to our form of government. For just one of many possible examples, remember that Trump has not allowed any of the translator notes to be made public on his meetings with Putin. Trump has lavished praise on Putin and other dictators and this and his hiding any information on what he and Putin talked about needs to be taken very seriously.
8
"90 minutes of stand-up comity?" Really?
More like "90 minutes of stand-up comedy."
But, wasn't something missing? The obligatiory heckler....and two words; "YOU LIE!"
3
I am an Independent from Oklahoma, I am also a veteran. I am trying to figure out why this news article is referring to the President as Mr. Whether I agree with him or not, I called our last leader President Obama and i will call this one the same. This is an insult to me. A term of reference, I do not always like the President. It is not a term of respect for the man, it is a term of respect for the office.
1
If he will not respect the office why should I?
1
How can you show respect for an office when the person in the office shows no respect for the office?
3
Here’s a good resource I came across to explain why and how the President may be referred to in a certain manner. http://www.formsofaddress.info/FOA_president_US.html
1
Southwest border apprehensions are at their lowest levels since the 1970's and have been this low since 2010. Apprehensions peaked at 1.6m in the late 1990's which resulted new immigration legislation signed into law by Mr. Clinton in 1996. Apprehensions dropped, but then rose again to 1.2m. As Mr. Bush's secure fence law of 2006, authorizing 700 miles of fencing, was implemented annual apprehensions dropped to current levels by 2010, which is about the same number of apprehensions in 1972.
The border apprehension "system" appears to have reached steady state. To reduce the number further, there needs to be a change to the "system."
Before appropriating money for and implementing a system change, there need to be decisions made about what the goal of the system is going to be. How can you possibly design something if you don't know what it is supposed to achieve?
What is the goal for southern border apprehensions? Is the goal to reduce the number to zero? To 100,00 a year or 200,000 or are 300,000 apprehensions a year just about right.
Once there is a goal, is it achievable?
Then how much will it cost to achieve the goal?
I expect this kind of analysis for a multi-billion dollar project and I am not seeing it.
I think spending $25B to reduce the apprehension number further is like using a steamroller instead of a flyswatter to fix the southwest border. I suspect there are other things that will give us a greater return on our tax dollar.
2
In the latest Trump reality presidency segment, Pelosi shakes his hand saying, 'welcome to my house." Of course, he did not have the courtesy to let her introduce him; she is a woman. Nancy may be a politician, but she has the upstaging methods down! That was why she sat down a beat or two after everyone else and why she read her notes while he was speaking. Bravo, bravo Nancy Pelosi, encore, encore! Tiffiny, dressed in white, was also a scene stealer!
His leaked "take" on winning again in 2020 is spot on! If the Dems fail to choose a candidate who resonates with all Americans, from the farmland to the metropolitan cityscapes, Trump will win. Dems need a youthful voice, who speaks to all segments of our diverse population —who lifts the American spirit and truly unites people. America is, after all, The United States of America. Let's make America United Again!
7
My impression of the SOTU was one of desperation on the right. Also - unfortunately - obvious disrespect and hubris from the left. (And what was with the high school dress alike shtick on both sides?)
The right are brilliant when it comes to branding and rebranding. Remember “the party of no”? We may not agree with the need for a wall but acknowledging a need for repairs and refitting could function as the necessary victory for the one note incompetent in chief and the Americans concerned with border security.
Trump was his usual smirking, disgusting lying self. But right now he’s the one in the Oval Office and most of us still defer to that unfortunate reality. Pelosi and Abrams struck exactly the correct attitude and tone.
Personally i found it fabulously satisfying to witness the scowls and palpable revulsion emanating from the left. But I don’t think it resonated with the majority of the country. Politics is a minefield.
1
Many naively wondered if the president just forgot that Nancy Pelosi was supposed to introduce him for his SOTU address, but a much more likely explanation is that he quite deliberately snubbed Mrs. Pelosi as payback for her decision to refuse to allow him to speak in the House chambers as long as the government shutdown was going on. He's known for his vengeful nature, and this was just one more example of his nasty behavior.
5
Let's stop this ridiculous dog and pony show called the State of the Union address. It has become an ugly spectacle and under Trump an occasion for him to lie repeatedly while reading a long and boring speech he didn't write.
4
I’ll tell you why more people are working than ever before, it’s because 1) many people have to work two jobs and 2) older Americans like myself are terrified to retire and become potential victims of savings-crushing healthcare costs.
How are you loving that extra 1,500 a year in your paycheck now, America?? Wait until you see your tax deductions take it away.
Companies who used to manufacture in China are moving to Vietnam. I know. I work for one. For many products, Americans won’t or can’t pay for American labor. We outsourced much of our pollution sending manufacturing overseas. Looks like it will be coming back.
3
oh god lol, we found ourselves a Cortezialite. Guess what man, find me a respected economist who will say "unemployment is low because people work 2 jobs" and I'll give you a million bucks. Bc that's utter nonsense, thats not how it works hahaha
2
He is such a self sacrificing man that if the Dems asked for his tax returns in exchange for the wall I am sure he would gladly produce them.
1
The left thinks there is disunity and racism when it comes to immigration. The rest of us realize a country of over 330 million in a world of billions of people and a permanent over supply of humans, that we need to be very careful who and how many immigrants we let in. GW (which the left claims is important) is one place where adding more Americans by any means is negatively affected. As 5% of the worlds population using 25% of its resources we aren’t doing ourselves or the planet any favors by adding to the number of Americans. As our population is already far beyond any long term sustainable number we should be reducing it and helping other count do the same, not being their population relief valve.
The women in Congress were elected by their constituents, and that had nothing to do with Mr, Trump. It was, if anything, a reaction to his divisive leadership and misogyny, and the historical moment in which we find ourselves.
Similarly, Mr. Trump’s claims about higher employment had nothing to do with him but rather with an expanding population and pressures for fairer hiring practices.
His speech was, unlike other speeches from previous presidents, virtually devoid of real, granular policy proposals.
A really regrettable exercise.
1
With stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain. (Friedrich Schiller)
Make America think again.
3
Trump is all for unity, but to him, that means, "You do what I want." He wants surrender, not conciliation.
111
@Jim McMaster NO, Trump does what the people that want a secure country want!
@John NO, John (I see that you like capital letters). Wake up. He has a very limited mind, lost in "America First" and other nonsense.
6
@Jim McMaster
similar to the definition of compromise for a Democrat - "do what I want done, no wavering, no changing anything, and I will call that compromise".
2
How about this for fact checking? Everyone checks what they want according to your agenda! https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/02/06/13-fact-checks-on-the-state-of-the-union-address/
You do know, NYT, that this man is a complete fraud? You do know that, don't you?
4
Because he has delusions of godhood, Trump's idea of unity is for the entire world to recognize that he is the greatest man who ever lived. He does, however seem to maturing, as Senator Thune alluded to when he noted, that Mr. Trump would do the right thing, because “all you have to do is count to four". Personal growth at last! Therefore, as to "Nasty"? "Dumb" ? Here is a response that will resonate with him - I know you are, but what am I?
Since he does not read, let alone work, every one of Stephen Miller’s words that dribble out of trump*s mouth like a cut-and-paste random note are empty and ephemeral. The only thing on trump*s mind...ever...is a stroked ego...self-aggrandizement (and self-enrichment). This is the charade that we have been participating in ever since the loafer rode a down-escalator to declare for president. To waste even one calorie of energy “analyzing” him is a tragic joke beyond anything that the Greeks or Shakespeare could have authored. Stop...and resist.
4
he hasn't tweeted since yesterday.... hmmmm... probably exhausted from having to read
2
“Together, we can break decades of political stalemate,” Mr. Trump told lawmakers from the rostrum of the House of Representatives. “We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions and unlock the extraordinary promise of America’s future. The decision is ours to make.”
I blew my morning coffee all over myself when I read that. Apparently Trump’s speech writers don’t read his Tweets.
4
"500 million dollars, over the next ten years, for childhood cancer". Wow. $50mm/year. Is about equal to the cost of schlepping Trump to and from Mar-a-la-go. (As per G.A.O. report.)
8
This was his worst outing ever. Sentimental hogwash from the get-go. There he was being all but worshipful of his wife; being sweet to children; sympathetic to the dead or dying; patriotic to those who gave or were willing to give their lives. Then he growls a time or two as if that settles it and slinks away.
What Trump says is irrelevant. What’s controlling is his character, which is defined by mendacity, vulgarity, cruelty, cynicism and egotism.
3
Trump calls Democrats "socialists" for advocating Medicare for all and other progressive programs, but factually we now have socialization of risk private health insurance that wastes one-third of our health dollar. Here is how Medicare for all would work. Mike Kiley is president and CEO of Colorado Alpine Advanced Trauma Care Project, Inc., a health care reform project and retired health services administrator.
https://www.denverpost.com/2009/09/25/proposing-the-healthy-americans-act/
Mike Kiley
[email protected]
“There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days,” he said...
...as a nation recalled seeing the photo of the President of the United States with a porn star mere weeks after his own wife gave birth.
Talk about a chilling display.
6
The wall, the wall, the wall, those terrible people trying to sneak in here illegally, those terrible migrant murderers.......
Enough! We’re fed up with it!
It isn’t enough 800,000 people went without income for 35 days over this. He just won’t stop. It’s moronic.
5
Once major takeaway from his address: We are in big,big trouble.
3
So he can read Stephen Miller's speech using a teleprompter. To quote a favorite Sarah Sandersism - "all hat and no cattle."
2
I kept thinking this is the same House where impeachment proceedings will commence.
2
Is this a joke?
So, now Mr. Trump is playing to be the good guy here?
He has divided us “tremendously” and has had a “great” performance minimizing women, people of color, and Latinos. His “yuge” interest in creating a wall—the wall, an imaginary one, perhaps—has been the main stumbling rock to unite us. He has been “incredibly” dishonest to America, has sold our soul to the Russians, and has carved up us with no limits. But, did I read right? Trump is now inviting us to be united. Good trick to play before a re-election.
Totally a joke. An “incredibly, terrific, great, yuge” joke.
For the new candidate to president, now we need to “Make America Great Again.”
55
President Elizabeth Warren, also known as 'Pocahontas'. That sounds right to me, whether the nickname sticks or not. At least, she is not for sale (ask some of the other candidates who is going to pay for their campaigns).
At least the Republicans didn't clap for Trump's not-so-veiled threat to shut down legislation unless the Mueller probe is ended. Other than that they were enthusiastic toadies.
4
My takeaway. He's a congenital liar.
The Apprentice President auditioned from a teleprompter for one hour and twenty minutes.
This casting director wouldn't hire him to be a dog catcher in a really bad reality tv series.
2
The whole SOTU "thing"... sooo tiring! The endless bickering and nit-picking when there are real issues facing all of us that are not even mentioned... sooo tiring!
1
Here's my response:
Investigate and Castigate.
2
tRump lies, get over it and move on, do what needs to be done even if it means bringing him down and getting him out. This is the same old same old, he says things then back tracks on them, says he did not say that, changes his mind, reneges on promises, and keeps on pumping out lies. The speech was written for him not by him, he has to fealty to what some one else wrote. He reads it off a teleprompter and I might add a thing he does not do well. I did not listen or watch this liar-in-chief speak, I want to vomit when I see or hear him. It is a never ending river of trash and falsehood that he pumps out in his sausage making machine. There is nothing here to celebrate nor praise. He cannot and will not deliver to us, he will only rob and take from us. If I had been Nancy Pelosi I would have, at the last minute, canceled his invitation to speak, let him stew about it and kept on moving. Treat him as he would treat others and deny all the pseudo-show of the clapping and ego inflation. There is nothing to clap for unless we see him walking out the door at last and forever.
2
"The speech itself, embedded with patriotic language and delivered in a reassuring tone, . . . "
I didn't hear the reassuring tone, just the usual whine of this liar.
3
A prepared speech written by WH staff. The only surprise is that he stuck to the script. The real Trump was on display at lunch with newtork anchors earlier in the day. same old, same old.
1
There seems to be a correlation to Nancy Pelosi reading the transcript, as a way to signal her supporters in the room not to applaud on points that she is not aligned with Trump.
“Tonight, I have a high privilege and distinct honor of my own — as the first president to begin the State of the Union message with these words: Madam Speaker,” Mr. Bush said then.
It's a sad day when somebody makes me miss President Bush. At least Bush was likable. At least he was capable of finding common ground. At least he was an adult.
In retrospect, the inexperienced Bush was handed a challenge on 09/11/2001 that few presidents would have been prepared to handle. I shutter to think what the manbaby Trump would have done under that immense pressure.
6
Democrats: By the 15th put before congress and the president a set of reasonable, expert approved plans to correct problems at the southern border,(sans "wall" of course) make them public and urge McConnell to allow a senate vote, send bill to Trump and he will sign or not. The chips will fall where they may and the president will show us all what his call for "comity" means.
2
My takeaway from the State of the Union Address was my reaction to Stacey Abrahm's address.
I truly believe she cemented joining any ticket for president in the upcoming 2020 election, especially my choice of her completing a 2020 Sherrod Brown/Stacey Abrahms ticket.
Her choice as Presidental candidate will follow. How about 16 years of Democrats in Office? ----The Presidency, The Senate, and the House. This can happen, people.
4
I love you for saying that! Those are my sentiments exactly.........
1
Frankly, I'm not interested in anything this president has to say. The only person I'm interested in hearing from right now is Robert Mueller.
12
There is a concept in psychological personality theory of the "as-if" personality.
This "as-if" president speaks "as-if" he had something to say. With jutting jaw and self-aggrandizing gestures he attempts to look "as-if" he were presidential.
The Republican minions act "as-if" revealed truth were being proffered dutifully enthusing over endless misinformation and disinformation, exalting the great emptiness that is at the heart of the message.
The Press necessarily listens and responds "as-if" something real and substantial were unfolding.
This is horrific Cosplay...dressed up to look like a functioning government, sitting in hallowed halls...offering nothing "as-if" it were gold.
Meanwhile, millions suffer, children are tortured, forests burn...
Appalling and Needless Tragedy.
4
The United States of America is living in a condition of political surrealism. A forward motion bizarro world.
No comment —- on any of the recent “events”. I don’t know about others but I don’t have the will or the energy for thought anymore. The daily, relentless, assault on my mind by this entire administration has left me speechless.
2
Trump's tie was askew, Melania is gaining weight, as Hal Ketchum would say... Ivanka has her lipstick on a little too bright, someone should tell them hair extensions are out, bobs are in. Jared has his hair plastered down, looked more sallow than usual. Half of Congress acted like they were attending a pep rally in high school including whistles, hooting and chanting USA. Trump spoke 4 or 5 words at a time then we heard an inhale which was raspy. Speech? Insincere, testy, lies, exaggerating, manipulating, senseless and meaningless.
3
Very good and probably effective speech for the president. Democrats will have a lot to think about for the upcoming 2020 election especially on the now resurrected, very late term, abortion issue and if the president is able to secure better trade agreements.
Democrats couldn’t even bring themselves to applaud the historically low unemployment numbers. No even a show of empathy for the family whose loved ones were killed by an illegal alien
Not a good night for Democrats sitting on their hands with sour faces.
2
I live in Reno, and for that family to show up in “support” of Trump was, to me, debasing to their lost loved ones’ memory. For one thing, they were murdered with their OWN GUN that this guy had stolen from them. No mention of that, except in local media. To politicize their death is despicable. And to hold the murder up as exhibit A in Trump’s ridiculous wall demands is absolutely ludicrous.
1
Now I understand why they didn’t stand.
Leaving all the lies aside...last night Donald Trump stood in the well of the House of Representatives and threatened the congress to stop conducting it's constitutionally mandated oversight of his presidency. He threatened them if they did not cede their constitutional power to fund government to him.
That those outrageous statements have been treated so mildly by the press and our governing and political classes is a grim testament to just how much Trump, with loyal, slavish support from the Republican Party, has debased our democracy, our government and our political norms and discourse.
America had better wake up. Our republic is being destroyed before our very eyes.
8
The caravans of people approaching the US are not illegal aliens. They are people seeking asylum. There is a big difference. The caravans are trying to enter the US legally but Trump and his enablers have shut down the legal entry process.
The legal entry slowdown and stoppage may be forcing some of the caravan people to try and enter illegally. How many anti-immigrant Americans would return to a place where their family would be put in danger and have their lives and future threatened by gangs. I am willing to bet they would try everything bin their power to keep their families safe. That is what the caravans of people approaching our borders are trying to do.
Forcing these families to stay on the other side of the border is placing these families in danger of being kidnapped by gangs in Mexico. many have been kidnapped and are being held for ransom or trafficked. If the families try and do the entry legally often the families are separated and put in concentration camps. Or the are told that America is full and to go back the dangers they are fleeing.
There must be a better way of handling the crisis at the border that was created by Trump and his enablers.
2
The biggest hypocrisy was his comments on illegal immigration: “Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate — it is actually very cruel.“. Here is this man, our “leader”, hiring illegals for more than a decade at his resorts, breaking the law to save on money. Yes, TRUMP IS CRUEL, a liar, and a thief.
9
I apologize for the misspelling of Ms. Abrams name, my adding an 'h' to Abrams in a previous Comment.
1
At times he sounded like he was at a Fourth of July rally. He loves to try and bathe in the glory of heroic people but has never done a noble thing himself. He claims to be concerned for women sold into the underground sex trade but assaults women and pays off porn stars. There is no moral authority available to this man. That makes it hard to listen to anything he has to say. He wasn't a president reading a speech. He was a reality star reading a script. How long after the performance before he mean-tweets somebody?
7
@Frank
Let's not forget that Trump's choice to head the Labor Department, Alex Acosta, was the author of the infamous plea deal that let a notorious pedophile and child sex trafficker off with a slap on the wrist.
I shut off the speech when Trump started in on the terrible consequences of abortion--as if in his sordid history with women that right to life was not a primary concern.
6
Tracy Abrams speech was the perfect antidote to the depressing, fear mongering Trump speech. Abrams laid out an uplifting path forward to make our country great again after the destruction left by Trump.
4
Some day in the future we will have to explain to our children or grandchildren, how it was that the citizens of the United States threw their inheritance into the trash by voting a man of utter filth, ignorance and corruption into office. This time when he spoke he didn't rile up his base with his lies to his usual extent, so Thrush thinks it was an okay speech. But he still lied--about his own accomplishments, about the issues facing the US and the world. His expressions, his hand gestures, his appearance were every bit as bizzarre as those of past demagogues. They were straight out of The Apprentice. His connection to reality is barely there. While he sits in front of his TV doing "Executive Time" this morning those of us in the reality based community learned that North Korea has done exactly zero to get rid of any nukes and, in fact, is busily exporting weaponry. That's all I need to know about the man,
12
When I turn the sound down and just watch his mannerisms and gestures, the resemblance is remarkable: Mussolini.
Chest puffed up, chin out, eyes narrowed, turning side to side with exaggerated sweep of his arms . . . honestly, the effect is chilling.
11
It doesn’t matter what Trump says from now until he is out of office. Whatever it is it will always be too late. He has intentionally destroyed so much, and often for nothing more than to satisfy his frightening ego. He wants to destroy anything Obama, Bush and even Clinton has created. I actually thought they threw in a huge bit about Holocaust survivors as a smokescreen to keep anyone from focusing on all the harm he has created. Who wouldn’t want to applaud soldiers who fought against and survivors of the Nazi regime? I only wonder what these men think about placing children in cages and building a wall. It all sounds like exactly what they were fighting against.
9
In regards to the wall, Edgar Allen Poe has a story that feels appropriate - "The Masque of the Red Death."
2
When the carcinogenic meanderer
With his pockets of tar spilling over
Is co-opting the war on child cancer
While ensnaring the child of a mother
To ensure his own future for plunder
At the gates of the fallen protector
Of an ancient devotion to grandeur
It is time for the word to be thundered
That the end is the end is the end
And the words are not worthy of being heard.
3
While it is very difficult to tolerate what the Lier in Chief said in his State of the Union address, it is more notable what he did not say.
There was NOT one word on either gun control or climate change or the ballooning national debt or the growing disparity of income and wealth or … fill in the blanks on the long list of critical economic and social issues that need attention and action.
The world is patiently waiting for Robert Muller to release his report(s). This will be the beginning of the end of the Bully in Chief.
17
Hey Glenn, here's a Fifth Takeaway from the speech:
It was an eighty two minute waste of time.
Nothing that was said last night, has any significance whatsoever this morning.
23
StAnd up comity—great line!
7
The part of the speech near the end - where the President cruised from the rocky shores of Maine to the volcanoes of Hawaii and so forth - was distinctly reminiscent of Martin Luther King's signature "Let Freedom Ring" perorations. A subtle and interesting move in a speech clearly crafted to highlight what America can do when it works together.
3
This president initiated PRIDE in being an American. He covered our history and what we stand for and that is not SOCIALISM to the disrespectful dismay of the SOCIALISTIC democrats and their evil plan for WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION. Every detailed accomplishment was outlined for all to hear and see by specific people who attended the event and acknowledged specifically what this president explained instead of the twisted/bias news. No the media cannot control the public nor can the socialist democrats. They should try living in Venezuela.
3
Westate, especialla Pizda and Wewe: It appears to be the case that you do not understand with any degree of accuracy what Socialism, or how any form of societal governance is supposed to be, and what that form of society accomplishes for its citizens Unfortunately, Socialism, like religion, has been given a bad name by those in power who use it to gain power and create corruption. Do you think your society in the U.S.A. is any better than that in Venezuela? Your country, with its capitalistic democracy is not too much different as far as government power plays and corruption. Examine countries that are truly Democratic-Socialist in nature and you will learn that the citizens are thriving. Its the leaders of the country that determine how it is going to be for its citizens and your country's current crop in Washington are a clear and present danger to the survival of your country and the earth. Call yourself a capitalist? Look at the damages to your citizens, country, and earth caused by the out of control greed and avarice of your style of democratic capitalism.
2
@Jan William Gaddis said it best, “Stupidity is the deliberate cultivation of ignorance.” Make America think again.
3
This is exactly why Americans have lost respect for and faith in the traditional media. How dare you frame the horrible "OK to kill your baby right up until the minute before birth" as "loosen restrictions on abortion rights"! "...There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days,” he said, referring to efforts by Democrats in New York and Virginia to loosen restrictions on abortion rights." Variety and availability of contraception, Plan B/morning after pills, public perception of single mothers, workplace support of maternity leave, pre-mature baby viability, waiting lists for new born adoption and knowledge of what's happening with the baby inside the womb have all changed so dramatically since the Roe decision. Why can't the educated elite weigh the new reality and the rights of the baby against the rights of the mom not to be inconvenienced for another few weeks? Barbaric. Journalists have a vital role in our democracy - it is not to be the PR firm for Democrats or to just "report" or regurgitate Democrat talking points.
3
It took courage for Donald Trump to bring up the position the Democrats are putting themselves into regarding late, late term abortion. It will certainly be a topic in 2020 and should be. Democrats have paid to them selves into a black corner
2
Share your thoughts when you have had a late term abortion lady. Nobody enjoys going through that procedure - I know of women who wanted their pregnancies but had serious fetal anomalies. Making them carrying those children to term is barbaric. p.s I’m assuming you support universal free healthcare and education, gun control etc so all these babies are “safe.” Or as soon as they leave the womb you feel your work is complete?
9
It would be rights of the embryo, not baby. Until access to contraception and morning after pill is affordable and universal, the fight for women’s rights, including choice/abortion (including the right to keep your baby) must continue.
3
I can almost see John McCain—-with a smirk on his face—-saying “so, Trump is finally going to Vietnam”.
22
It is a bitter irony that in the Vietnam war we had on one hand Mueller commanding a platoon of Company H, 2nd Battalion (“The Magnificent Bastards”), 4th Marines and its mission “to close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver, or repel the enemy’s assault by fire and close combat”. He was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. On the other hand trump at the same time was immersing himself in the Manhattan party scene and cynically boasting that “fighting venereal disease was his Vietnam” A disgusting war coward, he deliberately evaded sacrifice not once but five seperate times in the Vietnam war ... a draft dodger par excellence. Over 50,000 americans sacrificed their lives as he carried on his self-serving hedonistic life style with absolutely no regrets or second thoughts.
33
Mr. Trump should save this speech for the judge at his sentencing hearing.
17
If it was "not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda" why no mention of global warming, which President Trump aggressively accelerates?
14
After reading the Times’ reporting and some of the comments posted here it’s clear I didn’t miss anything by not watching. As I anticipated, he did a version of a campaign rally speech, just with slightly less chest pounding. It was nothing you couldn’t get by assembling a couple dozen of his tweets. Mr. Trump continues to be a waste of oxygen.
20
One of the best ledes to a news story I’ve read in years. Hilarious and factual.
“One night a year, during the State of the Union address, President Trump sets aside his affinity for combat to offer up 90 minutes of stand-up comity to a national audience.”
18
As I watched that debacle, it occurred to me that Trump really didn’t know what he was saying. He was like a singer performing in a foreign language, as if someone had attempted to coach him on when to emphasize what, but he didn’t truly get it or internalize it. He had no idea what he was reading. None. He was counting the minutes till his next hamberder, I guess.
17
It was unseemly watching half of Congress responding to the State of the Union as if they were at a Friday afternoon pep rally in high school before the Saturday game. Cat calls, whistles and chanting USA was juvenile, distracting and inappropriate. This was not a Trump rally, revival or an opportunity to discredit a legitimate investigation into foreign influence of an American election. Misrepresenting recent abortion laws, the concern for the plight of a fetus was blatant hypocrisy. There are thousands of children carelessly taken from loved ones in cages and camps with no prospect of being reunited with their families. Why has no one suggested DNA tests? I waited for the socialism scare to check off my list of fear tactics, nothing came as a surprise.
18
Here's my takeaway: Please takeaway Trump. His rhetoric is hardly ever followed by action. Until he acts in bringing us together, I will not believe him. Thanks!
13
“America was founded on liberty and independence — and not government coercion, domination and control.”
Unless, of course, you’re talking about women’s reproductive rights.
16
One of Trump's assertions that got the right wing claque clapping was about the estate tax being reduced "for the benefit of small businesses and farmers". Fact checkers should not let this one slide.
Reducing the estate tax overwhelmingly benefits the big rich and their scions like Eric, Don Jr. and Louis XVI (the inspiration for gilded interior decorating at Trump tower).
Reducing the estate tax promotes dynastic succession and robs the US treasury of funds that could be used for research, health care, education, infrastructure, diplomacy, social security, clean energy development, etc. Of course, such robbery is consistent with the Republican mantra of reducing, shutting down and drowning the US government in the bathtub. Drowning it except for the guns and bombs and walls and razor wire parts.
13
Hard to give accolades or credibility to anything he says as his clear tendency is to lie, deny reality and say what his writers deem politically correct at the moment. I personally find it nauseating that he parades all of these men, women and children who have sacrificed, suffered and lived lives he cannot even begin to comprehend in order to somehow attempt to show what great things his train wreck of an administration has accomplished and what a wonderful humanitarian he is. The only inspiring moments were provided by all of those newly minted female members of Congress who shall hopefully allow a new day and era to dawn.
16
I never watch presidential speeches. At most I might read one. But the basic principle is watch what they do, not what they say. This applies regardless of party and level of competence.
I learned this back in the days of Lyndon Johnson who would put on his most sober look and intone, "My fellow Americans ..." while he proceeded in practice to slaughter more and more Americans and Vietnamese.
2
Trump's economic "miracle" is a myth. His tax cut put a trillion dollars of borrowed money into the hands of corporations and persons who had to get rid of it. Their investing and stock buy backs pumped up Wall Street, but did nothing for the vast majority of Americans. All that money only back stopped Trumps ridiculous economic policies from full collapse as we walk away from our long term economic commitments to our allies. Trump's return to the pre World War One economic world is going to wreck our country and most of Western Europe as we live through our decline.
5
While I applaud the goal of eradicating childhood cancer, it is, unfortunately, just another purple squirrel designed to distract us.
6
We all know that this speech was not written by Trump. Had it not been so full of misleading statements and out right lies, it would have been a good speech for this POTUS.
The most telling part was the blatant threat that if there were more investigations, there would would be no cooperation or advancement of good policy. It's almost as if he has something to hide.
10
Even if Trump's speech included some sensible measures and goals I've learned from the past not to take anything he says seriously. In the past, Trump has promised a couple of good things including infrastructure, bipartisan immigration deal, and better healthcare than Obamacare - simply to appease an angry audience, but his follow-through has been a real disappointment. His words are as cheap as the construction in his building.
I also take issue with the fact that in order to unite his base, he needs to use the fear of immigrants and overstatements about abortion. He distracts Americans with a fake boogeyman so that he doesnt have to confront the real issues facing Americans (R or D). Let him talk about healthcare, education, the environment, housing, stagnating wages. These are our real boogeymans.
172
@LG
Yes, real boogeymen, and how about Climate Change and Global Warming. He never mentioned it, yet we know our younger generations view it a real boogeyman.
21
@LG He actually did put a bill in first think in 2017 but it was blocked by the Democrats and never made it through. If I remember correctly he put three such bills in that were never passed that improved on the Affordable Health Care Act.
@TheTruthShallMakeYouFree
Since he's been in office, tRump has done everything he possibly can to dismantle and destroy the AHCA, including to remove the most important factor which could sustain it long-term which was the mandate. The only way that any insurance system can function is with a reasonable risk pool of participants among whom to spread the costs. It's no different than the way automobile, fire, flood or life insurance works, and that's why everyone should have to participate and share the costs.
15
I was somewhat pleased that he focused on the country and not so much himself. Still a long way to go but this was the most presidential I’ve heard him sound. Correct on the broader wrong on the wall , work together and move the country forward as a people not a party. The problem of course is Mitch McConnell he is the architect of the divided nation and truly the face of evil. Replace him and watch the country advance.
1
@J Clark
There was the usual egotistical preening self-obsession that is Trump's most prominent personality characteristic apart from his uninformed mendacity.
You're right about McConnell though.
5
"not war and investigation -- That's not how it works." If investigations proceed, what tactics of war may we expect?
Presidential vetoes -- provoking a GOP desertion and 2/3 majority passing laws over his veto.
More shutdowns -- January was such a success!
A national emergency to fund the wall -- he keeps on showing us this weapon, and he is sure to use it sooner or later.
Perhaps most telling is his attempt to prevent or stop investigations by his rhetoric, the threat of "war". Why is he so frightened of investigations? What is he trying to hide?
5
So I must be missing something here. If things are so rosy why is there still welfare, food stamps and people do not have health insurance? Could it be that our great corporations do not pay a living wage or purposely employ people with fewer hours so they do not qualify for insurance benefits. These companies who claim to have built their companies all by them selves look to the US for help enforcing their property rites. Lego sued China and WON, why can't American companies do the same instead of crying to our government? Instead of cutting government assistance to citizens why not cut welfare to corporations. Let them pay there own way ,after all " they built it all by them selves"! Stop socialism to corporations and we could have plenty of money for roads and bridges.
5
Welfare and food stamps were around long before Donald Trump and thank God for it, for those people who need it most. And there are more people who have access to healthcare now than ever before despite the Presidents efforts to pull it back.
A wall....an outdated idea for modern problem.
Will the United States respond to the Russian build up of nuclear arms by constructing B-52 bombers? That was the highest and best defense technology available 60 years ago, but wholly inadequate today.
The best response available today for border security is a mixture of high, not low, technology coupled with increased border programs, including but not limited to border personnel.
7
The US was attacked by a hostile foreign government. 12 foreign individuals were indicted. Others who may have aided were indicted and still others pled guilty. Nothing was said about protecting the country from these real attacks by our commander in chief. Instead, he recommended putting an end to “investigations.” Republicans call this a “great speech.” This is madness.
In 2018 there were almost 500 mass shootings by Americans vs Americans that left 4,500 American casualties. Tho saying nothing about real American carnage, Trump conflated, dissembled and lied about both MS-13, a gang from Los Angeles, and a “caravan” seeking asylum, as the dangerous face of immigrants threatening us. Republicans call this a “great speech.” This is madness.
After decades of our own meddling overthrowing governments everywhere, backing dictators, and even using the drug trade to obtain funds to support regimes in the middle east and central America, including sanctions to exacerbate the suffering of the Venezuelan people, this President pins the blame on “socialism.” The Republicans call this a great speech.?But this is all madness.
15
I'd rather read the SOTU speech that watch it. The man sickens me. His Presidency sickens me.
26
It's interesting, now that we have a divided Congress the language Trump, and I'm sure the GOP, too, is to: Reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution, and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and common good. Of course, when the GOP had control of both houses of Congress those weren't their words. But, we should believe them now!!!
13
Can’t stand the sound of his voice! We had it on “mute” with subtitles.
A shameless effort to “run out the clock” and starve the Democrats and Stacy Abrams of their rebuttal air time. She made a very fine, positive, and sincere speech.
And so did Bernie Sanders, a more to the point specific rebuttal of the SOTU.
10
So what is the Times' assessment on whether or not the government will shut down again? For every one of the 22 minutes he spent intoning the wall's merits or excoriating the disbelievers, I had a sense of dread about another shutdown. Is this fear misplaced?
1
SOTU address was hard to watch. The countless interruptions for applause and ovations bring to mind the toady responses of the rubber stamp legislatures in North Korea, Russia and China - almost like the legislators will be "disappeared" if they don't glorify every statement of "the great ruler". Almost sickening.
17
The Daily Show fact check tweets seem to summarize concisely.
1
I wonder how long Trump would have held out in a North Vietnamese prison camp.
A minute or two is my guess.
Maybe less.
13
The best and most honorable way for POTUS to end the congressional investigations into his corrupt activity before and after the election is for POTUS to resign.
4
Another TV episode where Mr. Trump didn't fire someone and didn't mention the SDNY or private meetings with Putin .. maybe in the next episode of bad TV we'll learn the source of his mysterious tan.
2
Please, just stop it! So many of us are tired of the sniping on both sides. It made me so sad to see those fine, accomplished American women dressed in white, looking like a cult of some sort and behaving like school girls. To Democrats and Republicans alike, grow up, folks! There is serious work to be done. You can't have it all your way. Learn to negotiate and compromise, with grace and dignity, or go down in history as part of those who were responsible for the demise of this great Republic.
4
@Catherine
How does one negotiate with grace and dignity when the person on the other side of the table is a boorish, ignorant narcissist whose idea of negotiation is "you give, I take"?
9
We are tired of the corruption and we want the truth...."sniping "?...seriously?
4
Of course trump does not want investigations into his personal corruption and we will damage National Security if we pursue those inquiries....NO, we will find out exactly how corrupt the current White House resident is!
It is a threat to National Security because of trump, because of kushner and because the Republicans have given a pass to the grifter-in-chief.
6
I couldn’t bring myself to watch. There is no point in listening to *anything* this repugnant man has to say. He is not sharing a vision or articulating an agenda of sensible policies to improve lives or the planet. He has nothing to say that is, on its face, about anything other than himself. The only truth he spoke m was his transparent threat to fight and bring government to a halt if investigations into this criminal administration continue.
How do we respond?
We continue the investigations. We pursue the evidence where it leads and if it leads somewhere criminal or treasonous then we show this two-bit conman and crook that we are—first, foremost, and forever—a nation of laws.
18
The fault in all of this is of course Not the Donald’s. He is behaving true to form . Offering up his perception of reality and backing it with vicious, unjustified , and childish name calling. So...what did you expect ! The leopard to changes his spots, the rooster not to crow. All we do is report and offer opinions on his antics. He is entertaining......dangerous for sure, destructive at his base.....and certainly inappropriate for his position.
The answer is likely that he does mean what he says....in his mind...and believes what he says to be correct and conciliatory..as his staff was told to feed the press. “Perception is reality” ....and in his case it is a warped perception and reality.
Until the folks around him , and the Congress, decide to get real and remove him for a very prominent position where his tweets, interviews and such can significantly affect those that are susceptible well.....then problem will continue and affects will be difficult to tolerate and recover from at home and internationally.
4
The FDR imitation is just out of this world. Monocle and cig holder next? Go with golf? Socialism?
Maudlin and empty.
1
Is it infrastructure week again yet?
10
To his critics, it's all about what he didn't say. To everyone else, it was about what he has delivered.
Considering what he's up against, he's managed to achieve a lot. Recall how Obama's ineffectiveness was blamed on obstruction. "They wouldn't let him" was the most commonly given excuse. Hard not to contrast this with Trump's persistence and determination to deliver results.
3
@AACNY
But he did deliver: tax cuts for billionaires (including himself) and corporations despite the swelling deficit and increasing national debt.
He did get applause from the right when he asserted that he had radically cut the estate tax. This will allow more wealth to be passed down through dynastic succession. We know how that has worked out in the past, think about Louis XVI.
10
@AACNY
But he did deliver: tax cuts for billionaires (including himself) and corporations despite the swelling deficit and increasing national debt.
2
@AACNY
I remember McConnell and others bragging about obstructing Obama. Are you saying they did not do so? Get real.
As for what trump has accomplished: Leaving aside the cozying up to dictators while insulting allies, law enforcement and the media alike, it's true that trump can brag about not having destroyed the economy like many predicted his chaotic reign would. But what exactly did he do to boost the economy? Feed-the-rich (and corporations) tax cuts and gutting environmental and financial regulation have undoubtedly helped stimulate the economy in the short term.
But at what long-term cost? Where will the US be after several years of monster deficits (laying bare once again the lie of GOP fiscal responsibility), with a rapidly deteriorating environment and havoc wreaked by climate change?
8
I still don't get the wall. The idea of it is offensive. And it won't work. Doesn't Trump know about the tunnels? They literally undermine walls.
3
@Mary Burns
And let's not forget another concept that apparently escaped trump's "mind": the ladder. If the wall is undermined by tunnels, it is overcome by ladders.
1
I had no intention of watching the SOTU. Why do that to myself? Instead, I watched a Canadian sitcom, Schitt's Creek. Thank heavens for our zany neighbors on our northern border. (Although I'm sure I would have laughed at the SOTU, too, but for different reasons.)
9
Two takeaways:
1. Trump reads a teleprompter like a 10-year-old; he's even worse than W.
2. He's still thinking about the emergency declaration. The dictionary definition of emergency is "a sudden, urgent, usually unexpected occurrence or occasion requiring immediate action." If you have months to think about it, it's not an emergency.
10
Mr. Trump said. “America was founded on liberty and independence — and not government coercion, domination and control.”
That’s pretty contrary to his position on women’s reproductive freedom, which takes decision making out of the hands of the woman and her professional medical advisor.
12
Hmm ... I'm confused. Does this reporter think a "combative" speech attacking political opponents and generating gratuitous fear is "patriotic"? If not why use these word to describe Trump's words?
Such speech may well describe the state of the union under this president. Its anything but patriotic.
3
It is easy to sum up Trump’s speech to the nation.There are many heroes among us and they deserve recognition but is the State of the Union the place to tell their stories and try to weave them into his narrative? It added drama but did not advance an agenda with real proposals.In fact, the only agenda was the one he has always had which is to brag about an economy he inherited and to insist that our southern border is in peril and dangerous people are pouring over it.If one were to remove all the exaggerations and falsehoods, and take away the theatrics of introducing heroes the speech would be a boring rehash of old ideas.He had a quick reference to AIDS, childhood cancer and the cost of prescription drugs and some money in the budget but did not put forth any serious programs.Trump had no new initiatives , nothing to advance the narrative.He did not inspire a nation to move forward.
153
@Janet Michael
Mr. Trump attempted to borrow the prestige of legitimate heroes. By bringing valiant and selfless patriots to the chamber he hoped to bathe in their greatness in order to divert from his own shallow jingoism.
23
I missed the parts of his speech where he talked about chaos in government, his plans for the Trump hotel in Moscow, his terrific relationship with Putin, the government shutdown, Mexico paying for the wall, locking up migrant kids in cages, his tax audit, the emoluments clause and 25th Amendment of the Constitution, his impeachment. paying off Stormy Daniels and his great score on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.
41
... his impeachment, paying off Stormy Daniels ....
2
I couldn’t bear to listen to his voice and utter nonsense. His words, whether scripted or off the cuff, are lies and an absurd use of the English language. I do not understand why we spend hours analyzing him.
26
@Kathryn Torre
Connecting the dots on Trump will bring you foreboding of what gave Trump his rise to glory. Connect the dots on great error at peril to your health and sanity. To see within the wall of peak disunion.
1
Ha! You’ve been had. Last night’s SOTU was given by someone acting presidential.
The packaged Trump last night read a prepared speech like an actor reads a script.
The real Trump doesn’t use a teleprompter.
But don’t worry, the real Trump
Is alive and well out there in office continuing to undermine the USA and everything great about it.
20
I missed the parts of his speech where he talked about chaos in government, his plans for the Trump hotel in Moscow, his terrific relationship with Putin, the government shutdown, Mexico paying for the wall, locking up migrant kids in cages, his tax audit, the emoluments clause and 25th Amendment of the Constitution, his impeachment, paying off Stormy Daniels and his great score on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.
16
“Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country,” Mr. Trump said. “America was founded on liberty and independence — and not government coercion, domination and control.”
Any attempts by the people and their representatives to expose government of, by and for big capital and to limit the capacity of big capital and its representatives in government to coerce, dominate and control the people will be known as socialism.
Don't tread on the liberty of big money to dominate and control. By the dictates of big money funnel the pickings to the winners and socialize the costs to the losers.
Such is the sad state of the union of the corporate socialists. Better join Trump and the GOP -- your ticket to refuge from the travails of democracy. Our is the freedom to afflict the commons with abandon.
6
Thanks for this summary, because there was no way I was going to subject myself to the self-congratulatory blitherings of Chauncey Gardiner’s evil alter-ego for over an hour.
24
I did not get the impression Trump was at a "crossroads", rather that he was heavily medicated to slow his speech and concentrate his focus on the tele-prompters.
It seems to me that nothing this POTUS says can be believed. He says a lot but almost always does the opposite. We all need to keep our eyes on the parts he wants us to glance away from (as directed by his tweets).
18
Let me just state for the record...Trump’s agenda is not my agenda as an American and from looking at his ratings it’s not the agenda of most Americans.
17
Forgetting about the normal Trump distortions of facts Trump ignored one key item. The State of the Union is seriously divided. We need LEADERSHIP from the President to solve this problem. Please President Trump at least consider being a Leader. You must understand that as President of The Trump Organization you're word is Law but as President of the United States of America you MUST work with Congress for the good of the Country.
This President knocks it out of the park even better than Barack the Smooth. Trump has a lot more to brag about but also said some things that Mr. Clinton or Mr. Obama could have.
The classic funny looks and angry death-stares from progressives - as WELL as reactions from decidedly supportive Democrats - will probably end up on the TV screens in future election campaign ads.
Some wag might compose a video of Democrats dancing with joy at hearing a Dem Prez say something and then their reactions when this President says the same things, and that could be hilarious.
7
@L'osservatore I think Friedrich Schiller said it best, “With stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain.”
1
Why do you other to report on what he says as somehow relevant? I can’t see the value in summarizing things that are stated as if they are based on any real plans other than to manipulate the press and the public.
7
The President suggested that his tariffs resulted in funds coming into the US Treasury. Does he not understand that his tariffs are paid by American consumers, not by foreign exporters? These tariffs make the foreign goods we consume, many not produced in the US, much more expensive to the American consumer. Over the long run, they will be inflationary
18
@Lee
When someone explains how Republican tax cuts greatly increased tax revenues to the Treasury, that will be a much more convincing argument. Reagan's cuts almost doubled the money streaming into the government. Kennedy's did some of this, too.
lee,
Trump believes that the tariffs are being deposited in the Treasury. One of his college professors said it best, "Dumbest student I ever had."
8
Another opportunity missed to declare a real national emergency over climate change. While Senator Rubio (whose state may soon be under water) derides the thought of declaring an emergency, the President should face this existential threat instead of denying it. It's almost too late.
7
I thought it was a great State of the Union.
There were some highlights, like the mention of AIDS and ending AIDS once and for all, or ending the epidemic in America.
I think the audience, both Dems. and Republicans were stunned.
The war on childhood cancer, and the child sitting next to Melania as a guest, an inspirational moment for everyone.
The introduction of the officer responding to the Jewish massacre at the Synagogue in Pittsburg, shot seven times and undergoing many operations in attendance, a true hero, and the introduction of the Holocaust survivor who was also at the Synagogue, adjacent to the Veteran who had participated in the liberation of Dachau concentration camp. Those were moments I won't forget.
I really don't understand the opposition of the Democrats to erecting a border barrier, a wall or fence, a passive barrier, along with increased personnel to secure the border and ports of entry.
The introduction of the ICE officer, personally committed to ending the trafficking of women and children for prostitution and modern slavery, and the drugs, cocaine, heroin, and the particularly deadly synthetic, Fentanyl, along with the cartels and gangs such asn MS-13, with the mention of the widely publicized gang killing on a New York subway platform.
He mentioned the new President of Venezuela and American Freedom and Liberty and opportunity.
I thought the speech was remarkable, inspiring, regardless of what side of the aisle you were sitting on.
32
@Steven
Trump criticized "Socialism" which I guess means criticizing Medicaid Medicare and Social Security. His voter base doesn't understand that this means less $$ for their health care. I'm not sure these voters can add, but the 3rd big tax cut (after cuts by Reagan, and George W Bush) means that the US can't afford all 4 of the Military, Medicaid Medicare and Social Security. Many many fulltime jobs in the US come without healthcare nor a wage sufficient to pay for it, so this means no healthcare. The US instead spends a lot to help big corporations thrive. The gap between rich and poor widens. Infrastructure crumbles. Tariffs are a form of sales tax. These aforementioned problems are not solved by trotting out AIDS, cancer, Jewish survivors, veterans, nor ICE. Nor do the dems solve by trotting out transgenders or race or women. Just to be even here.
120
@Steven
To each his own. I heard a president taking credit for things he had absolutely nothing to do with (mostly on economic matters), identifying problems but offering no concrete solutions, making misleading statements in a number of areas, and raising false alarms about "our dangerous southern border" (how many times did he utter that phrase?). His casual dismissal of the "partisan investigation" was unworthy of the occasion, and flies in the face of the evidence and convictions that have already come to light.
So, in one sense, I agree that the speech was "remarkable."
81
@Steven HIV was Trump's VietNam. Of course, it didn't stop him with Stormy.
40
Look at the polls re: this address and weep, shameless partisans
2
What just happened? All along we were told that he will not last, will be impeached, and even forced into resignation. We were told to believe that he is mentally impaired and his cabinet wiould turn against him. So, what options do we have now? Are we still waiting for Mueller to deliver the blow? Can we still hold on to the hope that Schumer/Pelosi gang has the secret formula to do the deed?
The best moment though was when the ladies of all stripes stood together in unity to share the claps, smiles, high fives and even a bit of shaking., and let's not forget who was playing the tunes. It was seriously a great moment in history and a beautiful sight to watch.
9
Let me get this right...
If someone is killed by a suspected illegal alien, that one person’s tragic death justifies a (useless) wall costing tens of billions of dollars, as well as much gnashing of teeth and wailing against the evil of all immigrants. They are all branded “rapists and murderers,” to be feared and loathed. There is so much anger and hate, it twists our souls, and the nation rages on how we must take ALL measures to make sure this “never happens again!”
But if someone is killed by a local USA born and raised murderer, well, that poor murdered soul is just collateral, a mere blip of a statistic, all in the service of the unholy and twisted “interpretation” of the 2nd Amendment. No one laments their loss of life, no one demands any change to the status quo. Business as usual. Nothing to see here. Carry on with killing each other.
In the final analysis, though, both of these hypothetical individuals is in the same condition: dead.
As a public school teacher, I get to attend a training on how to deal with a mass casualty event tomorrow. That is NOT why I became a teacher. I pray nothing like that happens to your children, or mine.
That’s all we have to shield us against these events - prayer.
506
@Ernest Zarate
When unrated people get into your country by porus border you have to deal with unwanted training too.
Do not vote for democrats in future to save the nation .
3
@Ernest Zarate What you say is tragic and truthful. It is a sad reality because we do not have leaders in government who represent and work for ALL the people. They represent the NRA and people with billions of dollars they use to bribe Congress to do their bidding.
40
@arish sahani
Republicans - Never Again!
41
I've only watched and read a little of the SOTU analysis so far, so I haven't heard this: Trump did the one thing he knows how to do well - he staged a pageant. Instead of policy, sincerity, truth and leadership we got history, guest stars, a stance and look that reminded me of Mussolini and a sad reassurance that the Trump we had to deal with yesterday is the same Trump we'll have to deal with tomorrow: ignorant, arrogant, defensive, self-serving and totally out of his depth. I sure hope the Democrats - and all Americans who know a pageant when they see one - can save us from this man. Because clearly, the Republicans don't have the personal courage or national concern to collectively point out that this unique, dangerous emperor has no clothes.
24
This Speech was a rally and a propaganda speech and it was combined with flag waving and the use of honorable people from the past for his own aggrandizement. It made me uncomfortable to see Trump's republicans cheering and clapping and standing up when he mentioned the Mueller inquiry, and his endless tirade on the wall. He uses Obama's hard work on the economy that is still alive today, boosting a now good economy, as his accomplishment. He says he is responsible for everything working well, and blames democrats whenever he thinks he can. The respect he should have for the institutions and the people of the country is reduced to flag waving and whipping up his audience. Trump is sounding like a broken record,there is nothing new. The shutdown never existed. When republicans cheered his every word and chanted as scripted, I stopped watching and did something else more productive. The whole sorry spectacle made me disgusted. It was just a big political show with all the old and tired points to shore up his base. His base loves it, Trump feels less persued by his personel devils. Trump can't forget himself long enough to address the problems of the country in realistic terms.
14
Tonight, during the State of the Union, the President threatened more than half of the United States for upholding law and order:
“If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation.”
In one sentence, Trump, and the traitorous Republicans who clapped for him, reneged on any last vestiges of honesty, morality and democracy. Laurence Tribe wrote, Trump "equates the search for truth with war. That’s deeply wrong. And it’s unamerican."
As my son sat beside me watching the State of the Union address - I was deeply sad that this President, beyond the pale already with lies and propaganda, and now making an unconscionable authoritarian threat against the American people - THIS is who he heard. And when he asked me, again, how could our country elect a man like Donald Trump? I reminded him of the power of our vote. Voters did not do our jobs to keep Trump out of office. And that can never happen again. There is no such thing as a perfect candidate, but it's the responsibility of voters in our Democratic Republic, after the nominations, to elect the better candidate.
But that said, it was sounding kind of perfect listening to the outstanding Senator Klobuchar (who the most legislation passed in 2016 and has a 72% approval rating from her state of Minnesota) and Stacey Abrams' SOTU rebuttal showed how she won nearly every Georgia business, legislative and civic award, and was called "brilliant" by a Republican Senator for her bipartisan impact!
28
I missed it as I opted to watch something less horrifying—Suspiria.
Was the deficit in the trillions of dollars mentioned?
10
How could he not acknowledge the shutdown? He was disjointed, awkward but of course hit all the points his base will eat up - abortion, illegals and crime, etc. I am so tired of The President's New Clothes - we have many people pointing and saying there's nothing there! But sadly there are still too many enablers telling Trump his "new clothes" are the best.
15
"If there is going to peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation."
My, that certainly was a new one, Mr. President. My response would be:
"If there is going to be progress and unity, there cannot be lies and personal attacks. It just doesn't work that way. Ever"
31
While most of the president's guests deserve some sort of recognition, Trump has abused the practice by inviting more and more visitors, usually victims of misfortune, that he uses and exploits for photo ops and political reasons. With Trump, it has gotten out of hand to the point that it is cynical and embarrassing. If he wants to honor these people, do so at the White House - quietly and sincerely.
18
@ whole grits. They are real people with real stories. If the facts of their situations make you uncomfortable, perhaps you should consider that is the point and purpose.
5
@ It isn't the guests who make me uncomfortable. It's the politicians such as Trump who use them for political P.R. They deserve better than to be used as such.
William
10
I stayed disciplined and did my part to keep Trump's ratings down: I missed it. The entire thing. Yay!
19
The chant of USA had origins in Trump rallies, just like a MAGA hat. Trump rallies symbolize intolerance and violence, as we've seen happen to anyone who the mob dislikes.
How revolting to have the halls of congress filled with a threatening, white nationalist, chant. Those who joined in are shameful.
35
What’s shameful is that you think chanting “USA” is disgraceful.
9
The U-S-A chant is at least 70 years old. It has been used by both major political parties and by Americans at international sports competitions like the Olympics. Historians write that it has been used for so long they are not able to pin point its origin
10
@Morgan
What’s shameful is we have a dishonorable man with no knowledge or love for our Constitution as President. The only reason to chant USA with Trump there is to drive him from the room.
12
The president did well to include the guests he did (or whoever included them), especially the Normandy and Dachau-liberating veterans- their mere presence, during the honors portion of the SOTU speech, gave it the only real illustration of that honor; the honor that the sometimes lofty rhetoric the president employed, only strove for. As more than a few have pointed out, the president is the wrong messenger for that; or for comity either, for that matter.
Otherwise, the tired, duel-teleprompter, metronome-like recitation that this fundamentally fatigued president managed to deliver was forcefully upstaged, first by the phalanx of female warriors, dressed in white to honor the suffragettes, shouting "U. S. A.!" (which delivered, of course, the only *actual* moment of unity in the whole address, when the entire House took up the chant), with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez towards the front, as Boudica, warrior queen, and then secondly, even more so, when Stacy Abrams showed what an inclusive, intelligent, optimistic, and forthright president actually sounds like. . .
(Reasons for optimism, indeed!)
8
Does Trump remember Malala? Does Trump have any idea about the history of the Taliban? Does Trump realize that it might have been a good idea to talk with the real leaders of Afghanistan before he signs a deal with their enemy.
Trump is the perfect incarnation of the state of the American union, he keeps claiming you guys are the greatest nation in the world. Other western nations who enjoy universal health, minimal gun violence and unfettered voter's rights beg to differ. The good guy veneer disappeared long ago. America is now the down and out old uncle who keeps ranting on about how great things were in the old days. We don't want your hormone amped dairy products, your genetically modifies soybeans or your sanctions. Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear?
7
It was one line. It fell flat, even among the obsequious Republicans. It was an effort to turn public opinion against the pending investigations. It was entirely legally unfounded and was not backed up by legal argument. If you take it as a weighty argument, it was scandalous. If you take it as a one sentence shot in the dark that failed and had no follow up, you would dismiss it as Trump being Trump. I go with the latter.
9
In what I can only describe as divine intervention, my TV broke so I couldn’t watch this televised disaster. One of the good things about not having a TV at the moment is that there is nothing that will constantly blare news about Trump, and his unremitting stupidity and chaos, into my home like an air horn. I’m on as much of a break from him as anyone in today’s America can possibly be.
One of my friends did watch his address though, and I asked her at one point what Trump was saying. She described it as a jumble of words that were all basically lies, and stated that she didn’t know how much longer she could stand to watch it. Considering many of the reactions here, my friend wasn’t far off the mark. I suppose the American public was treated to simply another Trumpian mess masquerading as greatness.
14
I thought President Trump's State of the Union Speech was great. He touched upon all the major points that are relevant to Americans -- the economy, healthcare, border wall, job creation, etc. Even the Democrats were responsive at certain points during the speech. There was something for everyone to like and it was probably one of the president's best speeches. He was confident and convincing and he did himself proud.
9
@WPLMMT as usual he skewed facts and bent truths. A speech is worthless without those things, although I know Trump supporters don't mind such things
11
@WPLMMT I think Edith Sitwell may have said it best, “I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it.”
Trump is indeed Number One:
Number one in sheer laziness.
Number one in building no walls on the southern border.
Number one in lies told per hour.
Number one in racist advisors and supporters.
Number one in corruption.
Number one in claiming credit for someone else's work.
Number one in colluding with Russians.
Number one in declaring bankruptcy.
Number one in failed diplomacy.
Number one in cowardice.
Number one in speaking and writing at a 2nd grade level.
Number one in being an unindicted co-conspirator.
Number one president supremely qualified to be impeached.
46
What an amazing mishmash of hypocritical blather! Glorifying WWII heroes, while simultaneously dismantling the alliances that were constructed to prevent its recurrence. Ranting about nonexistent hordes of murderous immigrants while ignoring the daily mass murders perpetrated by our homegrown insane addiction to guns. Praising a sweet child who survived cancer, while taking health care financing away from millions of families. Talking about “unity” while looking only at the Republican side of the House. Taking sole credit for an economic recovery that began 100 months ago. Threatening Congressional Democrats for daring to carry out their Constitutional duty to be a counterweight to a corrupt and incompetent Executive Branch. And I’m just getting started! Bring it on, Stacy Abrams!
66
@LaJefa: To say nothing of failing to mention those allies who fought and died along side Americans to defeat fascism and who immediately came to your aid following 9/11, but who have been treated horribly by your president.
11
I watched both speeches. It wasn’t so much Trump’s grandiosity that made me want to throw up, but the sycophancy of members of the GOP. The mood felt impossibly and defiantly partisan. I thought Stacy Abrams hit the right tone with memorable lines like “I don’t want him to fail. I just want him to tell the truth” (as I recall her words). Hopefully, the most remembered thing about Trump’s speech will be the weird line about investigations.
28
Reading The News late, it appears that Mr. Trump gave a brilliant State of the Union Address, and better still, he confirmed for the greater Majority that Happy Days are about to stay.
All we need is to place the cherry, known as a wall, on the icing of this beautiful American cake. For a variety of reasons, some of us do not feel comfortable about this. We are supposed to lump it, and stop grumbling.
We have been given on this date in history, a nutcracker to come up with a viable solution. Mr. Trump and his Vice-President, Mr. Pence, to go our Border in sunlight, remove their jackets, keeping on their hats or sombreros, and with the guidance of construction workers, surrounded by patrol officers and security guards, start laying a few bricks for the first layer of The President's Wall.
A terrific photo op-ed for the Public and by The Press, much favored by those of us who believe that while the Nation stumbles, America has retrieved its days of power and glory at the loss of Our Constitution.
1
@Miss Ley
In the grand scheme of things, our focus on $5-6 billion for the border wall is largely just another costly Trump distraction. History will find remarkable that in 2019, despite all evidence, Trump said not one word about climate change. And further, he said nothing about concentration of wealth and income. Both are failures of unmitigated capitalism. And not one word about Russian interference in our elections or Russian disinformation designed to divide us internally and to weaken us internationally. Trump may be ignorant, but he is no fool in the moment. He is a danger to democracy and a danger to all who share our planet.
16
It was an excellent speech! I'm embarrassed for Gillabrand, with her eye rolling and asking for $$ on the heels of the SOTU. Bernie looked fattened by the fact that everyone cheered against socialism. Chuck smirked when the economic good news was cited. Kamala - nuff said, very classless. Nancy surprised me and behaved mostly well.
10
Any progress on anything!
1
@Katie I think that Martin Luther King, Jr. may have said it best, “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
I missed it. Any progress on guns, climate change, simplified taxes, Obamacare replacement, the V.A., North Korea, China, Russia? How about roads and bridges? No? Ok, what about the military parade and the Space Force? Well, did he get the check from Mexico for the wall?
35
Did the president of the USA just made about an hour long speech without a single word about EDUCATION or did I miss it?
30
I did not view or listen to the State of the Union speech. No point. Trump lies and distorts. His words have no meaning.
27
To be perfectly honest, I had planned not to listen to Trump's SOTU....until I heard that our new Democratic Congressional women would be dressed in white. That piqued my interest. Terrific, ladies.
There were more than a few things that had me with mouth agape. But I felt the lowest of lows was Trump's pro-life rant. And it was not just because I am pro-choice. It was the wrong place and the wrong time from the wrong person. (Not that there are right times, places, or people to prevent a woman from her individual right to choose.) For supporters who had tears of gratitude in their eyes, I would venture that there were as many if not more of Americans who could hardly fathom the hypocrisy of his defense of the unborn. Do people have such short memories as to forget about the children who were ripped from their parents' arms, placed in cages or tents? A few even died. Oh, but they are brown-skinned, the children of violent criminals, not desperate refugees.
So tomorrow will be another day. This speech of so-called unity is probably forgotten by Trump already. It was yet another act performed to popular acclaim by his followers, albeit, a production with an ominous climax and finale.
12
@Kathy Lollock
check the polls on American opposition to late-term abortions: around 85%.
2
I get it that if Trump broke a law he needs to be accountable for it. We are a nation of laws, and we take a dim view when anyone breaks the law. So why is it that when almost 1,000 folks a day break the law at the border by trying to break into our country, we think that is OK and not a crisis. Seems like alot of folks on the left want to pick and choose which laws to enforce.
6
@jb because his (alleged) breaking of the law(s) changed the course of American history. Try to wrap your head around that.
4
@jb I think that William Gaddis may have said it best, “Stupidity is the deliberate cultivation of ignorance.”
Let's let Trump and his criminal republican enablers enjoy their sunset. While they basked in the lies they've been telling for years, their time is winding down. Investigations have begun in earnest, and eventually all the criminals will be rounded up and prosecuted. Bring on 2020.
21
CLIMATE CHANGE! What is it that the President doesn't understand about what is going on. Not a single word about the most important issue of our future and our children's future. Whether he believes it our not is not important, it must be addressed.
Not a word of apology about the pain he inflicted on the country during the shutdown d build his trophy wall.
Clearly the President lacks both the insight, empathy and based on his low energy delivery this evening lacks the fire and passion to address the real issues America is facing.
310
@Stephen Encarnacao
As you lament, Climate Change is a World-wide, Nation-wide, in fact, Planet-wide crisis staring us in the face. That Trump doesn't see this is insanity. The USA needs a sane leader, ASAP.
1
Stacey Abrams was great. Warm, smiling, inspiring. Loved when she brought up her newly formed nonprofit. This is what inspires me! When fairly ordinary people see a problem and then gather community to work for a solution.
Did not watch or listen to the narcissist Trump. Wasn't there something recently about throwing things out that don't bring you joy?
31
Listening to Trump’s speech was like being in a fun house — surreal distortion abounds. Where to begin? On the one hand, he lauds America’s crucial role in WWII, but trashes NATO and withdraws from the Paris Climate Agreement. He recognizes women’s growing role in Congress and in the workplace, but speaks nothing of equal pay for equal work and then further slaps women in the face by threatening our right to choose. He reminds the people’s elected representatives to do their duty, and then serves up a threat that the economy will suffer if the many investigations associated with all things related to him continue. Uggh! When will we wake up from this nightmare?!
22
Only 500 million dollars over 10 years for childhood cancer research? For those in the know about how much it costs to develop new treatments, that is peanuts. The National Cancer Institutes currently get about 6 billion dollars per year for research on all types of cancer. How about 5.7 billion dollars earmarked specifically for childhood cancer treatment research instead of a wall. I have several patients with difficult to treat childhood cancers who are far more likely to benefit from the money going to such research than a wall. A wall has never cured a child with cancer. Oh, and as for “many childhood cancers have not seen new therapies in decades”, that is so out of date. During the past decade, a variety of immunotherapeutic approaches are dramatically improving the prognostic landscape for both children and adults with cancer.
30
@Dr Rice. I thought the same and totally agree. Your reference to $5.7 billion is unnecessary political but I agree with the need to magnify the investment 100 fold.
2
I could not resist making the comparison to the amount requested for the wall, at least for the purpose of providing a sense of proportion. However, it is true that childhood cancer is a bipartisan issue since cancer does not discriminate between children of Democrats and Republicans.
4
@William, just as good number as any other one... For civility sake, I will not explain where this exact number came from.
I loved it when he said, "A year of Watergate is enough!"
11
@Duncan except his Watergate is only beginning, with the impeachment looming
4
@Jon
So was Nixon's when he said, "A year of Watergate is enough!" at his SOTU. Eerie parallels?
The contrast between Trump's insults of Democrats and Sen. McCain at the luncheon only hours before the State of the Union when he extolled nominal bipartisanship are revealing. While some of Trump's points were valid although exaggerated, others were disturbing such as attacking the investigations which are examining Russia's interference in the election, imaginary caravans, and fear mongering. The guests were all fine people, and it was nice to honor them.
But half of the country is female. Trump's ugly anti-abortion comments ignored the actual legislation that was passed (as the fact checkers helpfully noted) which were late abortions in order to protect the life of a woman or when a fetus is not viable -- both of which are terrible decisions and tragedies. It is not for Trump to dictate that women should die or be forced to bear a fetus who will be stillborn or die shortly afterwards, perhaps in pain.
The women in white were inspiring, and it was a breath of fresh air to see Nancy Pelosi behind Trump in her position of well-earned power, the exuberant new women congresspeople, and the diversity and energy on the Democratic side vs. the dark wave of GOP men who rose and fell like marionettes on strings.
Also inspiring was Stacey Abrams speech which was as I expected -- heartfelt, personal, eloquent and reflective of both the values and the challenges that ordinary Americans face.
18
@SMB
The media continues to loop the abortion controversy without noting that the legislation is intended for just these circumstances of fetal medical conditions or health of the mother. Democrats don't note this distinction either, which I don't understand. So, the peception continues that this legislation provides an opportunity for an abortion at the last minute, and thus constitutes infanticide.
7
In short, nothing new here. Trump trying to look 'presidential' while trashing others for his own crimes as he claimed he made the sun come up. Trump's idea is do what I say or else proving that threats, empty promises and lies are his main contribution to the nation.
11
I just couldn’t wait to see this article about Trump’s SOTU speech and all the knarley comments that I knew would come. No matter whether he covers every single topic one could think of it’s still not enough! It wasn’t detailed enough, did t cover climate change or guns or enough about education.
He did cover cover HIV, childhood cancer, education and the right to choose, NAFTA, immigration ( I was surprised he didn’t talk more about the subject) the Middle East and more.
This is a large and complex country with everyone wanting their own personal interests to take precedence over another.
All the problems of the world and country cannot be corrected over night.
I felt he made many good points, especially about the USA never becoming socialist! He was clear and many of his guests exemplified his points.
Can we all just stop criticizing, stop complaining and be positive!?! Life is short and all we have is each other so let’s get on to making this world a better place.
4
@Letmeknow
Why in the world do you think the U.S. would ever become socialist? It's like saying the U.S. should never become a monarchy or be broken up into individual city states.
8
@Letmeknow
No! Climate change should be the number one topic! My grandchildren’s lives are at stake.
5
Forgot to mention Stacie Abrams, whose delivery was a thousand times more authentic than the president.
I understand she wrote the speech herself which why it was so personal and uplifting.
She has a great future ahead of her, assuming Georgia can get past its sorry record of disenfranchising African Americans.
29
Without having watched or heard any of this, I can say with absolute confidence that Stacey Abrams delivered THE BEST -- by far -- THE BEST EVER post-SOTU address, probably ever. And many fine people are saying that, I can tell you. I know that, without having had to watch, and people who disagree with me about that are the enemy of the people. Now I need to tweet this out and get ready for a round of golf.
7
How can trump get away with the lies he brazenly repeats about abortion rights and the recent legislation? No one challenges his demagoguery. Will no one speak up and proclaim that no near term babies are being ripped from wombs?
The laws in question concern medical catastrophe when lives are endangered. Can anyone, regardless of their abortion position, argue that women and doctors should have to jump through more hoops to address tragic outcomes in late pregnancy? Shame on republicans for their sick lies.
15
@CinnamonGirl
Agree, but the media and democrats in the media also fail to correct this misperception. I don't know why.
3
This was a boring, uninspiring, extremely long winded speech, really drivel full of exaggerations, lies, and devoid of any meaningful policy proposals. It was typical Trump, just right wing demagoguery. It had a tabloid newspaper delight in describing immigrant violence, crime, and the gory graphic details of a late stage abortion. It implied that Mueller’s investigation was a ridiculous and partisan witch-hunt that would derail peace and prosperity.
In short, it was one of the worst state of the union addresses ever by in my opinion the worst most incompetent leader in our history. There was no meaningful mention of health care proposals, climate change control ideas, and economic and infrastructure policies.
It was an empty speech with too many words but in the end absolutely no substance!
8
It was hard to believe Democrats were on their hands even during moments when the president spoke about issues that they have been supportive of in the past. When the poor family of the two individuals who were killed by an illegal alien stood, Democrats could not even give them a little bit of sympathetic recognition. A very poor display on their part
22
@JAC But no Democrat shouted "you lie!"
45
It’s hard to believe that Republicans jumped up and clapped at every statement, some clearly false and many misleading, made by the President. Your implication that Democrats are not sympathetic or even condone crime is beyond disappointing.
80
@JAC
The victims stood for Trump’s claim that illegal immigrants are wreaking havoc in the US. It is untrue, hateful and racist. If Trump had presented selected victims of blacks, Jews, and Asians, would you have given them a standing ovation?
69
The speech was an infomercial designed to burnish the image of Donald Trump. While he pointed out the many achievements of the U.S., he failed to say that he was not responsible for most of those accomplishments. And his confusing statement about foolish wars and partisan investigations was off the wall. I was disappointed in the Democrat's rebuttal. While I admire Ms. Abrams, the response was more like a pep talk than a serious speech. That job should have been given to a Democrat with oratorical skills.
It was as compelling as a PBS pledge break.
4
Trump cloaked this speech about absolutely nothing constructive toward our current problems, by using individuals and their stories. I would have felt used if I was one of them. It was nonsensical and one can tell that he didn't even have a grasp of what he was reading when he moved awkwardly from one subject to the next (from abortion law to strength of the military...really?). It felt like he was a criminal trying to leave the building surrounding himself with victims that would protect him from harm. I am totally fed up with him. This is absolutely ridiculous. How did we get here with this man?
6
Glad there was a hockey game on that I could watch.
10
I was perplexed by Trump's veiled hatred of Southern Hispanics coming here followed by his acknowledgement of our military saving Jews in WWII.
I hope the military saves the Hispanics from the present day leader of the hatred against them.
It would be good strategic policy to be good friends with southern nations to halt the aggression of Russia now basing in Venezuela. Save the Hispanics.
5
"An economic miracle is taking place in the United States — and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations." Yeah Right-- And Maybe the Ridiculous Government Shut Downs?
11
After his scripted call for an end to partisan bickering, I'm guessing Mr. Trump headed straight to Twitter to fire off divisive, hateful tweets in all directions. You can put lipstick on a pig, but ...
5
It's as if Rodney Dangerfield were alive, is making a movie in which he plays a malignant POTUS, and we're living in it.
11
An uninspiring breath of stale air.
5
It truly was a "state" of the Union if the talk spent inordinate time on walls and immigration. That just about captures the tenor of debate fomented by our great leader. It has nothing to do with what is "good" for our union or what our union "should" be doing but it quite accurately is the "state" of our union. Jokes on us Trump.
2
As tax time approaches, a number of Americans looking at their W2s & 1099s are probably not thinking “I’m winning!” Any tax cut benefits were probably offset by housing, medical, etc costs.
5
@JCAZ
Face it. It's really the top 20% who will feel the sting of lost deductions.
Almost all Americans will be paying taxes at a lower rate. Considering the average property taxes in the US are around $3500, the SALT deduction limitation is unlikely to affect them. The doubled Child Tax Credit will help them tremendously.
1
Great speech. Trump rocks!
8
Is anyone fact checking Stacy Abrams claims? Unemployment hits record lows and she still claims people are struggling. I believe unemployment among blacks has hit an all time low. Is that somehow bad news?
7
Tedious, pedantic, petty, and divisive. Perhaps most disappointing was the dismissal of Ms. Abrams by white men and women on the PBS panel. To the guy picking at his coat sleeve - you are fired. Ms. Jean- Pierre was articulate and appreciative of Ms. Abrams. Ms. Woodruff - Gwen would be disappointed.
2
Apart from some inaccuracies noted by NYT, I thought The State of the Union would have been an excellent speech, if it were delivered by a President other than Trump.
1
Best of Pres. D Trump's speeches thus far. He was relaxed and was unitive in his presentation. So sorry that Dems and Trump Haters are low flying seagulls without the ability to soar like eagles.
10
@Eden Johnson You are kidding, right?
19
@David
I happen to agree that the speech was better than most, if not all Trump's speeches.
I did not vote for Trump, but so far, he is the only President, Republican or Democrat that has tried to stop illegal immigration. I think that part of his speech was outstanding, while conceding that some claims were overstated. Any person who has parents, grandparents or earlier relatives that legally entered the USA should agree with Trump. The USA cannot support the entire world and our Congress and the Executive Branch are suppose to protect the citizens of the USA. For that part of the speech, I give him an unqualified A+.
24
We are not supporting immigrants as much as they are supporting us. What they want is safety, security and a better life for their children. What we get in return is their loyalty and hard work. If we accept them, then we also get a portion of their wages to pay for our social security and Medicare. The hoards at the border out to get us is a falsehood constantly repeated by Trump and his deluded supporters.
I love how Trump frames the US as an attractive nuisance to people south of the border.
He’s doing his best to make it unattractive to them. Unfortunately, those same things make it less attractive to Americans.
6
That the president urged an end to "investigations" was pretty crass. Was that a threat or a plea? OK, I know the answer.
The stuff on immigration was predictable but many of his transitions were abrupt and bizarre. And then, in a nonsequitor, all of a sudden the two Holocaust survivors, to bookend his opener with the WWII vets.
But his calls for unity, progress, and compromise were just so damned phony! When has he ever been in the mood to compromise?
His idea of compromise is this: I'm amenable to anything as long as it's 100% of what I want.
There's a big difference between a request and a demand--too bad the president doesn't see the difference.
13
Actually, this could have been not such as bad day for President Trump. In his SOTU speech he actually stuck to his prepared text and avoided his ad libs, and as he almost never does he came off as somewhat "presidential."
Yes, this might not have been such a bad day--if he could have spared us his barrage of playground bully insults at his lunch. The SOTU speech was as good as President Trump ever gets. But he ruined his day with the insult lunch, which was him at his worst. And insulting Senator McCain? How can you feel compelled to continue to insult a great patriot who is DEAD? All I can think of is Joseph Welch's exasperated comments to Joe McCarthy - "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"
Those comments are generally considered to have been the beginning of the end for McCarthy. I wish we could start to see the beginning of the end for our President.
12
@Jerry Schulz You must not have watched the speech
Was the applause canned? It might as well have been for its authenticity. What a sickening spectacle of a once great nation reduced to sycophancy.
Is partisan politics reduced to this? Of course not. We've seen it before, during the collapse of the Weimar Republic. But that's okay. We're smarter than that.
Aren't we?
6
This was an 80-minute dog-whistle to his base. Completely without substance and poorly delivered.
13
It was a 90 minute home run. Knocked over the big green wall. Bases loaded. Game winning walk off.
3
It would be nice to hear someone mention positives and negatives of the SOTU address - if one is neutral there are both. Unfortunately people on left and right are blinded by their own narrow mindedness and look for what fits their political views
3
While we may not all support Trump he is the only president we have. I thought his address was quite positive as did many democratic representatives as shown by their applause. I find it unfortunate that Times readers give him little credit. Broad mindedness has clearly been hijacked.
11
@Confused
Liberty and Justice for All is what has been hijacked.
You remain terribly.....CONFUSED.
13
confused,
The Democrats responded with applause. Yes, they responded to Trump's acknowledgment of their personal accomplishment, gaining an elected position in our US Congress. Trump has a real fight on his hands now. Blue wave 2020!
1
@Confused
Animus towards Trump has completely consumed them. They cannot hear but criticize his words. They have thrown their own principles out the window (ex., prison reform, African-American employment) because they refuse to see.
What this tells me is that their views cannot be trusted. They no longer want what's best but to feed their animus, which has become like an addiction.
1
Trump’s comments about investigation vs. legislation can be taken as a threat or (more likely) as a preemptive 2020 argument against the do-nothing Democrats. Or maybe both.
1
Unity, inspiration, vision, a recap of recent accomplishments and setting the agenda for the next year are basic prerequisites for a state of the union address. This address failed to satisfy any of these basic requirements.
8
@Thelma Almaden I got all of that and more - hope also. Sorry you missed it.
2
The greatest country of the world. A country that has allocated one trillion four hundred billion dollars for weapons and now promises to allocate 500 million for cancer research.
The greatest country in the world, they won the second world war single - handedly. All the lesser nations involved played no part. american history is unique and rewriten every day. the first world war started in 1014 and america deigned to enter in 1017. the second world war started in 1039 and US only entered in 1041 because of the japanese attack.
You are not the greatest nation in the world.
You
2
If it wasn't such a sad subject, one would have to laugh at Trump's condemnation of attacks on Jews as he didn't feel any need to condemn those protesters in Charlottsville who cried "Jews will not replace us."
17
I enjoyed Stacey Abrams' speech. She was direct and made some very interesting points without descending to vicious name calling. I wish we had people like her in Australian politics.
178
@daisi: Heck, we, as a northern neighbour, wish there were more people like that in American politics!
13
Who controls the cameras during the speech?
It felt like they were almost entirely focused on the GOP (i.e. cheering) side
5
@Blew. I totally agree. I wish the cameras had spent more time focused on the Democrats as they sat on their hands as Trump talked about fighting childhood cancer, our WW 2 vets, and the fact that America will never be a socialist country. I would have loved to have seen AOC frowning during that last one.
4
Do we really think that Trump "forgot" to have Speaker Pelosi introduce him? It was a power move, that's what he does, barge in and assume the room.
Kudos to Trump's speech writers, he had some good human interest stories weaved in HOWEVER it was so partisan that in this day and age, we have no need for a State of the Union because it is no reporting of the "State" or its "Union."
Trump threatened Congress today: you investigate, you get no legislation, this is war by saying: "If there is going to be peace and legislation there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way."
Unfortunately, we have to see how it works, we must see how it works. Unleashed he's a tyrant, leashed he will be a thrashing tyrant, but he will be leashed...
27
I didn't watch Trump. I cannot stand listening to him but from the looks of people commenting here it seems Trump's speech went over like a lead balloon.
12
Why? He is still your President correct?
3
@Humble, do you understand a concept of too much Trump? It can be very tiring. Also, how much did he actually contribute to this speech? There will be plenty of coverage of this speech in the media.
Humble,
There is no urgency to listen to anything Trump says, he lies over and over. Donald J. Chaos & Co. are the party of wrong. Corporate profits at all time high. Solution? Corporate tax rate cut. Result? Higher dividends and more stock buybacks. Innocent families begging for asylum at our border. Solution? Separate children from their parents with NO method to reunite them. Result? A new generation of Dreamers. Wall street financial debacle. Solution? Repeal Glass-Steagal banking regulations. Result? New financial debacle. Innocent black Americans being shot in our streets by overzealous police. Solution? Rescind DOJ police reform program. Result? More innocent black Americans being shot in our streets. Tired of all the winning yet? Mueller and his team cannot work fast enough for me. Blue wave 2020!
This was less a State of the Union Address than it was a State of Trump Address. As we wait for the conclusion of Mueller's investigation, we can hope it's Donald's last.
20
Nothing about climate change, domestic gun violence, gross wealth inequality, the deficit, the millions with no access to healthcare, education funding, livable wages, corporate monopolies, cyber crime, student loan debt,
25
You must have missed the democratic response. It was all there.
2020 Vote
9
Sounds like all the things Obama and the Democrats corrected during his eight years. Thank goodness we got that mess cleaned up. Thank goodness for Democrats! Where would we be today if it were not for them.
1
Perhaps if Donald Trump and family and friends learned how to obey the laws, act with integrity and represent credibility, then there would be fewer investigations stalling the legislative work that needs to be accomplished.
19
Stacey Abrams response was honest and uplifting. Her words were a breath of fresh air following the Trumpster fire State of the Union address.
37
I did not watch the sotu address. Even though I appreciate many of the ideas Trump advocates, ie putting america 1st, I believe he does a terrible job focusing on what his base really cares about. For example, I'm not too worried about MS-13 at the border, but 2017 there were 315,000 folks arrested or detained at the border, almost 1,000 a day. Now it is true the numbers are down (2010 there were more than 500,000). but that is alot of folks that we will be supporting. I have family (US citizens) that could use help, but resources run short here in Calif as we continue to help non US citizens. I believe that 1,000 a day at the border is a crisis. They are breaking the law, which makes them criminals by definition, so either change the laws or enforce them.
15
@jb
For about the millionth time: people seeking asylum and "detained" at the border are *not* breaking the law. They just plain are not. They are legally entitled to apply for asylum by Title 8 Section 1158 of the U.S. Code. That is *actually* the law. Trump has manufactured a crisis by altering how ICE treats asylum petitions and his changes are of uncertain legality.
Immigrants are supporting the economy, not the other way around.
There is, indeed, a problem with our immigration system in that we take advantage of immigrants and purposefully push them into the shadows. But the problem is not too many immigrants but a flawed and immoral "America first" philosophy that ignores the fact that America was first, and always, a country of immigrants.
61
@jbwould you have any enthusiasm for changing the law? Do your relatives who could use help want to do the jobs that illegal immigrants do? Does your community rely on very low paid illegal immigrant help? Help us all know why things are as they are in your part of California . Thanks.
19
@Paul Fisher Immigrants support the economy of their native countries; don't pay taxes here and send cash there. They cost taxpayers over $50 BILLION a year. They shouldn't be allowed in until asylum is granted, since the vast majority of claims are false.
2
Ahhhh love Abrams Rebuttal -no phony applause
12
@That's what she said I'm not in the Atlanta media market, so I had never heard her give a full speech. It was the Goldilocks moment: yes, that's just right, she's the one. She puts all other Dems presidential candidates to shame.
3
I am in the Atlanta media area and I can say one thing for her: she is quite a fighter. Not a very gracious loser but certainly a fighter.
Confused,
I dont know about you, but in Abrams place I would find it impossible to be gracious after losing as a result of political voter suppression and cheating. Blue wave 2020!
The president and his congressional and senate republican allies are clearly engagex in TIPS (Treason In Plain Sight) by obstructing and threatening to obstruct overdue investigations of his contacts with Putin proxies like Oleg Deripaska.
His latest move to withdraw from the nuclear arms treaty with Russia is clearly aimed at giving the Russians coverage to get out of the treaty in order to dodge any U.S. sanctions for violating it.
Support from anti-American operators giving this man coverage by failing to expose Roger Stone's lying to the house intellingence committee
led by republican Devin Nunez who effectively obstructed any meaningful examination of matters, enables this Russian-supported team to conduct their treasonous activities in plain sight.
5
I want Stacey Abrams for my next president, please.
18
Trump might be shocked to learn that it is in America’s self-interest to investigate wrongdoing at the highest levels of government. And history will record that Nancy Pelosi was the grown-up in the room tonight. Trump is the least patriotic of any president in American history. His language, his demeanor, and his actions reflect that. Tomorrow he will return to the preponderance of lies, accusations and attacks that have characterized this disastrous presidency. The 2020 election can’t come soon enough.
19
The only thing he didn't take credit for was creation. Probably realized this is the one lie his base wouldn't swallow.
20
trump campaigned on negotiating drug prices. He stopped touting that when he became president. It is a lie that drug prices have dropped. Many big pharma companies dropped their prices for five months in 2018 but at the end of dec. big pharma said prices are going to go up in jan, over 100%.
To top it all many drugs that patients get in this country are made outside this country. This past November blood pressure meds were found to have carcinogens in them. How is he going to drop the prices of the drugs since they haven't dropped contrary to his lies.
Also, he said that companies were going to move back to the u.s. This obviously does not include big pharma companies. That is why I told my opthamologist I refuse to use restasis. It now costs 160 dollars for a ninety day supply. last year it cost 140 dollars for ninety days. I have chronic dry eye and glaucoma. So my opthamologist told me just use thera tears four times a day instead of restasis twice a day. Allergan who makes restasis still has not moved back to the u.s. They moved to Ireland. He promised that these manufacturing companies were going to move back to the states. I keep up with medical issues. I am an RN,BSN worked for 18 yrs in the OR.
5
The Speaker of the House made every measured effort to upstage the President, pointedly making cud-chewing motions, fooling her eyes like a fourteen-year-old whose table manners have been called out at a family dinner, flashing papers like a North Korean in a stadium show, and making several gestures by waiting a second too long to be seated.
It reflected poorly on her and her party in the face of an address far more conciliatory and inspirational than confrontational.
Based on this night's performance, Trump has advanced his agenda.
5
@OldEngineer
Three cheers for more 0.1% welfare!
9
His agenda: intensify global warming, increase wealth inequality, enable corporate polluters, vastly increase the budget deficit, persecute gays and transgendered, codify religious bigotry, legitimize white supremacy, appoint lobbyists to power, incite conflict with Iran ...
18
@OldEngineer
You are absolutely correct. Trump advamced HIS agenda. No the agenda of the American people. HIS agenda to lines his pockets as well as those billionaire chronies in his cabinet, not to mention his family and friends. But you keep on drinking the cool aide.
14
Where do you start? You have to unpack each lie and partner it with its truth:
Trump talked about working with our allies to liberate Europe at the end of World War II, but he has destroyed our alliances with many of those countries.
Trump said that his meeting with North Korea slowed their weapons proliferation, but his intelligence chiefs said that's not true. Trump says they haven't launched a missile in 15 months, but that's because the missile system is fully tested and doesn't need to be tested again.
Trump said his administration has cut more regulations than any other administration before, and not only is that a lie when you examine deregulation during the Reagan and Carter administrations-Trump's deregulations poison our environments by dumping toxins into our waterways, our soil, and our air. And his newest planned appointment, slotting an ex-oil lobbyist into the secretary of the interior cabinet position, only continues his wanton destruction of our natural resources.
Trump called the United States the number one oil and gas producer, neglecting to acknowledge that we are being left behind by other countries who are developing green energy solutions that will take them far beyond our finite fossil fuel resources.
He talked about jobs, but he completely failed to acknowledge that we have just gotten to 100 months of steady job growth - 75 months under Obama after he rescued the GOP-destroyed economy, and the last 25 months under Trump.
to be continued...
29
Gun violence is a public health crisis. Illegal immigration is not. Why can't Trump see the difference? Oh, that's right, he's a card-carrying member of the NRA. I don't remember having a president who all out lies.
24
Someone remind me again how Stacey Abrams lost.
14
She was running against the guy who was in charge of the election.
28
Brian ‘Jim Crow’ Kemp made sure that not too many of those ‘other’ people voted, Molly.
17
@Molly Bloom: She was black. That's how.
3
I wish the IRS workers who are auditing his taxes had been invited to attend and say a few words.
28
Essentially, our President said nothing new! Continued to play to his base, as his Republican lapdogs chanted their juvenile U.S.A.
U.S.A. in the hallowed Hall of our Congress! Where's the compromise from our leader?! Two more years of our head deplorable!!!
12
FYI lest we forget some of the FACTS about the investigation. It is NOT partisan. It is in fact being led by a lifetime Republican, Robert Mueller, who also has evidenced through his life both service and unbending patriotism to our nation. This phony patriot, Trump, cannot simply rewrite the lifetime of service and sense of selfless duty lived by Mr Mueller.
22
@Menick - I think is fair to say Trump was addressing near daily call by one Democrat or other in the House to launch a investigation and not the Mueller probe.
Could Trump have said "I'm guilty" any more clearly?
28
It was quite humorous watching Pelosi clapping and and even standing and clapping on so many points that Trump made. It was even more humorous watching Dems not clap during times when Trump said that unemployment was down and the economy was up dramatically in terms of GDP growth - many Dems even looked quite angry when Trump mentioned the GDP growth.
7
Why should Trump get credit for a gradual slowing of economic trends established during his predecessors tenure?
The last Republican President to leave office handed his Democrat successor an economy in free fall. It tends to fall to Democrats to tidy up the chaos caused by lack of regulatory oversight allied with foolhardy tax cuts for the rich characteristic of Republican rule.
9
@Dan, just a minor problem... Massive and ever growing so-called national debt!
why does a petty real estate grifter from new york get to speak tonight instead of an actual president?
spend an hour reading trumps tax returns in public instead and i will listen.
maybe next year trump can give the state of the union from prison, where all of putins oligarch wannabe puppets belong.
51
@robert, he is now a businessman, a wealthy individual , a P.R. figure, and a politician; he cannot possibly go to jail... if you get "my drift..."
If Trump actually provided "facts" and details and plans for things like a trillion dollar infrastructure or saving inner cities and improving education to the extent he babbles about hsi WALL, he'll be talking for 3 hours.
Anyone think that will happen?
75
He said the economy is in great shape (thanks to him) and that there is record low unemployment and low crime rates. Then, a few minutes later he said that without new barriers at the border Americans would lose their jobs, the economy would collapse and crime would be rampant. Seems contradictory.
And the "nobody can compete with America, we're the greatest" bluster is offensive to everyone else in the world and is evidence of profound ignorance of what other people are accomplishing.
24
Didn't watch this.
If a bag of rice tips over somewhere in China, that's more exciting.
16
"Ridiculous, partisan probes." It is worth noting that the Mueller probe was launched by a life-long Republican. It is supervised by a life-long Republican. It is being conducted by a life-long Republican.
Does the president mean to condemn Republican partisanship here? Because that is what it is.
18
@John lebaron Well if Adam Shiftless of California has his way there will be new probes up the wazoo that are be nothing but partisan smear attacks. That guy is a liar extraordinaire. Mueller comes up on TWO YEARS in May, and what does he have to show for his work? A bunch of two bit players that nobody will even remember in a few months, usually charged with the catch-all crime of "lying to the FBI". Meh, where the beef?
1
@baba ganoush, we are willing to wait; not a problem. Big mess equals a lengthy investigation. Wait, there's more... This is NOT investigation of Mr. Trump. You are an obvious victim of constant repetition of misinformation.
To paint the world as remarkably positive and to take credit for a miracle of progress leaves Americans asking whether things are really that good. Any American following along knows that Trump is painting a picture that is totally unfounded. You can’t deceive all of the people all of the time. The people can see through Trump’s ruse. This State of the Union is a political disaster.
151
@michjas
Trump is only President of the 40% of Americans who support him.
Those 40% were thrilled to be fooled and are happy to enjoy the greatest healthcare rip-off in the world as God's gift.
54
@Socrates 37%
15
@Socrates - 34%, you are being way too kind as usual.
21
There are not a lot of things that are worse than watching Donald Trumpt stick his chin out and pull at the heartstrings of the country with his exaggerations and lies. How dare he take credit for things he has fought and worked against. He really thinks that the public is stupid. Enough said. I will put my efforts and hopes with the women in white and their party. The world needs them now more than ever.
597
@Sunny Garner
lies, lies, bragging, bragging and lies with his chin sticking out..No class. This is the President of USA supposed to be most respected and the leader of the free world. Surreal! Why bother to watch. I didn't watch it first time since... many Presidents ago.
41
@Sunny Garner
Sorry Sunny... but a significant percentage of Americans (estimates still hovering around 40%) support Trump. So obviously his exaggerations and lies are not holding him back. I blame our lack of Democratic leadership. If Schumer and Pelosi were stronger, bolder, more effective leaders they would work harder and creatively at educating Americans.
9
@Tom Sorry, Tom, your figures are as skewed as 45's are. The polls have been heading south ever since his shutdown - even in his vaunted Rasmussen polls shows a definite slump - low 30s to be exact, but no matter - one doesn't win when 57% of the country says they won't vote for you. As for blaming the Democrats - try another tact. They don't get any stronger than Speaker Pelosi; 45 is terrified of her and her new majority. Have you noticed that new majority? They were the ones dressed in white. As for the education of Americans, that is best done by the citizens through their local schools and organizations and not through the net works that believe ratings are all and a carnival barker brings in more money than a person who cares about the good of the country. Education is everyone's job. Are you doing your part?
64
"Trump warns House Democrats: Don’t investigate me or my administration."
Donald Trump is following in the footsteps of Richard Nixon, who complained about the Watergate investigation during a State of the Union address.
But unlike Nixon, Trump isn't going to be able to resign unscathed.
32
Maybe a bit of Europe-style “socialism” would be a good thing for the “greatest nation”. Europeans enjoy on average a higher standard of living: education, health care, pension, physical safety. Maybe not surprisingly the life expectancy is higher in Europe compared to the US. This SOTU address brought zero new facts. I think it should simply be abolished.
33
What is Mr. Trump really doing tonight?
He is celebrating the best moments of American history, all the way back to WWII, including guests who represent the best of America.
He is setting the stage to create a World War (III).
He wants us to blindly support his cause, just because he is our (so-called) commander-in-chief.
He wants to start a war, and to attempt to rally the American people blindly behind him.
There is no war needed today.
We must reject Mr. Trump's autocratic message.
32
It's finally over. You can take your hands off your ears now.
67
I was binge watching The Sopranos—a much more entertaining crime family story than the one coming from the occupant if the White House.
5
Mr. Trump is a fascist demagogue. With this speech he is feeding us outright lies, American exceptionalism, dishonest populist assertions, pretty stories, and real demonization. He has made President Obama's economy run on time. Jobs, wages and incomes for real (white) Americans would all be better were it not for the immigrants. This man who is tonight extolling a Dachau survivor ran that anti-Semitic campaign ad--his last of the campaign--that was right out of the Nazi playbook. Tomorrow it will be insane chaos again, as Trump proves to us that we are not exceptional at all.
45
@Robert - Fake news, Trump never ran an anti-Semitic ad.
5
@mkm
Thank you for your reply. The last ad for the Trump 2016 campaign included pictures of Mr. Soros, Ms. Yellen, and Mr. Blankfein--all Jewish--along with a Star of David and a picture of Sec. Clinton, and called the three Jewish people "global special interests" who are enriched themselves on the backs of working Americans. That is, indeed, right out of the Nazi playbook.
See:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/us/politics/george-soros-bombs-trump.html
13
Sad he trots out heroes, survivors, etc but does not solve our problems.
he does not say that socialism pays for medicare, medicaid and social security. I think the voters are too stupid to realize this. They clap and they will lose their health care and their security in elderly years.
22
A president who meticulously worked to avoid alienating Neo Nazis, today had the nerve to parade out Holocaust survivors, apparently assuming all is forgiven.
34
Donald J. Trump's ghost-written words remind one of what was better written in 1939 by Philip Barry for "The Philadelphia Story" and filmed at Metro in 1940 with the same actress playing Tracy Lord, "Oh, goody! It's all about me!"
9
I am profoundly disturbed by what I am seeing and hearing tonight. The lies and the boasting of Trump are unbelievable. This is not democracy at work. This is fascism. How long will America allow their virtual president to continue his immoral attacks on the values of the free world?
103
@Barry Lane Be specific please. What lies?
1
@Letmeknow
I think it would be much quicker if you told us what you thought he said was the truth. Be specific, please!
6
@Letmeknow
It is getting late and I don't have the time or energy to be specific, but I did go and check the NYT's fact check for you and the rough count I made was that Trump either lied or mislead during his speech 26 times, exaggerated 6 times, and told the truth 15 times. That works out to 2 to 1 in the falsehood department. I rest my case unless of course you consider this all ''fake news?''
3
Brilliant speech so far! A Black woman out of prison, a Black man out of prison, a man who walked on the moon, children of great-grandparents killed by illegal immigrant, kid with cancer, Holocaust survivors, D-Day soldiers. Wow. Compliment the new women in Congress, completely disarming them. Then, twice that time spent falsifying the situation at the border.
Trump pushes all the buttons he needs to fill in the blank spots in his demographic, something for everyone who can buy into this dog & pony show. I have to wonder how good people can show up to be used to empower this President Clickbait to run this litany of baloney over on the US public.
17
@CK Also the shout-out to Northam in VA! Trump's really good at this, I think he may win in 2020.
@JackC5 - Thanks I was overrun by his stampede of nonsense & missed that one.
2
"Ridiculous partisan investigations" resembles Tricky Dick Nixon telling us "Im not a crook."
39
@David Keys
Nixon skipped the contraction.
I am not a crook.
45 makes Nixon look good....
As a responsible, patriotic American, I feel sort of obligated to watch the SOTU. But during the W administration, I discovered while watching his first speech that I couldn’t tolerate actually hearing it. In following years, I watched W’s broadcast on Telemundo. Even though I don’t understand much Spanish, I discovered that listening to the voice of the translator was much easier on the psyche. Guess that’s not an option this year. If I watched Individual 1’s speech on Telemundo, the irony would be waaaay too distracting.
9
This SOTU is a cross between a Jerry Lewis telethon, "The Apprentice," and "Queen for a Day," all tied together with it all being about Donald J. Trump. It's embarrassing.
18
@Carl Ian Schwartz How many remember "Queen For A Day"? I remember the applause meter
11
What is Ms. Pelossi furiously leafing through back behind the podium? Her bank statement? A screen play?? Vanity Fair? Mad Magazine....?
8
@Mike S| Preliminary draft of the Mueller report.
23
@Mike S
Impossible to keep a straight face... she was trying not to be seen outright laughing on camera
11
@Mike S
She was looking at a copy of Trump's speech, which he handed to her before he began speaking.
4
Thank you for Fear-and-Loathing-In-Chief leadership, Daycare Donnie.
We heard your message to America: "Be very afraid at all times"
So inspirational.
97
"As he detailed a litany of familiar talking points about caravans marching toward the United States, there was a disgruntled round of groans, punctuated by a couple boos as they looked around at each other, shaking their heads."
A couple of boos?
That's it? For the guy who inaugurated concentration camps for children, shut down the government, and has threatened to declare a national emergency so that he can rule by decree - all in the service of his wall?
What a pitiful, pitiful, excuse we have for the current crew in the House of Representatives. They're no better than the last one.
16
@bloggersvilleusa - Once they all dressed in unison they all became nothing together.
Where is the exit music that they play at the Oscars when the speeches get too long and bizarre?
99
Perfect, Kathy.
17
How come the price of my drugs has increased 50 percent. He is a liar
60
Watch he will justify pulling out of Nato in a minute...
12
@Missy - It wouldn't need justification, it's a money pit left over from the German/Soviet threat. What do you think, the EU with it's nukes can't defend itself?
2
@CK ask ukraine about the continuing russian invasion, and if we should be doing more to stop it
instead of less
3
Why listen to what this faithless liar says? Tomorrow he will spew a conflicting set of promises and utter a new set of lies and misdirections calculated to fit his narcissistic interpretation of the specific moment's new needs.
35
I didn't waste one minute of my time by listening to half-truths and outright lies.
22
The reason there are investigations is because Trump appears to have broken the law over and over. He doesn't want to stop the investigations because they keep legislation from being passed. He wants to stop them because he knows he's in big trouble.
71
@Linda
And he's terrified.
10
@Linda
yes, it's too late for too lame
:-)
Besides de little girl Grace; it's all stupid. The epitome of hypocrisy.
7
This man is becoming more dangerous. He is not becoming a better president or a better human. He has become more manipulative, more messianic, more nationalistic. His flowery words of unity and comity have no connection whatsoever to his own twisted bitter notion of reality. His words are the very opposite of what he has done, of what his Republicans have done. Tonight he has issued a very grave threat: there will, he says, be no cooperation or bipartisan legislation until the investigation is halted. He did nothing to deserve this venue and this event.
168
@Robert: agreed. All he's waiting for now is a chance to play dress-up in a general's uniform and have his military parade. Then we'll really know that it's game over for our democracy.
10
Man, Trump is against high drug costs (no policy offered) AIDS (no policy offered) and Childhood Cancer (insubstantial budget earmark), perhaps he can get another standing ovation by sponsoring Apple Pie Day.
81
@East youCoaster in the Heartland Or "Stop Investigating Me Day"
15
His dictatorial threats are unacceptable. He’s unacceptable!There will be investigators as there should be regarding anything appropriate. The horror of him, Pence and the GOP d aiding him in obstruction of justice, emoluments clause violations of the United States Constitution, abuse of power, reckless governance, being away from his office for “executive time” over 60% of the time plus the endless statements about Manafort such as “they went back 12 years” shows no knowledge of the huge crimes without statute of limitations.
This period has as observed by others the worst zeitgeist ever. Coupled with his insane denial of our loyal intelligence agencies, their report on the state of military matters only adds but as global warming hits us and in fact is accelerating its a dismal situation with his reactive and resentful mad hatter actions combined with his alienating all allies, praising and admiring enemies, oppressors and madmen hurts is daily. Thanks my fellow Dems for ignoring illegal immigration and birther babies and the terrible impact for decades which created the real problem as his foundation was built upon that. It’s heartbreaking to go through the state of things with him. He doesn’t care about you, me, the world of anything but his ongoing reality show and Trump family business gains. No courage from anyone near him. God help us.
24
If there is anything that has proven to be consistent about Trump besides his ignorance and narcissism, it's the complete absence of a poker face. Every time he says "there's nothing to see here" there is indeed "something to see there."
I'm counting on the Democrats in the house to help send this clown where he belongs, prison.
110
Wow.
Not one word yet on the real security risks all our top intelligence officers just testified on before congress.
66
What? Democrats are actually joining in the shouts of “USA”. Maybe Dems are beginning to realize that they look surly and very unpatriotic!
3
@John Murray
It's too bad the President's base will never realize they look gullible and ignorant by blindly supporting him.
17
@Brad Blumenstock
Only someone who feels they are superior and entitled would accuse a fellow American of being gullible and ignorant.
trump Warns House Democrats against investigating him. House Democrats investigate Obstruction, Abuse of Power Civil and Human rights violations committed by trump's admin. trump's imaginary omnipotence is completely absurd, besides, many Dems Want to run against the most
unhinged president ever foisted on a populace in the history of the world. Vlad couldn't be happier with his puppet!
23
Uhh .. this isn't the Godfather.
5
Ha! Paid maternity leave.... We'll see...
8
Mayhem 45* is very lucky Nancy Pelosi didn't let a retired nun with a metal ruler sit in her chair so that she could rap Un-indicted Co-conspirator 45*'s knuckles each time he repeated a deliberate lie - e.g., El Paso was one of the 3 safest cities in the U.S. for several years before a border wall was erected, after which time, violent crime spiked.
64
That chin jutting stance reminds me of Mussolini,and we know what happened to him....investigate ! And don’t let up .
207
@MK The first time I actually took notice of that arrogant stance was when he rudely shoved the Montenegrin Prime Minister out of his way at the (NATO?) summit.
22
Someone should have shouted "LIAR!"!
57
@tim Democrats have a sense of decorum and history, no such thing would happen. Besides, Speaker Pelosi would have killed them.
1
Nice speech Mr. President! Too bad you never keep your word. We just can’t trust you. The investigations have netted several lying crooks from your inner circle, so those investigations won’t stop.
30
So the president of the United States, during a State of the Union address, brings up a criminal investigation in which he, his family, his long-time associates, and his administration are in the cross-hairs of federal investigators whom he has routinely disparaged.
He may as well have said, "the president is being investigated because law enforcement agencies think that he may have been engaged in criminal activity." This in a SOTU address. So Trump. So much winning. So sad.
173
@Red Sox, '04, '07, '13, ‘18, Obstruction anyone? Using the SOTU as an avenue to suppress further investigations.
20
@Red Sox, '04, '07, '13, ‘18,
Over the past two years I have come to admire the honesty and restrained dignity of Richard M.Nixon.
No really-
16
@Red Sox, '04, '07, '13, ‘18,
In most , if not all jurisdictions it's called jury tampering.
12
I am an American Patriot. I love our country.
However, the chants (from the right side of the aisle) of "U. S. A." -- and Mr. Trump's praise of them -- are reminiscent of Hitler's speeches in Germany in the 1930s. That is not patriotism; rather it is blind nationalism.
---
Furthermore, I say this as someone whose direct ancestor, Thomas Stone, signed the Declaration of Independence for Maryland. (Not that this fact really matter here.) But the MAGAts apparently have no understanding of the longstanding American aversion to autocratic figures such as King George, all the way up to our current-day wanna-be dictator, Donald J. Trump.
The current administration will be a sad chapter in the future history books of the United States. I can only hope that those future historical analyses tell the story of how we almost lost our way as a nation, but then found it again and got back on track.
Come on, people. Let's fix this. Now.
503
In reply to MidtownATL Atlanta
Come on, people, let’s not.
@Midtown ATL . I could not agree with you more. Cold shivers ran up my spine when I heard that chant. It frightens me that most do not see the signs of Trump's longing for Authoritarianism.
1
Congress.
The applause was deafening
And too frequent
Ringing around the circular room
Thudding on dark panelling.
The hall was lined with benches
The benches lined with heads
Slowly sinking toward the centre
Words like discarded cans rattled with no meaning
Phrases rejected from Hallmark cards
And such sad empty promises
All echoed about the same.
They don’t deserve the applause.
The benches were full
But the heads were empty
As hands smashed together
Clapped! Again and again— for nothing—
Inside that dark hole in the ground.
31
If you are innocent then there is no need to be deathly worried about an investigation. You are not my President.
155
Oh, for a different Democrat to shout "You lie!" whenever Trump does.
If anyone out there is playing the drinking game where you down a shot every time Trump tells a falsehood, they'll pass out from alcohol poisoning.
48
I'm glad for this analysis. There is no way I'm ever going to watch Trump giving a speech. It would be interesting to know what the ratings for this speech turn out to be.
50
The most depressing thing about Trump's speech is watching our elected leaders standing and applauding for canned, exaggerated and false claims, all made by a serial liar, and emulating Trump supporters with their silly "USA" chants. In a word, they are acting like fools. When I see this ridiculous spectacle I am embarrassed to be an American.
574
@Jay Orchard Me, too! There's a simple solution. In 2 years, vote every single legislator with an "R" beside their name that have tried to shield this president. They are not true patriots, just sycophants.
52
@Jay Orchard
That's why I moved to Mexico.
15
@Jay Orchard
They are "standing and applauding" because they have become fabulously wealthy and rich beyond their wildest dreams thanks to Citizens United and the huge expenditures of the corporate lobbyists to advance the GOP agenda.
17
The headline:
‘Trump Wants Immigrants To Enter Country In Record Numbers’
(Sarah, Kellyanne, would you like to clarify?)
18
Seriously? He demands that they don't investigate him, lest his legislative agenda fail?
No.
Break this liar into a million pieces. Do it patiently and coldly. And shatter the GOP with him.
330
@Next Conservatism
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
9
@two cents: not revenge - accountability and true justice.
27
Is he reading from teleprompter?????
3
@Think bout it What?? You think he has the "best words" without someone else writing them?
7
If the US is going to be building more cars here, why is GM stopping production of the Chevrolet Cruze this year and closing down the Lordstown, Ohio, production plant?
56
@Cintia
Too much winning, no doubt.
10
How disturbing that Trump describes the Mueller Investigation and other federal and state investigations into his administration as “ridiculous partisan politics.” The investigations are apolitical: we can but hope that justice and truth will be upheld in the face of a president who believes he and his long list of cronies are above the law.
149
@Melissa M Amen!
7
DISGRACEFUL. Shame. Shame. Shame. Family separation is the only crisis at the border. Human rights violations deserve SANCTIONS.
131
Individual 1 has reduced the Office of the US President to whiny commentator on Twitter. He is unfit to serve. Worst President by a landslide.
207
If they can chant "USA USA", why can't they also "boo"?
28
“If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation,” said the career criminal.
225
You know he didn'tbthink that line up, lame as it is. Lol
4
Worrying about the potential violence from illegal border immigration and MS13, but the real danger the President doesn’t mention. Like the 59 people slaughtered in Las Vegas. The students and teachers murdered in Florida. The tremendous deaths yearly from gun violence. These are the real dangers not the contrived ones the President creates at the southern border.
335
@jwgibbs The president conflates MS13 with being from from central america instead of LA, where it started decades ago. The US deported many MS13 members back to El Salvador or their home countries and they came back. But they are a gang and there are many gangs. They are no longer a NY or CA thing. And he never discussed that immigrants commit crime at a lower level than citizens nor did he address gun control or mass shootings or racism or....
20
If the American economy is expanding, why are my American investment funds showing a return of -18% for 2018? Yes, that is minus 18%.
112
Yes, my stable portfolio lost 20% from September's high.
6
Where are all the farmers tonight cheering about how much they’re winning?
161
@Ray Gable
Don’t forget the coal miners in West Virginia
43
@jwgibbs - Ray, good point. The thing about how President Trump was going to reopen the coal mines was a scam from the beginning. So he loosened some environmental regulations--a bad thing for other reasons--and threw a big party, but my guess is not one additional lump of coal has been mined as a result.
The reason is that the main market for coal is the power companies, and they are slowly switching to natural gas because it's cheaper than coal, and also slightly better from a carbon emissions standpoint. And they're not about to switch their plants back to coal, because this takes years, and by the time they would be done Trump would be out, if anything the regulations would be made tougher yet, they'd have to switch back, and their investment would be lost.
So yes, why aren't those miners standing up and yelling, "We were had by one of history's greatest con men, who unfortunately used us to get elected as president!"
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Where is Joe Wilson when we really need him?
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@A Night Manager, some Waffle House, pending probational review.
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@Next Conservatism, bwhahaha! Well-played.
right, like "hey Mueller, my finances are a red line you can't cross" Don't investigate me or else!
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It appears that Trump is scared by the Mueller investigation, which begs the question that if you did nothing wrong why does it bother you?
Trump's asking for unity but at what cost, if he has nothing to hide then he should want to know how much the Russians interfered with the 2016 election.
The answer is simple, he's guilty as sin!
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I'm gonna jump in early because we have a drinking game going on in my house where we take a shot each time Trump lies and I'm wasted already. After the football game this Sunday I can see already that this is going to be the Super Bowl of speeches. Boring, low viewership and a record number of punts.
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@Rick Gage - you've figured out the only way to enjoy this speech - bravo! And just like the Super Bowl, the longest punt record was set Sunday, and it will be set by the number of lies in tonight's SOTU.
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Rick Gage,
I hope no one had to be rushed to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. :-)
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@Rick Gage: Rick, the Super Bowl was *not* boring. The Patriots won; that's *never* boring. But as for your "100 bottles of beer on the wall, 100 bottles of beer..." I'm wishing you a headache-free Wednesday. We all had one tonight.
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Why do I torture myself listening to this man. I guess it's mostly to see what Nancy Pelosi does. He sure is focused with trafficking women, means a lot coming from the Access Hollywood guy. When will this be over , I'll be back for the commentary...
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@Missy
I watched most of Trump's speech at the lowest possible volume with an occasional mute. My interest was also to see the optics with Nancy Pelosi enthroned high behind him and all of the Democratic women. At least the GOP men got their exercise in with all of their standing, cheering and sitting.
5
Immigration Crime Statistics just flowing out of his mouth--from where?-who? how?-does he compile--he doesn't even read
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@That's what she said It's from Stephen Miller, the number one fascist in this administration.
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I know a great way to end those "ridiculous partisan investigations," Mr. Trump. You and your cronies in the most corrupt administration in American history should stop breaking so many laws and violating ethical standards right and left.
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@jim emerson, or, Mr Trump, volunteer all your tax records and then come to Congress and to Mueller and voluntarily testify under oath until all questions are answered. That should end investigations quickly.
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the only african americans trump singles out during the state of the union are convicted felons. then he jumps to violent, bloodthirsty caravan stalking the southern border. now white crime victims who's family members were murdered by brown people. this is unbelievable. he and his team cannot think of black and brown people unless it's in terms of crime (or welfare.)
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President Trump will call on Congress to produce an infrastructure package and support efforts to lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs. And he will discuss military efforts around the world, stressing his interest in ending U.S. engagement in foreign wars. Go Trump!
You must be listening to his past 2 SOU speeces.
6
It seems inevitable that a stream of lies and falsehoods will flow out of the mouth of Donald Trump. At the one time of the year where he is hoped to bring Congress together, he shows a willingness to drive them apart with continued hostile rhetoric. The address is continuing, and rarely have I seen Nancy Pelosi applaud President Trump while Vice President Pence stands up to do just that.
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Why do Republicans oppose making Election Day a national holiday?
Are they afraid of making it easy for everyone to vote?
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50 years ago it was a holiday in NY, and the school gyms were used as polling places
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I remember that well. My dad had the day off from his civil service job, and I would accompany him and my mom to the local elementary school cafeteria. Make Election Day a national holiday!
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@M
A: They hate democracy.
There are not enough wealthy people to make a true democracy work for them.
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Lumping War and Investigation together! Conflating wouldn't you say? Took 10 minutes to get to Mueller--
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@That's what she said I think I must have dozed off. No, really! I must have missed him bashing Hillary.
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You can say more people are working in US today than ever before---because, more people exist now than ever before-------Uh Duh! Thank you Mr. President
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The population has increased 8.7 million in the last two years. While part of that population are old enough to work, there was also an increase in those eligible to work.
For such a supposed smart guy, he'd know that raw numbers are useless it's all about ratios.
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I'm commenting 17 minutes into the State of the Union Address.
Mr. Trump's speech is a giant non sequitur.
It's like the old saying: A camel is a horse designed by a committee. There is no flow, no consistency, and no coherent message.
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Even more disconcerting, and somewhat annoying, is the repeated cheering and loud applause of the Republicans in response to what is thus far essentially a bunch of nothingness.
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@Laura
40 minutes in: Mr. Trump has descended into spouting baseless conspiracy theories (mostly about immigration, so far).
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Yes, very much like the Soviet Duma applauding the Politburo. But it was nice that the Dems pretty much behaved themselves. No one with a “You lie!” I’m certain that Pelosi read them the riot act regarding their deportment. And a good thing if she did.
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Maggie Haberman said Trump's tie is distracting but Buzz Aldrin won Distracting Tie Contest Hands Down!
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