It was the longest presidential deal with to Congress — I had this fact-checked — since no less than the invention of time.
And it was essentially the most contentious presidential deal with — either side contributing right here, by the best way, however with Donald Trump smirkingly main the best way — since Abe Lincoln was on the town, reflecting the measure of the crises dealing with our nation in simply the primary six weeks of the Trump Restoration.
And — once more that is fact-checked — it was the primary presidential deal with by anybody that included the lie that Aurora (and Springfield, Ohio) had “buckled below the burden of the migrant occupation and corruption like no one has ever seen.” The reality, after all, is that there’s no migrant occupation in Aurora, though you wouldn’t essentially know that in the event you watched the occasional Aurora Metropolis Council member in motion.
Trump bragged — after all he bragged — about his record-setting tempo of govt orders, however spent no time on the various lawsuits filed towards the orders. Within the newest ruling on Wednesday morning, a 5-4 Supreme Courtroom majority denied Trump’s request to proceed freezing, by govt order, $2 billion in international assist. The query right here is whether or not Trump will defy the courts.
He praised Elon Musk and his Washington DOGE group for the prolonged rampage by way of authorities businesses, saying “the times of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over.” This acquired amusing from some Democrats who may need famous that Musk is the last word instance of rule by an unelected plutocrat, who fires Black males and any type of lady by claiming that, since they’re Black and/or ladies, they have to be DEI hires. Cheers from the group for racism.
He buddied as much as Vladimir Putin, after all, whereas slapping tariffs on each mates and enemies — the listing altering day by day, it appears — regardless of the associated fee. As a result of Trump’s endgame — or considered one of them — is burning down democracy in favor of autocracy. Cheers from the group once more.
It’s onerous to search out one defining second within the night time. However Frank Bruni of the New York Instances got here up with this: “Every little thing in Trump’s world is excessive, absolute, unnuanced, superlative. Worst ever. Greatest ever. ‘Like nothing that has ever been seen earlier than.’ Time and again. It’s juvenile. It’s narcissistic. It’s exhausting — like his speech, which made Sunday night time’s Oscars appear succinct.”
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But when the speech was lengthy, no less than Trump spent his time doing what he does greatest — glorifying himself (calling his first six weeks “essentially the most profitable within the historical past of the nation. And what makes it much more spectacular is, have you learnt who No. 2 is? George Washington. How about that?”).
And naturally taunting his enemies (Joe Biden the “worst president in historical past,” Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas”), persevering with to make America imperialist once more (claiming he was within the technique of “reclaiming” the Panama Canal — whereas mendacity in regards to the variety of American lives misplaced in its development — and vowing to “get” Greenland “somehow”). He additionally taunted Canada President Justin Trudeau, calling him “Governor Trudeau”).
In the meantime he praised the damaging RFK Jr. (who’s addressing measles outbreaks with Vitamin A and cod liver oil and failing to say — regardless that the HHS is supplying them — the necessity for vaccines) for his debunked lies about autism. Additionally uber-praised the much more harmful Musk (the listing of Musk’s offenses towards the federal authorities and its employees is so lengthy, now we have to make use of blitzkrieg for shorthand).
And on and on and on.
He attacked USAID with a collection of simply fact-checkable errors, or, I don’t know, lies. He acquired his details flawed on a Sesame Avenue-like present within the Center East. On a supposed DEI grant to Burma. He mentioned nobody had ever heard of Lesotho, which, to be honest, he by no means as soon as referred to as a “shithole nation” as a result of, I assume, he by no means heard of it. However he did namecheck Uganda and Moldova.
He lied in regards to the variety of lifeless folks on the IRS rolls amassing Social Safety. It was sufficient to make folks begin to fear once more about what plans Trump has in thoughts for Social Safety and Medicare. We all know he plans to strip billions from Medicaid, so he can renew his tax cuts for the rich. Are the outdated folks — you realize, like me — protected?
He requires the demise penalty for anybody who murders a police officer. He doesn’t point out — or most likely even discover — the irony that he had pardoned all these January 6 rioters who violently assaulted cops.
And on and on and on.
Within the New Yorker, Susan Glasser referred to as it Trump’s “golden age of bunk.” Which, although correct, is the great approach to put it, and being good was undoubtedly not a theme of Trump’s speech. Which is how he got here to say that Democrats within the corridor would by no means cheer for him, even when he invented a remedy for most cancers — however that’s possibly as a result of he referred to as them “radical left lunatics” or, extra possible, as a result of there’s so little to cheer about, though his Republican enablers didn’t appear to note.
As Democrats tried alternative ways to protest, they by no means fairly acquired it proper. A defiant Rep. Al Inexperienced, D-Texas, was ordered by Speaker Mike Johnson to depart the room for defiantly unhealthy habits, which appeared unusual for the reason that egregious Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene, in all their years of State of the Union heckling, have by no means been tossed.
A few of the indicators Democrats held up have been humorous, however that was about it. Why not a gaggle walkout when Inexperienced was tossed or possibly instantly after considered one of Trump’s extra disgusting lies? Why not do one thing — something — that individuals could be speaking in regards to the subsequent day?
All I do know is that we’re nonetheless ready for Dems to fulfill the second and for the nascent budding grassroots to sprout right into a motion.
Trump did have his moments. Simply days after making an attempt to humiliate Volodymyr Zelenskyy within the Oval Workplace, Trump had some kinder phrases for the Ukrainian chief, whose war-torn nation Trump threatens to desert in favor of Russia. That left Zelenskyy with no alternative however to say type phrases about Trump, which is the one approach to get him to say type phrases about you.
When Trump talked about tariffs — which he calls the “most lovely phrase” within the English language, which now, by govt order, is the official language of the US, simply because the Gulf of Mexico is now, in Trump’s thoughts no less than, the Gulf of America — he form of conceded that there could be ache concerned for precise folks.
“Tariffs are about making America wealthy once more and making America nice once more and it’s occurring and it is going to be occurring fairly rapidly,” Trump mentioned. “There can be just a little disturbance, however we’re OK with that. It gained’t be a lot.”
Are we actually OK with that? Studies say that Coloradans alone would take the hit for $1.4 billion. That’s a lot.
For farmers, a lot of them nervous muchly about tariffs, Trump suggested they need to have “enjoyable,” which is the precise phrase I typically come to after I take into consideration farming.
And Trump is already backing down — saying a monthlong pause on tariffs for vehicles coming from Canada and Mexico due to protests from, simply counting right here, Canada, Mexico and a bunch of American automakers, who don’t appear to be having enjoyable.
Trump additionally did his I-have-a-heart shtick — and I feel it’s shtick — when he advised heartwarming tales about handpicked folks within the viewers. He did it fairly properly, too.
However except for amusing himself and his enablers within the room along with his nasty, just-short-of-forever speech that can be little famous nor lengthy remembered, that was about all he did properly.
Apart from possibly this: The speech provided a warning — and one which have to be heeded — that he’s simply getting began on his wrecking-American-democracy marketing campaign. And in the event you suppose you understand how unhealthy it should get, you’re kidding your self.
Think about this: Are you aware anybody who, six weeks in the past, thought the beginning of Trump’s second time period may presumably have gone this unhealthy, this quick?
Mike Littwin has been a columnist for too a few years to depend. He has lined Dr. J, 4 presidential inaugurations, six nationwide conventions and numerous brain-numbing speeches within the New Hampshire and Iowa snow. Join Mike’s publication.
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