State of the Union

On February 5th, President Donald Trump gave his State of the Union address to both sides of Congress as he rounded out his second year in power. This annual speech is an opportunity for the President to highlight some of the positive policies and events of the past year, while also setting an agenda for the next. This year’s address came with controversy, as the original date of January 29th was postponed after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi suggested President Trump move the SOTU or submit it in writing due to government shutdown. 

The divide in the new Congress made the message of unity and bipartisanship a key point in this year’s speech, as Trump opened by stating “We meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential. As we begin a new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans. Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one Nation.” 

With the government having just completed a 35-day partial government shutdown and with another looming with the new budget due on February 15th, while there were mentions of other aspects of his administration, border security to pass the budget once again was the forefront of his message. His call for unity was met with acts of opposition, as the chairwoman of the Democratic Women’s Working Group had encouraged all of the women in her party to wear suffragette white in protest. While many stood to applaud accomplishments, these women chose to remain seated and unmoved by many of the things highlighted in President’s speech. Overall according to polls, Trumps SOTU was successful as his ratings increased by 3% after its delivery.

This is a link by CCN about several take-aways from the SOTU, which I find interesting.