Washington: Donald Trump broke a record in this State of the Union address, insofar as he spoke for over an hour and 45 minutes. But when it came to the substance, this speech was unremarkable, not unprecedented.
It was, by and large, stuff we have heard before. The country’s massive economic “turnaround”, a secure border, lower crime, no tax on tips, drill baby drill, lower petrol prices, the Dow Jones topping 50,000. Trump was on his greatest hits tour, and the Republicans in the room lapped it up.
“The state of our union is strong,” Trump said. “Our country is winning again – in fact, we’re winning so much that we really don’t know what to do about it.”
As Trump told us beforehand, it was a long speech because he believes there’s a lot of good stuff to talk about. Lower prices, abundant energy, more investment – this economic narrative is close to the president’s heart, even if the polls show it is not shared by most Americans.
There’s no reason to think this speech will change that. But Trump did announce a new policy – from next year, he will offer tens of millions of American workers a new retirement savings plan, with a matching government contribution up to $1000 a year.
This is aimed at workers who don’t have access to a 401k savings plan with employer contributions. Trump has previously praised Australia’s superannuation system, and said he was looking into doing something similar.
Where Trump excelled was when he used the public gallery, turning an otherwise workmanlike speech into an interactive, patriotic awards show. He welcomed the gold medal-winning men’s hockey team, fresh from the Winter Olympics in Italy, to rapturous cheers. And he gave out numerous gongs, including awarding the Medal of Honour – the nation’s highest military decoration – to 100-year-old naval aviator Royce Williams, a Korean War veteran.
It was an emotional moment as the chamber stood and applauded Williams, who rose humbly in the gallery. And altogether, Trump’s shout-outs showed that however people may feel about their present circumstances, there is still much to love about being American.
And in doing so, Trump achieved something rare – he made this a speech that wasn’t all about him.
Other interactions with the gallery were clearly designed to showcase a political divide. Trump pointed to Anna Zarutska, the mother of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who was stabbed to death on public transport in North Carolina last year, allegedly by a schizophrenic career criminal who benefited from soft-on-crime bail policies.
Republicans stood as Anna Zarutska wiped away tears in the gallery, while Trump admonished Democrats for staying seated. “How do you not stand?” he said. “How do you not stand?”
In another case, Trump asked the chamber to stand if they agreed that “the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens – not illegal aliens”. Again, Democrats remained in their chairs.
Trump’s advisers pushed out the footage on social media, calling it “sick” and “unforgivable”. These are the same sorts of images Trump’s team crafted in last year’s speech, painting their political opponents as anti-American and at odds with common decency.
Democrats played into it, at times. Some clapped half-heartedly, unsure whether they should. Others heckled repeatedly, especially when Trump praised law enforcement agencies for deporting illegal immigrants.
“They’re killing Americans,” yelled Michigan congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, referring to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. “You are killing Americans,” shouted Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a Somali migrant whom Trump has repeatedly and racially attacked as “garbage”.
The State of the Union is typically the most scripted and polished speech a president will give, and in this address, Trump played the typical politician. He limited his tendency for digression and restrained his impulse to lash out.
Even the Supreme Court justices sitting metres away from him were spared his anger about their decision to strike down his signature tariffs. Trump contented himself with calling the verdict “unfortunate” and “disappointing”.
The four justices who showed up for the speech sat there stony-faced – as they did for the entire hour and 48 minutes – while one Democrat interjected: “They’re right in front of you.”
Some may have found the scripted Trump more comforting, more assuring. Others might feel that when he acts like a typical politician, he loses what makes him compelling in the first place.
By the end, many Democrats had left the chamber and others were showing signs of boredom. Who knows how many Americans were still watching at home.
But by working the gallery and his supporters in the chamber – and doling out the accolades – Trump rescued what could have been a dull (and long) affair, and showed why he remains a gifted television performer.
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.
