State of the Union: 5 points to remember from Donald Trump's speech

Prior to the speech, the administration officials came up with the idea that Trump would extend an olive branch to the Democrats and urged the two warring parties to unite for the good of the country.

And he started on this note. "There is a new opportunity in American politics, if only we had the courage to seize it," said the president in the previous speech. "Victory does not win for our party, victory wins for our country."

Which is a great feeling!

The problem, of course, is that Trump is a deeply flawed messenger on the whole issue of "unity". A speech like this – "We must reject the policies of revenge, resistance and retribution – and embrace the unlimited potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good" – could work if it were pronounced by someone. One who, well, is not Trump.

He literally turned the "policy of revenge, resistance and revenge" into a form of art during the 2016 campaign. Turn around and ask the badembled congress to put aside rhetoric and vicious insults.

And even as he called for unity, Trump repeatedly reiterated that the Democrats were obstructionists determined to open borders and reluctant to condemn the voices of their party who were making extreme comments about the issue. 39; abortion.

2. Peace ≠ "partisan investigations"

The phrase most likely to be quoted – especially by Trump's critics – of the speech was this: "If there is to be peace and legislation, there can be no war and This just does not work that way. "

The logic here, though tense, is this: if you want economic prosperity, you can not investigate the president. One does not work with the other.

This is quite normal, given that the Trump administration is conducting an investigation led by the special advocate Robert Mueller, that his company is doing an investigation by the Southern District of New York and House Democrats are preparing a series of investigations into, among others, Trump's firm, his taxes and the dismissal of FBI director James Comey.

This is also a line that evokes a less than ideal comparison for Trump. "I think the time has come to close this investigation and further investigations into this case," said then-president Richard Nixon in his 1974 speech on the state of the art. # 39; Union. "One year of Watergate is enough."

So here is.

3. The rule of women

It was difficult to miss the large number of women Democrats sitting in the House and dressed in white in honor of the suffragette movement. (A record number of women were elected to Congress in the 2018 elections.)

And this group of women provided the most surprising moment – even for Trump – of the night. In praising his economic successes, Trump delivered these lines:

"All Americans can be proud to have more women than ever before in the workforce.A century exactly after Congress pbaded the Constitutional Amendment giving women the right to vote, we we have more women than ever before. "

It was repeatedly interrupted by cheers when women – almost exclusively Democrats – slapped five people and kissed to celebrate their capital achievement. "You were not supposed to do that," Trump joked.

The celebration of the record number of women in Congress is turned into "USA! USA!" applaud that – breath cut – the whole room soon took place. Trump clearly loved every second – despite the fact that many women elected in 2018 were not only driven to run, but also pushed to victory by their opposition to him and his politics. "It's great, really great," he said. "And congratulations, that's great."

he was a good time – for all parties. And a rare case, both in this speech and in our broader policy.

4. The case of a national emergency at the border was presented

Trump did not specify that he would declare a national emergency situation on the southern border if Congress could not reach a compromise by February 15th.

But he laid the groundwork for why his hand would be forced if and when the time came. "The illegal state of our southern border poses a threat to the safety, security and financial well-being of all Americans," said Trump at one point. At another point, he described the "very dangerous southern border". Yet another, he painted a picture of Mexican cities loading undocumented immigrants into trucks and buses to bring them closer to the unsecured parts of the US border.

To the extent that there was a unifying theme in this speech – and one really needs to dig another one – it's Trump who demonstrated that the country was under serious threat of illegal immigration and that if Congress would not take action, it will do it.

"In the past, most people in this room voted for a wall – but the proper wall was never built," Trump said. "I'm going to have it built."

5. The story of the reaction shot

Part of the SOTU is made up of the reactions of the opposition party. And with Trump at the White House and the booming 2020 Democratic race, the season was propitious for reactionary reactions from Democrats deeply upset by Trump's statements.

For the Democrats, these reactions will trigger waves of joy. For Republicans, they will be perceived as a reflection of a party that refuses to give the president the benefit of the doubt. For the rest of us, this reminds us: a) a speech does not change people's point of view and b) SOTU is a great TV show.