Great speech, but America remains divided

There is a topic that has been hotly debated across America: Which version of President Trump will appear in his first speech before both houses of Congress - hysterical, out of control or composed, polite?

President Donald Trump speaks before the US Congress on the evening of February 28 - Photo: Reuters

President Donald Trump gave the best speech of his career. CNN – which has never had a good word to say about Trump – gave it a positive review. Fox News even headlined it as “A New Chapter of Greatness.”

Whether this masterful performance will save Trump’s approval rating (currently hovering around 40%) remains an open question. But it’s a good start: a CNN poll of viewers who are overwhelmingly anti-Trump found that 78% rated the speech positively; 69% felt that Trump’s policies would move the country in the right direction.

Mr. Trump clearly listed the achievements of his first 40 days in the White House and the agenda he plans to pursue in the future. Unlike his campaign speeches, which are full of incorrect facts, contradictions, ambiguities and attacks, this speech was very standard.

In terms of style

Mr Trump’s speech was more presidential than anything he has done in the past. The New York Times headline reluctantly read: “Trump Softly Outlines Goals”—a costly compliment by the standards of the paper.

The Washington Post’s front page ran: “Trump’s surprising presidential speech.” The mainstream media was clearly taken by surprise.

But Mr. Trump was neither reserved nor polite when it came to those he believed threatened America’s security and values. He opened his speech by recognizing the contributions of black Americans during Black History Month. He then attacked extremists who hate blacks and Jews…

Trump praised the nation’s police force, calling on Americans to cooperate with them instead of mistreating them. This was a direct criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has called for violence against police and those leading anti-Trump marches across the US. He signaled that he would “not be intimidated”.

President Barack Obama previously advocated “reserve” in calling terrorists, radical Islamic terrorists… out of fear that this language would offend moderate Muslims. Mr. Trump has not: he has said outright that he will not give in to threats. White House staff, however, commented that Mr. Trump may “soften” this view in the future.

Mr. Trump repeated two slogans: “Make America Great Again” and “America First.” He declared that he was not responsible for the world, and that he was elected only to serve the American people.

He clearly wants to send a message to the world that he is serious about this. For example, he takes credit for getting European countries to pay their full contributions to the NATO military alliance.

Mr. Trump called on Democrats to work with the administration to solve the country’s problems. But he also pointed the finger at them, demanding that they “stop fighting over petty issues.” Mr. Trump wants cooperation, but this may not be a good tactic. Democrats look stunned.

The Democratic women who came to listen to the speech all wore white uniforms. They did so to put pressure on Mr. Trump's anti-women policies, typically the family planning policy, abortion...

White because women wore it to fight for voting rights in the 1900s. Maybe someone should tell them that women were also against abortion back then (like Mr. Trump).

Major policies

Most US presidents invite guests to represent an issue they want to highlight in their speeches. Mr Trump invited several, but the recognition from the widow of William Owen, who was recently killed in Yemen during a raid, was the highlight of the evening.

The entire Congress stood and applauded for perhaps five minutes, a record. Van Jones, one of Trump’s fiercest critics on CNN, commented: “That was the moment Trump became President.”

Ms. Carryn Owens, a female guest, excitedly applauded the speech, next to Ms. Ivanka Trump (right), daughter of President Trump - Photo: Reuters

Although a Republican, Mr. Trump is no conservative. His speech continued to reiterate his distaste for trade. He emphasized his commitment to bringing jobs back to the United States and supporting businesses — actions that most conservatives consider “pro-capitalist.”

And perhaps the big new piece of good news in the speech—in which Mr. Trump said he was open to compromise on immigration—suggested that he was leaning toward a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, was less enthusiastic in an interview after the speech.

Mr Trump’s priorities are clear. He wants to increase defence spending by 10% (or $54 billion); encourage private schools and school choice, especially for poor minority children; and create a points-based immigration system similar to Australia’s to help immigrants support themselves. Finally, Mr Trump has made it clear that he would support healthcare reform that many Republicans share.

How is foreign affairs?

Mr Trump did not say much about foreign policy, despite his busy schedule. He did not mention Iraq or Afghanistan, but he did express support for Israel. Likewise, relations with Russia, a subject for which Mr Trump has been heavily criticised, China or North Korea were not mentioned.

The “strange” part of the speech was that Mr. Trump did not say where he would get the money to pay for his agenda. But that is not too unusual.

I don’t recall any president explaining this. Based on recent discussions, Mr. Trump expects rapid economic growth and cuts to other programs (like environmental protection) to solve the money problem. The two biggest budget-sucking areas, Social Security and Medicare, are left untouched.

In short, Trump’s speech was a good start to his presidency. I just wish he would abandon the Twitter policy announcements and go more formal.

Mr. Trump could argue that without Twitter and his “fierce” style, he would not have been elected. Who knows?

According to TTO