Trump slays Democrats in speech: 'All we really needed was a new president' | Opinion
President Donald Trump was in control and confident in contrast with Democrats in the chamber, who came off as unhinged and pathetic.
In a social media post ahead of his joint address to Congress, President Donald Trump proclaimed in his characteristic all-caps, “I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!”
And for the most part, he did Tuesday night.
Trump delivered one of the best speeches I’ve heard him give. He stayed on message and was in control and confident the whole time. That served as a direct contrast with Democrats in the chamber, who came off as unhinged and pathetic.
One member, Rep. Al Green of Texas, was removed early on for continually interrupting the president’s speech while waving his cane. Other Democrats waved little black paddles with various anti-Trump messages. It just made them look silly.
Trump’s speech – not a typical State of the Union, since he started a second nonconsecutive term only in January – focused on the “unlimited promise of the American dream.”
“We’re just getting started,” Trump said, touting his “swift and unrelenting action.”
Indeed, Trump has not wasted time moving on his agenda this time around, and he laid out what he sees as his top accomplishments. The president so far has taken action largely through executive orders, and Trump now needs to get Congress on board with bigger priorities, from extending tax cuts to passing additional border security funding.
As Trump has acknowledged, voters chose him in November because they believed he was the best choice to address their top concerns: securing the border and lowering prices.
When it comes to the border, Trump’s immediate steps to reduce illegal entry into the U.S. are already paying off big time. One of Trump's standout lines during his speech was when he said, "It turned out that all we really needed was a new president" in response to how former President Joe Biden and Democrats complained they needed legislation to tackle soaring illegal immigration.
Last month, the Border Patrol recorded 8,450 migrants who crossed the southern border illegally – the lowest level in at least 25 years. For perspective, most months during the Biden administration had well over 100,000 border encounters.
During his speech, Trump paid tribute to the mother and sister (who were in attendance) of Laken Riley, the young woman who was murdered by an illegal immigrant and who inspired a recent law to help keep criminal migrants off the streets.
It was a heartbreaking and heartfelt moment.
Biden bungled the economy; Trump makes a gamble on tariffs
With the economy, Trump is on slightly shakier ground. On the campaign trail last year, he promised lower prices on “Day 1,” which was a promise he should never have made.
The mess Biden made of the economy and the soaring inflation that ensued cannot be solved overnight. Many of Trump’s ideas for fixing it, from lowering taxes to reducing regulations on businesses, are exactly what he should do.
The new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, which took effect right before his speech, are harder to defend. The American people are increasingly concerned about the consequences that these taxes on imported goods will have – and for good reason.
To Trump’s credit, however, he did campaign openly on using tariffs to keep more jobs in the U.S. and level the playing field when it comes to trade, so voters knew what they were supporting. Trump also uses tariffs as a negotiating tool, so it’s possible some of the new ones won’t last long.
Regardless, with high prices already top of mind for many Americans, this seems like a bad time to gamble with the rollout of tariffs.
Democrats still embrace identity politics and losing cultural issues
In addition to the economy and the border, voters in November stood against some of the Democrats’ most extreme views. Top among those is the belief that biological males belong in women’s sports and that gender identity should trump biological sex.
It’s a deeply unpopular issue, and Trump was smart to campaign on it. He’s followed through with executive orders protecting women and girls.
On Monday, though, Senate Democrats – all 45 of them who showed up – voted against advancing a bill that would offer the same protections in women’s sports.
In contrast, Trump invited Payton McNabb as a guest to his speech. She is a former high school volleyball player who suffered a severe injury playing against a transgender athlete.
Meanwhile, Democrats in attendance proved their continued fealty to identity politics. Many in the Democratic Women’s Caucus showed up wearing pink, in “protest” of Trump.
While I can't say much for how Democrats behaved during Trump's speech, Democratic congressional leaders were smart to choose newly elected Sen. Elissa Slotkin from Michigan to give the rebuttal to Trump.
Slotkin narrowly defeated Republican candidate former Rep. Mike Rogers by outperforming Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris. She has an ability to appeal to a broad base of voters and comes across as a moderate, and that's what she did following Trump's speech.
“I personally think that identity politics needs to go the way of the dodo,” Slotkin told NBC News after her victory last year. “People need to be looked at as independent Americans.”
I’m not sure how independent Slotkin actually is in practice, but it’s still a refreshing message and one that her fellow Democrats should take to heart, especially given their petty performance Tuesday night.
Trump, meanwhile, looked like a leader the entirety of his nearly two-hour speech.
“We will never let anything happen to our beloved country,” he said. “Get ready for an incredible future.”
I’m with him 100% on that.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at Paste BN. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques