Trump is winning over America while Democrats won't even stand for cancer survivor | Opinion
Democrats who can't find any room to work with the president – or even acknowledge a sweet little boy who's fought cancer – will see their approval numbers and their relevance continue to slide.
I’m not one to cry easily. Yet, I found myself wiping away a few tears Tuesday night during President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress.
There were several touching moments, but it’s hard to beat Trump's recognition of 13-year-old brain cancer survivor Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel. DJ has dreams of becoming a police officer, and the president made him an honorary member of the Secret Service as millions of Americans and his proud father watched.
The genuine surprise and joy on DJ’s face when he heard Trump’s words and received a badge was priceless. The recognition and honor from America's commander in chief likely will be one of life's highlights for both father and son.
The crowd in attendance stood and cheered DJ’s moment.
Many Democrats remained seated and stone-faced, as they did throughout Trump’s recognition of everyday Americans, in a sad showing of just how partisan and out of touch the party is following their big election losses.
No wonder only 21% of voters approve of the job Democrats in Congress are doing, according to a Quinnipiac poll from February, which is a record low. In contrast, 40% of voters think Republicans are doing their job well – a record high.
Other polls have shown similar warning signs for the Democratic Party.
Trump is delivering on what his supporters want him to do
In contrast, polls conducted after Trump’s big speech Tuesday highlight that the president is indeed following through on what voters reelected him to do.
Americans who tuned in for the speech liked what they heard. According to a CBS News/YouGov survey, 76% of watchers approved of Trump’s message, and 63% thought Trump spent "a lot" of time on the issues they care about.
While 51% of viewers identified as Republicans, compared with 20% Democrats and 27% independents, Trump still received an impressive cross-section of support. Nearly 70% said the speech made them feel hopeful, and others described it as “presidential,” “inspiring,” “unifying” and “entertaining.”
The poll also found large support for Trump’s plans on immigration, curtailing government waste, peace between Russia and Ukraine and even tariffs.
Similarly, a CNN poll found that 70% of speech viewers had “at least a somewhat positive” reaction, and that most said Trump’s policies would take the country in the right direction.
Trump makes me glad that Biden is no longer president
It’s been only six weeks since Trump took office. But the difference between him and his predecessor is night and day.
Watching Trump on Tuesday, I couldn’t stop thinking of how relieved I am to have former President Joe Biden off the stage.
In Biden’s last State of the Union address, he got surprisingly good marks in the polls, too. That’s in part because the party faithful are more inclined to watch their president give this speech.
Yet, the bar for a passing grade was extremely low for Biden. In the final years of his presidency, Biden struggled even to read remarks on a teleprompter, fighting incoherence and confusion.
Trump, on the other hand, thrives in the spotlight and delivered a message that resonated with a large majority of those who tuned in.
Democrats who can’t find any room to work with the president – or even acknowledge a sweet little boy who’s fought cancer – will see their approval numbers and their relevance continue to slide.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at Paste BN. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques