Recap: President Trump’s State of the Union
January speech receives 76 percent approval rating
February 13, 2019
In a surprisingly bipartisan speech last Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump called for an end to “revenge, resistance and retribution” in American politics. Speaking from Washington D.C., Trump spoke of many issues during one of the longest State of the Union addresses in history.
The president spoke of boosting infrastructure, battling childhood cancer, lowering drug costs, and ending the late-term abortion of children. Trump also spoke of foreign policy, announcing details of another meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in Vietnam during February 27, 28. He also spoke against political turmoil in Venezuela and called for an end to several wars that America is participating in. Despite his clear call for bipartisanship, Trump refused to yield on his ideas for immigration policies that he has held since his Presidential campaign began.
He called once again for a border wall, and reiterated his views that illegal immigration is a pressing threat to American safety. Democrats have continued to refuse to fund Trump’s demands of a border wall, and many Republicans are beginning to turn against Trump on this issue as well.
The last government shutdown ended on January 25, 2019, with a deadline of February 15, 2019, this Friday, to fund the government and avoid another shutdown. Trump also denounced investigations against him, such as the investigation into possible Russian Collusion. He stated during the speech that, “If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation.” Many Democratic congresswomen in the audience participated in a clear display of opposition to the President by wearing all white during the speech.
Democratic leader and current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was praised in the past few weeks for her no-nonsense negotiating with the President during the shutdown. Those invited to the State of the Union as guests included Buzz Aldrin, the second Astronaut to walk on the moon, a holocaust survivor, and a 6th grade boy named Joshua Trump who has been bullied over his last name.