Trump declares America is great again

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump’s debut State of the Union Tuesday night was a tale of two outlooks on America.

Basking in the wave of positive headlines from the GOP tax overhaul, a record number of judicial appointments, and rollbacks on business regulations and international terror groups, Republicans applauded their way through the third longest joint-address ever (only President Bill Clinton delivered longer speeches). Meanwhile, the Democratic caucus sat subdued, donning outfits and pins to protest the president’s policies and agendas.

Trump’s speech relied heavily on 2017 achievements with glimmers of hope for major bipartisan lifts on immigration, infrastructure, and healthcare in the year to come. But one White House message was clear Tuesday: Trump’s campaign rhetoric of a crumbling, failing American landscape is over and America is on its way to prosperity again.

“This is our new American moment,” Trump declared. “There has never been a better time to start living the American Dream.”

The president spent the first third of his address reflecting on the past. He touted rising stock market numbers and increased business investment stemming from his administration’s effort to cut back regulations and slash corporate taxes.

“Since the election, we have created 2.4 million new jobs, including 200,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone,” he said. “After years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages.” (Democrats were quick to point out Tuesday Trump is not responsible for every positive economic swing in an economy that began an upward rise under the Obama administration.)

Trump tapped into American patriotism by praising the military, law enforcement, first responders, and survivors of national tragedies.

He ignited roaring applause for honoring stories of American bravery. Stories of people like Coast Guard Petty Officer Ashlee Leppert, a first responder in Houston during Hurricane Harvey last summer. And David Dahlberg, a California firefighter who helped rescue almost 60 children trapped at a California summer camp besieged by wildfires. Both Leppert and Dahlberg attended the address in the House chamber as guests of the Trump family.

As did Fred and Cindy Warmbier, whose 22-year-old son Otto died last year after North Korean authorities detained him for 17 months.

Both sides of the aisle anticipated that Trump would make commitments to specific policy areas. The president offered a few.

Trump urged Congress to work together on a bipartisan infrastructure bill that would generate at least $1.5 trillion worth of new building projects. Trump also said one of his top priorities this year is to lower costly prescription drug prices—a commitment aligned with the Democratic agenda.

Just two weeks ago, the government shut down over a failure to coalesce around immigration policy that would invest in new border security measures and find a permanent solution for the nearly 700,000 beneficiaries of the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The White House outlined a proposed plan last week that underwhelmed both sides of the aisle.

Trump reiterated his immigration vision again Tuesday, calling for a 12-year path to citizenship for 1.8 million illegal immigrants, which includes DACA recipients and some of their family members, ending the visa lottery program, closing loopholes that foster chain migration, and funding a wall at the U.S. southern border.

At least two dozen lawmakers invited illegal immigrants as their State of the Union guests Tuesday. Another 14 Democrats decided to skip the event to protest the president.

The Congressional Black Caucus donned kente scarves, pins, and neckties in a silent rebuke of Trump’s reported obscene comments about some African nations during a closed-door immigration meeting in early January.

Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., delivered the formal Democratic response. The 37-year-old rising Democratic star with instant name recognition rebuked Trump’s portrait of America without mentioning the president’s name once.

“This administration isn’t just targeting the laws that protect us—they are targeting the very idea that we are all worthy of protection,” Kennedy said. “For them, dignity isn’t something you’re born with but something you measure.”

Kennedy spoke from Massachusetts. In a move that highlighted the cultural divide between the parties, he invited Patricia King, a transgender soldier, to take his place in the chamber—a direct rebuke of Trump’s decision to ban transgender service members last summer. Kennedy criticized Trump for being more talk than action: “Politicians can be cheered for the promises they make. Our country will be judged by the promises we keep.”

Trump last spoke to a joint session of Congress 11 months ago. In that well-received speech, he touted his plans to pass historic tax reform, dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and invest in American infrastructure. As of Tuesday, Republicans had made good on one of those promises.

The Trump administration now faces a mid-term election year with an increasingly partisan Congress that’s shown difficulty reaching compromises. Trump has yet to secure passage of a major bipartisan piece of legislation, and in order to pass something to protect DACA recipients or invest in infrastructure, he will need at least some Democratic support.

And on immigration at least, Trump hopes to be the first president in more than 30 years to pass meaningful reforms: “So let us come together, set politics aside, and finally get the job done.”