Attack, attack, attack

I can recall a textbook narrative from law school lauding a retired professor who returned to successfully teach a 50-minute class to the next generation of students. Donald Trump is almost certainly older than that gentleman and spoke for nearly two hours last night. Famously improvisational, he looked as though he relished every moment and was only limited by the endurance of others. He struck a marked contrast to his predecessor, President Biden, who seemed exhausted by the demands of office at the time of his anticlimactic exit. At the conclusion of the 2026 State of the Union, it seems impossible that Donald Trump will fade. Indeed, he couldn’t resist once again teasing about a third term he said he should currently be having.

There was no lack of energy or willingness to fight. While President Trump has often been combative rather than conciliatory in his State of the Union addresses, this speech may have set a new mark for confrontation. The combination of 70-plus missing Democrats and the almost total refusal to stand on the part of those who attended seemed to raise his ire. He repeatedly criticized them for not standing and pressed the issue forcefully by asking everyone to stand who agrees that it is the first duty of the American government to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. Perhaps predictably, the Democrats in the room refused to rise. That moment is likely to get some serious play. Trump questioned their sanity and suggested that only he could save the country from such misguided souls.

In the past, it has been common for presidents to seek to offer olive branches to the other party. At the 2026 State of the Union address, neither side was reaching out. Just as Trump attacked, through their intense cold shoulder Democrats continued to press their case that he is alien to our democratic traditions and should be shunned. It is clear that he has calculated the right path for him is to fight and look strong rather than being diplomatic. The only opportunities to come together presented themselves in Trump’s tributes to various American heroes. Trump’s speech was leavened with a number of such moments where he pointed to athletes, military heroes, and other Americans with notable life experiences. But outside of those bits of relief for the gathered crowd, the dominant theme was attack, attack, attack.

What may make for good retail politics on either side is unlikely to contribute to constructive public policy as symbolism prevails over negotiation. We can see that in the current DHS budget shutdown. The shutdown actually harms all the programs other than ICE, which already has funding from the Big Beautiful Bill.

Overall, the speech represented the beginning of a march to the midterms. Donald Trump, like some other American presidents, brings his electorate with him when he is on the ballot. But that means that his voters may be somewhat less excited about showing up when he is not up for election. He understands that dynamic and with this speech was trying to stir his voters to mobilize even though he has had his last turn on the top of a ticket. If he fails, he is likely to be significantly hamstrung and may even see a return to the days of impeachment as a Democrat House launches investigation after investigation.

The case he made was highly familiar, but he used the unusual power of the State of the Union address to drive his messages home. He pointed to his extraordinary success in attacking the problem at the border that had seemed unsolvable, noted victories against crime in Memphis, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C., and promised to increase his war against inflation and the affordability crisis.

Trump also used his spotlight to create an opportunity for his vice president. It is common for American VPs to have a policy portfolio of their own. As an example, Kamala Harris was the purported point person with regard to the border. When the border was perceived as being out of control, she paid a price. President Trump declared that J.D. Vance would take charge of a war on fraud. In the wake of shocking news stories about fraud connected to the Somali community in Minnesota and billions of dollars lost, the public is attuned to the problem.

If Vance can figure out a way to actually make progress in that fight, he will be able to burnish his reputation as he looks toward 2028. But if he fails to produce results, critics will have a big opportunity to paint him as ineffective and insubstantial. Vance must prove himself an able executive or give way to those who can point to greater achievements. The stronger Vance looks, the less of a lame duck Donald Trump will seem. In any event, President Trump went into the joint session of Congress last night and did exactly what he went there to do.