By Devin Dubon
On the eve of the Senate vote that will likely acquit the President, Donald Trump delivered his third state of the union address on the night of February 4th, 2020. In a speech complete with reality show flourishes and economic accomplishments, President Trump laid out his reelection strategy, as he tried to directly appeal to his ardent base of supporters.
One of the main points of the speech was the touting of the nation’s economic growth in the past year. From the lowest unemployment rates in 50 years to the growth of millions of jobs, Trump claimed that the economy was the best it has ever been. Although the figures he cites are correct, he often exaggerates and misattributes the strength of the numbers. The growth of the economy has been fairly steady since Obama’s presidency, and job creation has even slumped this year compared to last year.
He also touched on topics such as healthcare, where he reiterated his commitment to protecting pre-existing conditions–although Republicans have blocked several pieces of legislation that would have strengthened Medicare’s protection of pre-existing conditions.
Guests such as the family members of a soldier who fell in the line of duty in Syria, and a young boy who is working to become a member of the newly created Space Force, and even Venezuelan interim president Juan Guaido, were brought out to strengthen President Trump’s talking points and provide a human element to the legislation that he is calling for.
Trump even added elements of drama to his speech, reuniting a mother and her child with her husband who returned from deployment, awarding a scholarship to a young girl placed on a waiting list in Pennsylvania, and presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who recently announced his diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer.
While his speech was well-received by the Republican members, Democrats made it clear that they were angered by the President’s words. Many Democratic congresswomen shouted at the president as he talked about lowering prescription drug prices. They seemed to be shouting “HR 3,” a bill that would lower prescription drug prices. The bill was passed by House Democrats last year, but it has yet to be voted on in the Senate, largely due to the efforts of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican.
At the end, Nancy Pelosi even ripped up the copy of the speech that President Trump gave to her at the beginning of the address, a move that her staff says was not planned.
Trump’s speech, though divisive, seemed to appeal to exactly what his base wants to hear: a booming economy, better healthcare, infrastructure, fighting socialism, and much more. Being his last State of the Union before the 2020 election, Trump is seemingly trying to make a case for his reelection to the American people. Whether that case succeeded or not, however, can only be seen in November.
