During the State of the Union (SOTU) address on Tuesday night, every Republican stood. Not a single Democrat did.
That is exactly what Donald Trump wanted when he asked all of Congress to stand in what should have been a no-brainer question.
Instead, their hatred for Trump runs so deep that they could not even provide a single second of unity when the opportunity was there.
This was a layup for Democrats who wanted to win back some moderate voters, but all they did was show that Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is far more important than the American people.
Trump offered up the bait, telling lawmakers, “So tonight, I’m inviting every legislator to join with my administration in reaffirming a fundamental principle. If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”
The invite was there, but Trump knew that the moment he added those last two words, “illegal aliens,” it would set off the TDS, and he would get what he wanted.
What America saw was every Republican standing up in defense of the American people, and virtually every Democrat showing them that they did not matter as much as people who cross the border illegally.
Other than the fact that our suspicions of Democrat loyalties being confirmed, there were several other takeaways from the SOTU speech worthy of note.
While some type of action against Iran seems imminent at this point, the waters are still pretty murky, with Trump noting that they are still in negotiations with Iran. The administration is clearly looking for a diplomatic solution, but Trump will not be afraid to use the big stick here.
Trump was also hammering home the party's economic message, getting it out early when most people were watching the address. Of course, Democrats are pushing the opposite message, conveniently neglecting Joe Biden’s role in this challenging economy.
Of note was the absence of half the Supreme Court, including Justices Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch, all conservatives. The assumption was that members of the court did not want to be chided by Trump during his speech, but Trump, at least for the most part, left recent rulings out of the firing lane.
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger was the choice to respond to Trump’s address, which shows us some cards Dems might play in the future.
Spanberger claimed that Trump’s speech was filled with lies. She claimed he was not making America more affordable, a country that became unaffordable under Joe Biden.
She also claimed Trump was not making America safer for Americans, “both at home and abroad.” The new message I am hearing from Democrats is that they are pivoting to them working for the people, while Trump is working for the elite. But again, their behavior when Trump asked that one simple question tells more than Spanberger’s speech.
The choice here tells me that Dems are likely trying to move away from Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom. They could have picked Governor Tim Walz, Newsom, or even Governor Josh Shapiro, but they instead chose a newly elected governor taking over from a Republican. To me, they are setting up Spanberger to be the next big thing, but it will now be up to her to advance that narrative.
