While this speech, nor any speech, is likely to be remembered in an age of short attention spans, the President did two things that could matter by tying his policies to individual people and positioning the Democrats as anti-American rather than merely anti-Trump.
On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump delivered an effective if not truly excellent State of the Union address, covering practically everything and anything from the economy, past, present, and future to international affairs. While the speech certainly had its moments, especially when the President connected his policies to real people in the audience – a woman who will benefit from no taxes on tips and over time, a Venezuelan prisoner who was just released and reunited with their family in a surprise return, the victims of illegal alien violence, to name a few – it was far too long, a little disjointed in covering so many topics without any unifying focus, and at points, a tad aggressive toward the opposition for the format and the setting in my opinion at least. Though Fox News’ Brett Baier claimed this State of the Union will be remembered and studied more than most immediately afterwards, and many Trump supporters insisted it was one of his best it almost certainly will not and probably was not respectively, partially because of the laundry list nature of these speeches in particular, partially because speeches in general no longer resonate in the fast pace of the modern era. Once upon a time, a Presidential address would be reprinted in the papers and as a pamphlet, distributed around the country and read closely by large numbers of people, but those days are no more. We are not the America that treasured George Washington’s Farewell Address any longer, far, far from it. There will be another story, some other outrage, controversy or whatever, probably before I post this, if not by tomorrow at the latest. If anything Mr. Baier’s colleague, Brit Hume was far more accurate when he claimed the most memorable moment was the President pointing toward the Democrat side of the chamber and declaring these people are crazy for refusing to stand and applaud even some rather innocuous things. For better or worse, that is the sort of soundbite that goes viral in the age of short attention spans and for which a Constitutionally mandated speech that should be studied more closely in principle will be remembered in practice. This, however, does not mean that the speech wasn’t important or didn’t serve a critical purpose for both the President and the country. As we approach the midterms in November, there are two competing themes that have the potential to be decisive in my opinion.
First, President Trump himself was far more disciplined than usual; even in a long speech, he managed to refrain from the usual adlibbing and stick to the key messages that his policies are working while highlighting those impacted in a positive way. As Mr. Baier put it in an astute observation, he transformed his usual stream of consciousness weave into a weave of policies and people with a sharp focus on the economy and why aggressive immigration enforcement matters. To do so, he set the stage from the very first moment by highlighting how different his approach has been from his predecessor, President Joe Biden. “When I spoke in this chamber 12 months ago, I had just inherited a nation in crisis, with a stagnant economy, inflation at record levels, a wide-open border, horrendous recruitment for military and police, rampant crime at home and wars and chaos all over the world. But tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before and a turnaround for the ages…Today our border is secure. Today our border is secure, our spirit is restored, inflation is plummeting, incomes are rising fast, the roaring economy is roaring like never before, our enemies are scared, our military and police are stacked, and America is respected again, perhaps like never before.” The President proceeded to back these points up with data – to be fair, data which his detractors claimed was either exaggerated or cherry picked – which included “zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States” over the past nine months, “fentanyl across our border is down by a record 56% in one year,” a “murder rate [that] saw its single largest decline in recorded history,” “core inflation down to the lowest level in more than five years, and in the last three months of 2025, it was down to 1.7%,” gasoline “now below $2.30 a gallon in most states, and in some places $1.99 a gallon,” “annual cost of a typical new mortgage is down almost $5,000 just since I took office,” a “stock market has set 53 all-time record highs since the election,” “commitments for more than $18 trillion pouring in from all over the globe,” “70,000 new construction jobs in just a very short period of time,” “oil production is up by more than 600,000 barrels a day,” “natural gas production is at an all-time high,” more “Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country…and 100% of all jobs created under my administration have been in the private sector,” cutting “a record number of job-killing regulations, and in one year we have lifted 2.4 million Americans – a record – off of food stamps.”
From there, the President highlighted key policies that he believes have driven this resurgence and the people he has helped. The Big Beautiful Bill, which featured “the largest tax cuts in American history” and “gave you no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security for our great seniors,” plus “auto loans tax deductible the first time, but only if the car is made in America. Recently in Pennsylvania, I met Megan Hemhauser, a devoted mom who homeschools her children. Beautiful two children during the day while waiting tables at night as her husband works overtime operating very heavy equipment. Megan is here this evening and she’s happy to tell you that she is so, so much richer because with no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and our expanded child tax credit done again by Republicans, Megan and her husband will take home more than $5,000 extra just for the year, cutting her tax bill in more than half. Megan, please stand up. We’re fighting for you, Megan. Thank you Megan. Thank you, Megan, we’re fighting for you Megan.” In his view, average people like Ms. Hemhauser will also benefit from the new Trump Accounts, “tax free investment accounts for every American child” funded by $1,000 from the US and additional money from private individuals and institutions. “So with modest additional contributions, these young people’s accounts could grow to over $100,000 or more by the time they turn 18.” He went on to explain how his administration is working to resolve the healthcare cost crisis by instituting Most Favored Nation Status for prescription drugs, claiming “Americans who have for decades paid by far the highest prices of any nation anywhere in the world for prescription drugs will now pay the lowest price anywhere in the world for drugs, anywhere, the lowest price.” “The result is price differences of 300, 400, 500, 600% and more, all available right now…here tonight is the very first customer ever to get that big discount, and it is big, Catherine Rayner. For five years, she and her husband have struggled with infertility and they turned to IVF. One drug has been costing Catherine $4,000 to purchase, but a few weeks ago she logged onto the TrumpRX website and got that same drug that cost $4,000, got it for under $500, a reduction of much more, actually, than $3,500. Catherine, we are all praying for you and you’re going to be a great mom.” Later, he revealed new programs to reduce electricity prices by ensuring data center providers build their own generators and a $1,000 match for people who do not currently have a 401k.
In addition to the economy, President Trump forcefully defended the aggressive immigration policies that have caused so much controversy, progressives have likened it to the Civil War. He cited individuals such as “Dalilah. Dalilah Coleman was only five years old in June 2024, when a 18-wheel tractor trailer plowed into her stopped car, traveling at 60 miles an hour or more. The driver was an illegal alien, let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open borders, politicians and California. Doctors said Dalilah would never be able to walk or talk, have a good life. She wouldn’t even be able to eat again. But against all odds, she is now in the first grade, learning to walk. And she’s here this evening with her dad, Marcus, a fantastic man. Dalilah, please. You are a great inspiration.” A day earlier, he described how he met with “angel moms and families that for decades our government betrayed and our media totally ignored. Totally. It was terrible. Hard to believe, actually. In 2023, a 16-year-old high school cheerleader named Lizbeth Medina was supposed to perform in her town’s Christmas parade, but she never arrived. Her mother, Jacqueline, went home to look for her, and she found her lying dead in a bathtub, bleeding profusely after being stabbed 25 times. Lizbeth’s killer was a previously arrested illegal alien who had broken in and brutally, just brutally extinguished the brightest light in her family’s life. Violently and viciously. Her heartbroken mother is in the gallery to remind everyone in this chamber exactly why we are deporting illegal alien criminals are – our country at record numbers, and we’re getting them the hell out of here fast. We don’t want ’em. Thank you very much, Jacqueline. Thank you…We can never forget that many in this room not only allowed the border invasion to happen before I got involved, but indeed, they would do it all over again if they ever had the chance. If they ever got elected, they would open up those borders to some of the worst criminals anywhere in the world. The only thing standing between Americans and a wide-open border right now is President Donald J. Trump and our great Republican patriots in Congress.”
Between the economy and immigration, President Trump sought to reframe two issues that have proved vexing, and he did so in a way that makes it real to the average person, blending the need for his policies, a contrast with his opposition, and old-fashioned stagecraft pioneered by another Republican President, Ronald Reagan. While it might not have been soaring oratory or rhetoric for the ages, it was disciplined, targeted, and effective, clearly designed to tackle challenges with the public’s perception of his and hence the Republican Party’s performance before the midterm elections. If the President and his colleagues can continue to remain on message and leverage these sorts of stories between now and November, they might well succeed in alleviating public frustration with the economy and changing the overall dynamic of the conversation, but you do not have to take my word for it. After the speech, even CNN claimed, “Trump’s message, at least on paper, is largely correct. Jobs, wage growth, consumer spending and inflation under Trump look pretty decent or have been mostly stable. The stock market is near a record high.” After describing challenges that remain such as lingering high prices, they concluded, “The president’s State of the Union address comes amid a kind of economic roadshow to hammer home a message that his staff want him to communicate: that the economy is strong thanks to his administration’s actions.” Whether or not the President will succeed remains unknown, but to me at least, the pieces are clearly in place and the State of the Union laid them out clearly for the American people.
In contrast, the second theme was centered squarely on the Democrats. In addition to highlighting stories that suggest the President’s policies have been successful, he showcased a series of broadly popular positions the Democrats steadfastly oppose and set the stage to position his opposition as far too radical to be trusted with power, if not downright anti-American. Like the economy and immigration, this also began early in the speech by noting the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. “Less than five months from now, our country will celebrate an epic milestone in American history, the 250th anniversary of our glorious American independence. This July 4th, we will mark two and a half centuries of liberty and triumph, progress and freedom in the most incredible and exceptional nation ever to exist on the face of the earth. And we’ve seen nothing yet. We’re going to do better and better and better. This is the golden age of America.” Later in the speech, President Trump laid out several fundamental principles that were intentionally designed to prompt cheers from Republicans and dead silence from Democrats. “I’m inviting every legislator to join with my administration and 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.” When Democrats refused to stand for even that simple statement, he goaded them, “Isn’t that a shame? You should be ashamed of yourself for not standing up. You should be ashamed of yourself.” Second, he asked them to “end deadly sanctuary cities that protect the criminals and enact serious penalties for public officials who block the removal of criminal aliens. In many cases, drug lords, murderers all over our country. They’re blocking the removal of these people out of our country.” When they didn’t stand a second time, he said they should be ashamed of themselves again.
Next, he turned to voter identification, “And perhaps most importantly, I’m asking you to approve the SAVE America Act, to stop illegal aliens and others who are unpermitted persons from voting in our sacred American elections, the cheating is rampant in our elections. It’s rampant. It’s very simple. All voters must show voter ID. All voters must show proof of citizenship in order to vote. And no more crooked mail-in ballots except for illness, disability, military or travel. None. And this should be an easy one. And by the way, is polling at 89%, including Democrats, 89%,” but they refused to stand yet again. Finally, he fused a basic, what he called commonsense principle with a real life person. “In the gallery tonight are Sage Blair and her mother, Michele. In 2021, Sage was 14 when school officials in Virginia sought to socially transition her to a new gender, treating her as a boy and hiding it from her parents. Hard to believe, isn’t it? Before long, a confused Sage ran away from home. After she was found in a horrific situation in Maryland, a left wing judge refused to return Sage to her parents because they did not immediately state that their daughter was their son. Sage was thrown into an all boys state home and suffered terribly for a long time. But today, all of that is behind them. Because Sage is a proud and wonderful young woman with a full ride scholarship to Liberty University. Sage and Rachelle, please stand up. And thank you for your great bravery.” He concluded, “surely we can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents’ will. Who would believe that we’re even talking about it? We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately.” For the fourth time, Democrats refused to stand, prompting Mr. Hume’s line of the night. “Nobody stands up, these people are crazy. I’m telling them they’re crazy.”
Afterwards, Democrats refused to stand and cheer for the rapid decline in violent crime, members of the National Guard who were shot in cold blood in Washington, DC, one of whom was killed, the number of foreign entanglements that have been ended since he took office, a helicopter pilot who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for continuing to man his chopper despite taking four bullets in the leg during the raid on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and the surprise reunion between a recently released political prisoner and his niece. “With us tonight is Alejandro Gonzalez. She grew up in a tight-knit Venezuelan family and was especially close to her beloved Uncle Enrique. But after Enrique ran for office and opposed Maduro, he was kidnapped by Maduro’s security forces and thrown into the regime’s really infamous prison in Caracas. Alejandro feared she would never see her uncle again. She feared for her own life, also. But since the raid, we have worked with the new leadership, and they have ordered the closure of that vile prison and released hundreds of political prisoners already with more to come. Alejandro, I’m pleased to inform you that not only has your uncle been released, but he is here tonight. We brought him over to celebrate his freedom with you in person. Enrique, please come down. Thank you, Enrique. Have a good time. Nice to have you back, Enrique.” Shortly after, he closed the speech by noting, “The revolution that began in 1776 has not ended. It still continues because the flame of liberty and independence still burns in the heart of every American patriot, and our future will be bigger, better, brighter, bolder, and more glorious than ever before. Thank you. God bless you and God bless America.”
The question for Democrats, especially in a year during which President Trump will be celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with no shortage of enthusiasm, can they prevent their reflexively Orange Man Bad attitude from becoming an America Bad one, or at least being perceived that way by independents? If they refused to cheer for what are essentially basic things backed by huge majorities, will they cheer for the country itself with President Trump in charge? As we have seen with their attacks on the USA hockey team, who was also in attendance, they might not be able to help themselves, and the combination of themes one and two might well decide the midterms in the Republican’s favor.
Confessions of a Conservative Atheist 