By Bailee Kinney
As Donald Trump entered the chamber, the first thing I recognized is the way he genuinely values making positive impressions on his followers. Upon his arrival, he was quick to begin shaking hands, giving his smirk-filled facial expressions, and his signature thumbs up. This signature Trump charm remained at the podium the entire night. The way he stands back to soak in all of the people who are admiring him, the way he looks up with such admiration for himself after sharing something incredible he has done was quite incredible to watch. Also, he claps for himself.
His address began rather smoothly, and I would argue that stylistically, he maintained this feel throughout his entire speech. His public speaking skills tonight were the best I have seen from him yet. He traded irrational and in-your-face for relaxed and eased. Even when he began to discuss extremely controversial issues like building a wall and immigration laws, he kept his cool and seemed to remain on script. I will also give him credit where it is deserved. I really applaud President Trump for not making his address entirely about his successes, but rather using some of the time to recognize a multitude of selfless people and acts.
President Trump covered many controversial issues that have been headliners in the past year. Yet along with his “great ideas,” came a not-so-great plan as to how he was going to turn them into policies. His address had very little depth, and a lack of evidence of a plan in progress. Yet his audience was quick to applaud after every sentence. The whole address, including audience response, felt completely staged. The State of the Union Address was an event that showed how President Trump is in the market to continue to appeal to his core supporters, who don’t really care how this is done as long as they hear what they want, and as long as it sounds pretty.
But to give him a little more credit, his words were not 100% antagonistic at first listen. You had to pay a little extra attention to see the rooted biases, so he is definitely stepping up his game. Phrases like “Americans are dreamers too,” and “ .... reverence for those who have served us reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem” left me rather nauseous. But I applaud President Trump for showing his true colors.
Or did he? Will this be a new path for Trump? One filled with more compassion and calmness? Or will he go back to irrational tweeting tomorrow? While that cannot be predicted, I think I took away one certainty from the entire address: He was wearing a blue tie, so I’m convinced before his term is over, he will convert to the Democratic party.
By Courtney Emond
Being a Donald Trump supporter is not easy. We have doubts, but we also have faith. Anyone in the Oval Office, the so-called leader of the free world, can create doubt and dilemmas.
President Trump deserves a chance to prove those who disagree with him wrong, and he deserves the four years in office that he earned by running for president and gathering enough votes. A few students I work with suggest that Trump deserves the benefit of the doubt, even though he may not be doing the best he could after 13 months in office. As someone who seems to be in a pro-Trump minority, it seems to me that most people aren’t ready to give him a chance to get it right. There are still three years remaining on his term – time to fix what was broken before him, time to fix his own mistakes.
Watching my first State of the Union address, I remember the president promising to cut tax bills in half for families of four. I remember him saying “We can reclaim great building heritage,” referring to our infrastructure of roads and bridges. I remember him saying “African-American unemployment rates are at its lowest,” “We will prevail,” and “Americans are dreamers too.” These are encouraging words to me.
As a student who watched the State of the Union address, I have hope that Donald Trump could make our country great again. As a human being observing the reactions to Trump, there is a need to be worried.
By Gavin Bourgoin
With one year in the books as President of the United States, Donald Trump showed during his State of the Union address why he appeals to so many Americans. During his speech, Trump saved his booming voice for less controversial issues while addressing hot-button issues with a more measured tone. He abstained from the name-calling he is known for, and may have surprised some people with his professional tone. He remained consistent with his “America First” approach.
Congressional Republicans responded by standing and clapping, while Democrats barely moved a muscle. This could be a reflection of the nation’s mindset and emotions right now. One year and a month into Trump’s presidency, America seems more divided than ever. We seem to delight in blaming the President for issues he could have or should have resolved.
Around the time that he gave the State of the Union address, President Trump’s infamous tweets seemed to be in decline (although he did recently fire his Secretary of State through a tweet). Trump looked like he was trying to act presidential during the State of the Union speech. He has tried to tackle our biggest issues head-on, but everyone knows he is learning on the job. Maybe we forget that other presidents have learned on the job as well.
He appeals to Americans with a desire for strong leadership, regardless of their leader's biases or use of facts. At the end of the day, Donald Trump is the face of our nation for the next three years. His work has just begun.
As Donald Trump entered the chamber, the first thing I recognized is the way he genuinely values making positive impressions on his followers. Upon his arrival, he was quick to begin shaking hands, giving his smirk-filled facial expressions, and his signature thumbs up. This signature Trump charm remained at the podium the entire night. The way he stands back to soak in all of the people who are admiring him, the way he looks up with such admiration for himself after sharing something incredible he has done was quite incredible to watch. Also, he claps for himself.
His address began rather smoothly, and I would argue that stylistically, he maintained this feel throughout his entire speech. His public speaking skills tonight were the best I have seen from him yet. He traded irrational and in-your-face for relaxed and eased. Even when he began to discuss extremely controversial issues like building a wall and immigration laws, he kept his cool and seemed to remain on script. I will also give him credit where it is deserved. I really applaud President Trump for not making his address entirely about his successes, but rather using some of the time to recognize a multitude of selfless people and acts.
President Trump covered many controversial issues that have been headliners in the past year. Yet along with his “great ideas,” came a not-so-great plan as to how he was going to turn them into policies. His address had very little depth, and a lack of evidence of a plan in progress. Yet his audience was quick to applaud after every sentence. The whole address, including audience response, felt completely staged. The State of the Union Address was an event that showed how President Trump is in the market to continue to appeal to his core supporters, who don’t really care how this is done as long as they hear what they want, and as long as it sounds pretty.
But to give him a little more credit, his words were not 100% antagonistic at first listen. You had to pay a little extra attention to see the rooted biases, so he is definitely stepping up his game. Phrases like “Americans are dreamers too,” and “ .... reverence for those who have served us reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem” left me rather nauseous. But I applaud President Trump for showing his true colors.
Or did he? Will this be a new path for Trump? One filled with more compassion and calmness? Or will he go back to irrational tweeting tomorrow? While that cannot be predicted, I think I took away one certainty from the entire address: He was wearing a blue tie, so I’m convinced before his term is over, he will convert to the Democratic party.
By Courtney Emond
Being a Donald Trump supporter is not easy. We have doubts, but we also have faith. Anyone in the Oval Office, the so-called leader of the free world, can create doubt and dilemmas.
President Trump deserves a chance to prove those who disagree with him wrong, and he deserves the four years in office that he earned by running for president and gathering enough votes. A few students I work with suggest that Trump deserves the benefit of the doubt, even though he may not be doing the best he could after 13 months in office. As someone who seems to be in a pro-Trump minority, it seems to me that most people aren’t ready to give him a chance to get it right. There are still three years remaining on his term – time to fix what was broken before him, time to fix his own mistakes.
Watching my first State of the Union address, I remember the president promising to cut tax bills in half for families of four. I remember him saying “We can reclaim great building heritage,” referring to our infrastructure of roads and bridges. I remember him saying “African-American unemployment rates are at its lowest,” “We will prevail,” and “Americans are dreamers too.” These are encouraging words to me.
As a student who watched the State of the Union address, I have hope that Donald Trump could make our country great again. As a human being observing the reactions to Trump, there is a need to be worried.
By Gavin Bourgoin
With one year in the books as President of the United States, Donald Trump showed during his State of the Union address why he appeals to so many Americans. During his speech, Trump saved his booming voice for less controversial issues while addressing hot-button issues with a more measured tone. He abstained from the name-calling he is known for, and may have surprised some people with his professional tone. He remained consistent with his “America First” approach.
Congressional Republicans responded by standing and clapping, while Democrats barely moved a muscle. This could be a reflection of the nation’s mindset and emotions right now. One year and a month into Trump’s presidency, America seems more divided than ever. We seem to delight in blaming the President for issues he could have or should have resolved.
Around the time that he gave the State of the Union address, President Trump’s infamous tweets seemed to be in decline (although he did recently fire his Secretary of State through a tweet). Trump looked like he was trying to act presidential during the State of the Union speech. He has tried to tackle our biggest issues head-on, but everyone knows he is learning on the job. Maybe we forget that other presidents have learned on the job as well.
He appeals to Americans with a desire for strong leadership, regardless of their leader's biases or use of facts. At the end of the day, Donald Trump is the face of our nation for the next three years. His work has just begun.