- United States
- Ohio
- Letter
Longest in History: The speech was a record-breaking 108 minutes long. It lacked clear new policy ideas and instead relied heavily on familiar rhetoric and gimmicks.
Shifting Tones: While Trump had some unifying moments—such as bringing the gold-medalist Olympic men's hockey team as guests—he frequently pivoted to partisan attacks. He targeted Democrats, bullied NATO allies, and touched on cultural issues like decrying trans rights.
Dodging Divisive Issues: Aware of his dropping approval ratings, currently at 36% which is 36% too high, Trump largely avoided topics that could cause further political trouble, such as his recent slashing of the federal workforce or the bulldozed East Wing. He, predicably, did not mention he was referenced as a pedophile over a million times in the Epstein Files. He also did not mention how much he has enriched himself at our expense.
Foreign Policy: He addressed foreign policy late in the speech, praising the recent military kidnapping of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as a spectacular feat, while remaining vague on his end goals regarding potential U.S. intervention in Iran.
Exaggerated Claims: The address included several classic "Trump whoppers," such as claiming the economy is roaring and inflation is plummeting, despite data showing otherwise, and repeating misleading claims about ending eight wars.
Political Context: The speech occurred against the backdrop of an election year where Democrats have been overperforming in special elections since Trump's return to office. Many Democrats walked out before the speech ended, and even Republicans appeared tired and restless by the time it finally wrapped up because they have to keep pretending to like a 34x felon who represents nothing they claimed for decades their party was all about.