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Trump’s State-of-the-Union Variety Show
Were you not entertained?🥱💤
The longest #SOTU in history is now over. #Trump …said little of substance, but substance wasn’t the point. This year, he intended to put on a show, with an array of guest stars & special appearances. He was happy, because he was playing the roles he clearly loves∶ game-show host, ringmaster, MC, beneficent granter of wishes—&,where Democrats were concerned, a self-righteous inquisitor.
#Trump did his usual rote #lying about the #economy — pity the fact-checkers who tried to keep up even in the first 10 minutes or so of the speech — along with some of his other greatest hits, including the many #wars he stopped [🙄] & the magic of #tariffs. (He referred to the “unfortunate involvement” of #SCOTUS on the tariff issue, as if the justices barged into his office like interlopers.)
Reagan, the “Great Communicator”, once managed to do the entire #SOTU address in 31 mins; that’s because he could say important things efficiently & well. Tonight, however, was not about communication, it was about showmanship. Almost every line was a cue for applause from obedient #Republicans; they even gave #JaredKushner a standing ovation [seriously?]. Every few minutes, #Trump told a story, & reached out into the audience like the host of The Price Is Right, telling people to come on down.
He started, of course, with the US men’s #Olympic #hockey team. Just basking along with Team USA wasn’t enough. #Trump soon announced that the goalie Connor Hellebuyck would receive the Presidential #MedalOfFreedom. Normally, this honor is bestowed for a lifetime of achievement, but this time it was given as if the young athlete had chosen the right door & found a new car.
And so it went, all night. Sometimes, the guests were meant to tug at the heart, such as when #Trump recognized Erica Kirk, the wife of the murdered activist Charlie Kirk. Others were presented as ornaments meant to illustrate Trump’s successes: Enrique Marquez, a Venezuelan political prisoner freed after U.S. forces deposed the strongman Nicolas Maduro, was given a round of well-deserved applause. Trump also gave a shoutout to a woman whose IVF medications were now, he claimed, cheaper.
But no group received more attention than the #US #military. #Trump handed out two Purple Hearts (one posthumously), a Legion of Merit, & not one, but two Congressional Medals of Honor. Military awards that should have been treated with dignity & respect were placed on men like prizes, including a moment when Trump’s co-host, the First Lady, put one of the Medals of Honor around the neck of a 100-year-old fighter pilot.
