By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher
WASHINGTON, D.C.- President Donald Trump addressed a joint chamber of Congress Tuesday night amid ongoing fallout between Republicans and Democrats since he took the oath of office in January for a second, non-consecutive term.
In addition to members of Congress, those there included First Lady Melania Trump, some U.S. Supreme Court members, including the three conservative justices Trump appointed during his first term to ensure that Roe. v. Wade was overturned on June 24, 2022, and Trump's cabinet members.
The guests of Democrats were also in attendance, some to send the message that they too are victims of Trump's aggressive and irresponsible policies that are dividing America.
The Republican president appeared relaxed and opened his 99 min. speech by saying "America is back," as Republicans chanted "USA," "USA." But as he continued, angry Democrats began chanting and shouting, prompting House Speaker Mike Johnson to direct the Sgt.at arms to "restore order." Some Democratic affiliates, mainly non-congressional types, were then escorted out of the chamber, and a few Congressional Democrats walked out of the chamber in disgust.
He bragged that he had frozen federal hiring, eliminated foreign aid, and withdrawn from the Civil and Human Rights Council.
When he began listing what he says have been his accomplishments during his first term in office from 2017-2021 and since he officially became president again this year, Democrats held up small, fan-type protest signs that read "false."
The president said there are only two genders, male and female, and promised to keep men and transsexual men out of women's sports. He said he would "drill baby drill" for U.S. minerals and said one of his greatest priorities is taming the economy and reducing inflation. He branded former President Joe Biden the worst president ever and blamed him for what he said is a border crisis and inflation problems. He made negative comments about Democrats for most of the evening, an indication, said sources, that he has no intention of mending fences with them.
The president recognized billionaire Elon Musk and complimented him on his handling of DOGE, the president's Department of Government Efficiency that Democrats blame for the massive firings of federal workers and the withdrawal of foreign aid, primarily to countries of color. He said DOGE has found billions of dollars wasted by the Biden administration, and one audience member screamed that he was a liar, a sentiment also expressed by most Congressional Democrats who are in the minority in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
Despite taunting that went on continually during the first part of his speech, Trump did not lose his cool and said he would restore true Democracy from America again, and that the days of Democratic bureaucracies were over.
Trump used the family of murder victim Laken Riley and other families whose loved ones were killed by immigrants to bring home his point that immigrants are criminals who pose a threat to the United States, an action that represents the height of bigotry, his Democratic enemies say.
The president promised to help American cities struggling with heightened crime and to wage war on drug cartels. He called for Mexico and Canada to stop the massive flow of fentanyl into the U.S.
Trump, 78, said he would execute the largest deportation of immigrants in American history. He also talked about child cancer while simultaneously recognizing new Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
He promised more tariffs, and to stop the Russia-Ukraine war, and he lauded praise on select young people there, Blacks, Whites and Asians alike, whom he asked to stand and be recognized.
Some of the president's speech was laced with lies, pundits said afterwards, including what he would do in the future to improve America, and that cuts thus far have brought in billions.
While the president's speech, which included a litany of policies he seeks during his second term in office, was not a State of the Union since he has been in office for only 42 days, it often sounded like one.
Kathy Wray Coleman is a longtime Cleveland journalist, blogger and digital and investigative reporter, who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post Newspaper, a Black print weekly distributed in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio.
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com are the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio. Tel. 216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurbannews.com
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