Tonight is President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union speech, and I thought it would be fun for me to post my thoughts on the speech as it occurred without annoying my Twitter followers and/or my Facebook friends too much. The speech begins at 9pm EST and should be a lot of fun to watch given how unpredictable the President is. Feel free to refresh the page every few minutes to see my thoughts in live time! I'll be watching the speech on CNN, so I may respond to stories that break before and after the speech that CNN reports.
7:43pm EST: My thoughts before the speech. President Trump needs to strike a bipartisan and calm tone tonight if he wants to reassure his Republican friends in Congress and if he wants to truly show that he wants to work with Democrats. Released excerpts show that the President will try to have this tone. Some topics that I’ve heard will be talked about are immigration, infrastructure, and North Korea. CALM IS KEY, especially on the subject of North Korea. Making the American people more nervous than they are now will NOT help anything; it will only make things worse. Infrastructure is usually a good way to start a bipartisan effort as long as Republicans promise to join the effort. Immigration can go either way; I know that he wants to get his border wall started, but Democrats will not vote for it unless they get something HUGE in return, and I don’t think a DACA solution will be big enough of an incentive.
7:45pm: I am seeing reports that a record number of Democratic representatives (current count is 14) plan to boycott the speech. This is not right. Don’t stoop to the President’s level. I don’t have a problem with wearing black at the speech as a silent protest, but not showing up is a low. I would LOVE to take their seat at the speech if I could, so it bugs me that those elected representatives will leave their seats empty.
7:53pm: BREAKING NEWS: Trump to announce executive order to reverse Obama Guantanamo Bay decision during SOTU speech. Another campaign promise accomplished. Good for him.
7:55pm: First Lady Melania Trump to make first public appearance since reports of Trump's alleged affair with pornstar Stormy Daniels. Doubt we'll see anything out of the ordinary tonight but it's an interesting headline.
8:03pm: Unrelated to the speech, but CNN is reporting that Trump may still fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller. If Trump fires Mueller, it is effectively the end of Trump's presidency. Mueller has done everything right and I am sure Mueller will find out everything that needs to be found out. This WILL be obstruction of justice by the President if he decides to fire him.
8:10pm: First Lady Melania Trump traveled to the Capitol separately from the President. Ouch.
8:18pm: My blog was having weird difficulties, so I had to delete the post and try it again. Hopefully those reading this have figured out the correct link. Fingers crossed that things stay put throughout the speech.
8:24pm: Press Secretary Sarah Sanders says that Melania Trump went to the Capitol early only to welcome her guests. I honestly don't know if this is a true statement or not; it's hard to tell nowadays.
8:26pm: Just wanted to say that I love nights like this where the entire nation is watching something political like this (big speeches, debates, conventions). It's nice to know that people want to be educated on the issues. If you're not one of those people and you just want to see Donald Trump say something stupid tonight in front of the entire country, I don't blame you for that, either.
8:34pm: Looks like important people such as Mike Pence, Mitch McConnell, Orrin Hatch, and Paul Ryan are entering the House Chamber.
8:36pm: All other members of the House and the Senate are now entering the chamber.
8:38pm: Just wanted to mention that I am still a bit jet lagged from my trip to the United Kingdom. I hope I can keep up with the fast-paced speech.
8:45pm: President Donald Trump and Chief of Staff John Kelly are now leaving the White House to head to the Capitol. Exciting!
8:56pm: Four of the nine Supreme Court justices have entered the chamber, including Trump's pick Neil Gorsuch. Probably his best decision of the last calendar year.
8:58pm: I see some in the audience wearing purple ribbons. I'm not sure what this is for but I assume it's for sexual assault awareness. Good to see awareness happening.
8:59pm: The First Lady has entered the chamber and is met with applause. I've always respected the First Lady and I appreciate how she deals with her husband's unpredictability.
9:00pm: Cabinet members are also entering the chamber. Things should get very fast very quick.
9:01pm: Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue is the "designated survivor" for tonight's speech. Pretty certain nothing will go wrong tonight, but if everybody in that room was to die tonight in a freak accident, he would become the President of the United States. It's always good to take precautions.
9:03pm: For those wondering, the speech is expected to begin at 9:10pm. Just a few more minutes.
9:05pm: Trump enters the chamber to roaring applause. The normal entrance for any President that gives this speech.
9:07pm: Trump is the last person in the world that I thought would give a SOTU address, and here we are tonight in a world where it's actually happening. Jeez.
9:09pm: I am again hoping this speech has a bipartisan tone. We really need this in the country right now.
9:10pm: He's sticking to the script so far....
9:11pm: Less than a minute in and we're already hearing "Make America Great Again"... For All Americans! The list of accomplishments is now being read.
9:13pm: Great tribute to Ashley, who helped saved many lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
9:15pm: Another tribute to David, a firefighter who saved many lives during the California wildfires, including many children. Steve Scalise is also mentioned in an emotional tribute after he was shot and almost died during a baseball practice last summer. I still remember that day so vividly and it was a very hard day to get through.
9:17pm: "I call upon all of us to set aside our differences..." We cannot only come together in times of tragedy.
9:18pm: "The state of our union is STRONG." Something we hear in almost every SOTU speech ever.
9:20pm: African-American and Hispanic-American employment has reached a record low. Love the "EYYYY" I heard after that one.
9:21pm: TAX CUTS. TAX CUTS. TAX CUTS. Remember what I said about Gorsuch earlier? Scratch that. TAX CUTS were the best thing that happened last year.
9:22pm: There's no way he wrote this.
9:23pm: More talk about how the tax cuts...OH WAIT they repealed the individual mandate of Obamacare... LOUD APPLAUSE!!!
9:26pm: I love the success stories I've been hearing about the tax bill. The fact that people are getting raises and companies are donating large sums of money to charities makes me feel hopeful for this country.
9:27pm: Man I hate those hand gestures he makes.
9:28pm: Paraphrased: If we work together, we can accomplish almost anything. Amen to that.
9:29pm: IN GOD WE TRUST.
9:31pm: I cannot help but love how much Trump supports the police. This tribute to Preston is great. THIS is why we stand for the National Anthem.
9:32pm: WHY ARE DEMOCRATS SITTING AFTER THAT LINE? I know they don't hate our country but they're doing a great job at making it seem like they do.
9:33pm: I hate how Democrats and Republicans sit on opposite sides of the chamber. They should sit amongst each other.
9:34pm: Just saw a Congressman on his phone. As Michelle on Full House would say... How rude! Speaking of rude, it sure seems like some Democrats hate the veterans. Would love to get a list of who was seated just now.
9:37pm: I think someone glued the Democrats to their seats. Trump is saying some GREAT stuff right now. Get rid of Washington red tape.
9:38pm: Companies are flocking to the United States right now due to the economy. Trump, of course, is taking credit but I'm sure President Obama had a lot to do with that.
9:40pm: I just found it ironic that Trump is applauding himself. And making a loud noise into the microphone.
9:41pm: But regarding the subject matter, we need to get these people the medicine they need! Shouldn't be a partisan issue.
9:42pm: Oh no he's off script. But he got back on quick.
9:43pm: LET'S REBUILD THAT CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE!!!!! Wait, it only took one year to build the Empire State Building? That's crazy!
9:44pm: Trump calls for a bill with $1.5 trillion dollars to fix infrastructure in our country. I like that.
9:45pm: The bill must also streamline the process to 1 to 2 years so that we can get infrastructure done quickly. I also like that.
9:47pm: I need to get a transcript of this speech. There's so much being said at the moment and I can't keep up. Did he just say that he'd support paid family leave? You don't hear that too often from a Republican, but I like it!
9:49pm: Sounds like we're moving on to immigration... please don't say anything racist, please don't say anything racist, please don't say anything racist. PLEASE.
9:51pm: Man, the Democrats are heartless... that was a rough story.
9:53pm: "Americans are dreamers, too." Cue John Lennon's "Imagine".
9:55pm: The MS-13 talk is a little unsettling, but it's good that we're making progress on the issue. Gang violence is never a good thing and needs to be stopped, regardless of the race of the gang members.
9:57pm: Trump's Four Pillar Plan for Immigration: Pillar One is a path to citizenship. Those who meet education and work requirements and show good character will be able to become citizens over a twelve year period.
9:58pm: Second Pillar fully secures the border. This means building a "great wall" on the Mexican border. Saw that coming from a mile away.
9:59pm: I need to look into "catch and release". Third Pillar ends the visa lottery. Democrats do NOT like this plan. But I do.
10:00pm: Trump hopes that this third pillar will bring people to the country that want to be here and want to contribute to the success of the country. Fourth Pillar is to end chain migration. Not clear if the boos just now are against chain migration or against the President's plan. Probably the former.
10:01pm: Yeah, this plan isn't going to pass through both houses. Probably will pass through the House. They have a big enough majority there for now. Enjoy it while it lasts, Republicans!
10:04pm: Talking about opioid crisis. Not sure why this is a partisan issue either. IT'S NOT THAT HARD!
10:06pm: Ryan and Rebecca's story is a fascinating one. I love how Presidents bring people in to show extraordinary Americans such as the ones we have seen tonight.
10:07pm: Are we really strengthening our relations abroad? I just got back from the United Kingdom and they HATE Trump there. I mean HATE.
10:08pm: Of course, funding the military gets LOUD applause from Republicans, crickets from Democrats. Surprised we haven't heard anything about North Korea yet.
10:09pm: Interesting. Trump wishes for a day where all of the countries would come together and eliminate their nuclear weapons. He says we're not there yet. Also talks about ISIS becoming weaker by the minute and how he has stopped their growth.
10:10pm: The speech has gone on for an hour now. It'll probably end soonish.
10:14pm: Trump JUST signed an executive order to reopen Guantanamo Bay to keep terrorists in there, gives example as to how we had Al Baghdadi captured and then we set him free. Trump has convinced me to support his decision.
10:16pm: We need to no longer tell our enemies our plans. FULLY agree with Trump. This makes TOTAL sense. I've always agreed with him on this.
10:17pm: He also talks about moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. He calls on Congress to make sure that any money given to foreign countries is given with American interest at heart.
10:18pm: America stands with Iran in their efforts to free themselves from the oppressive government. And so do I. Trump also supports the sanctions put on Cuba and Venezuela. I agree with Venezuelan sanctions but I'm skeptical about the Cuban sanctions.
10:20pm: North Korea part of the speech begins. This may be rough. He starts with talking about Otto Warmbier's trip to North Korea. His parents are at the speech tonight along with his brother and sister. Being from Virginia, this is a particularly hard story to hear, especially after I myself have gone abroad for the first time.
10:26pm: Just realized that I probably should've put my newest thoughts at the top of the post instead of the bottom. I'll keep that in mind for next time.
10:27pm: Chants of "USA!" are heard in the chamber as Trump talks about American freedom.
10:29pm: The Hill reports that those boos from earlier were from Democrats claiming that Trump falsely claimed that "virtually unlimited numbers" of relatives come through during chain migration.
10:30pm: Man this speech is long. Sounds like he's wrapping up, though. With some nice words.
10:31pm: His speech is over. I thought it was a very good speech with some inspirational stories, some solid policy proposals regarding infrastructure and immigration, and calls for bipartisanship. These were all things that I was expecting to hear before the speech, and I am satisfied with the professionalism and the presidential feel that the speech had. I am very angry, however, at the Democrats' reactions and their behavior during the speech. It sucks how Trump is calling for bipartisanship and Democrats will do anything, including putting our country at risk, to make a political point. Overall, very good speech by the President. He did a great job of not saying anything too stupid. Now we just need to work on getting rid of his Twitter.
10:36pm: Democratic response by Rep. Joe Kennedy is next. I do not plan to waste my time live blogging this speech. I've never liked the response portion of the night because it is always written before the SOTU and it's usually only used to create a more divisive tone. I can tell you now what is going to be said: The President is a racist bigot who is controlled by the Russians and wants to ruin our country.
10:39pm: Speaking of Russians, Trump did a great job of not mentioning them or the investigation going on. But I'm sure these problems are not even close to being over yet.
10:42pm: Screw it, I'll live blog the response. This feels SO fake so far like always.
10:43pm: Hopefully the fact that this is actually live will make it a little more bearable.
10:44pm: Typical Democratic speech: accusations flying everywhere with NO proof to back it up.
10:45pm: A response to a speech should actually talk about the things said during said speech.
10:47pm: His delivery feels so fake. I have to say it twice. These awkward pauses between every few words makes me feel that he's trying to sound like Barack Obama. I can't even comment on the substance because it's so bad. And so all over the place.
10:49pm: For those wondering, I've said these exact same things about Republican SOTU responses in the past.
10:50pm: Eight minutes in and I don't think he's said anything that connects the SOTU to this speech.
10:51pm: Here comes the Spanish speaking. I'm not saying it's bad that he's speaking it, but it's bad that he and other Democrats only do it for political points. Who is this guy, anyway?
10:53pm: Eleven minutes in and we finally get a connection: The Border Wall. It's also random headline time.
10:54pm: I'm super impressed that they haven't said any of the stuff I thought they would say during the response. Hope I haven't spoken too soon.
10:55pm: Oh thank God it's over. Speech was irrelevant, fake, and filled with inaccuracies and policy points based off of one's feelings. I don't need to say anymore.
10:58pm: I was about to say that I didn't agree with CNN's spinning of the speeches tonight until John King made the point that this is going to be a partisan year. Tonight showed that Democrats will not listen to Trump even after he gave them an olive branch. This year is going to be another do-nothing year that could possibly result in Democrats taking over both chambers of Congress.
11:00pm: With that being said, I hope Nick Freitas can win the Virginia Republican primary for U.S. Senate so he can beat Tim Kaine and keep the Democrats from making 2019 and 2020 even more divisive. I want to be as bipartisan as possible, but I've come to the conclusion that we need new faces in both parties for that to happen. Those currently in Congress, PLEASE prove me wrong and get some stuff done this year. (Speaking of this, I need to write an endorsement of Nick Freitas soon and encourage others to get involved with the campaign ASAP!)
11:02pm: I'm wrapping it up for the night. It's been fun!
11:10pm: I had to come back and say how much I appreciated Trump's immigration plan. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of Trump, I really like this bipartisan immigration plan and was impressed with Trump tonight as a whole. Hopefully the Democrats can take a second look at it and realize it's a good plan.
