President Trump delivers third State of the Union address
President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
Last night, President Donald Trump delivered the annual State of the Union address with mentions of his impact on the economy, immigration policies and his growing approval rating.
The speech, which fell on the eve of his impeachment verdict, focused heavily on Trump’s argument for re-election.
Trump referred to his three years in office as the “great American comeback” and proceeded to inform the audience of his presidential accomplishments.
“Three years ago, we launched the Great American Comeback,” Trump said. “Tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results.”
Citing a streak of low unemployment, Trump mentioned his U.S. Canada-Mexico Agreement (USMCA) trade deal which plans to supply thousands of American jobs.
“The USMCA will create nearly 100,000 new, high-paying American auto jobs and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers and factory workers,” Trump said.
AP News quickly fact-checked this claim, noting Trump was “exaggerating” after the U.S. International Trade Commission surveyed the trade agreement.
“The report estimated that the deal would add only 28,000 auto industry jobs six years after the deal is implemented,” AP wrote. “Separately, government officials are quoted in the report saying they believe the sector would add 76,000 jobs based on their methodology. It’s still not the 100,000 jobs claimed by Trump.”
Trump mentioned his administration’s efforts in securing the border after it was revealed earlier this month that around 100 miles of the border wall have been built thus far.
“As a result of our unprecedented efforts, illegal crossings are down 75% since May, dropping eight months in a row,” Trump said.
As the night came to a close, Melania Trump awarded the Medal of Freedom to talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh. This came just days after the radio personality revealed a lung cancer diagnosis.
"Here tonight is a special man, someone beloved by millions of Americans who just received a stage four advanced cancer diagnosis. This is not good news, but what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet," Trump said. “I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
One of the most talked-about moments of the night occurred when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her transcript of Trump’s speech once the address came to a close.
A variety of reactions poured in from Twitter and other forms of social media with a majority of people calling Pelosi “childish” for her actions.
When asked why she decided to tear up the documentation, Pelosi said “it was the courteous thing to do considering the alternative.”
Senior political science major Whitney Rider believes Pelosi’s ripping of Trump’s speech could have waited until after the broadcast.
“I am not sure what her intention was and cannot base any views towards that,” Rider said. “But due to it being a live national broadcast, I think it would have been better to wait to do anything until it was fully over.”
To read the State of the Union address, click here.
