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.
Bingo, this #SOTU was about showmanship, not communicating.
#Trump was putting on a show for his audience, his supporters, nothing more. That's why it wasn't worth watching for anyone outside of that audience, why it wasn't worth factchecking, and why it went so long.
Might as well factcheck a concert performance or complain that the musicians didn't cut their set short.
It was obvious that that's what it was going to be, and it was.
#Trump turned the Well of the House into a stage from which he could perform for his adoring crowd, and they got exactly the show they wanted.
