Republican members of Congress chanted “four more years” as the impeached forever President Donald Trump stepped up to deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, his last before the next election and a day before his likely acquittal in the Senate.
As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced him, loud cheers and applause erupted among the jubilant Republican side, which led into the chant calling for a second Trump term after the November election.
Democrats branded the address a Trump rally. And it basically was.
During her introduction, Pelosi omitted the usual “I have the high privilege and distinct honor” words to present the president to Congress.
Moments earlier, Trump appeared to snub Pelosi’s offer of a handshake. Once his address concluded, Pelosi stood behind the president and tore up a paper copy of the speech.
During his State of the Union address, Trump claimed to have “shattered the mentality of American decline” and delivered Americans a “roaring economy.”
The president also railed against sanctuary cities for undocumented migrants and socialism, and awarded the conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline, and we have rejected the downsizing of America’s destiny,” Trump said.
“We have totally rejected the downsizing. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never, ever going back.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, tweeted that Trump’s address was “demagogic.”
President Trump's speech tonight was much more like a Trump rally than a speech a true leader would give.
It was demagogic, undignified, highly partisan and in too many places, untruthful.#SOTU [1] pic.twitter.com/mUApuwVwp9 [2]
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 5, 2020 [3]
Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, called Trump’s address “a disgrace.”
That was a disgrace. I should not have gone.
It was a re-election pep rally from beginning to end, filled with political stunts and verifiable lie after verifiable lie.
I get it – presidents use their last SOTU to make the case for re-election. But that crossed a line.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 5, 2020 [4]
Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, also characterized Trump’s State of the Union address as a political rally.
Rather than taking this evening as an opportunity to attempt to unify a deeply divided nation, President Trump instead delivered a State of the Union address that seemed focused solely on rallying his own political supporters behind him.
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) February 5, 2020 [5]
But the night wasn’t without the normal Trump gaffes.
About halfway into the speech, Trump started having difficulty with basic words, and starting slurring a bunch.
Just take a look at this:
"Stankuary … direcderd da December desault" — there were a few #SOTU [1] moments where Trump clearly had some difficulties pic.twitter.com/42J0AMjjSJ [6]
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2020 [7]