Morning Reactions to The Speech
I had a few additional thoughts I wanted to share about last night’s speech.
The first does not seem surprising to me. A CNN snap poll last night found it was the weakest reaction to a State of the Union of any president this century. Given that presidents have generally done better (less divided audience) in the past, this was probably the lowest on record. It was weaker than any other state in Trump’s unions. So people weren’t impressed. And remember, a State of the Union is disproportionately policed by the president’s own supporters.
This corresponds to my impressions. It seemed tired the way Trump seems tired, literally and figuratively. To me it felt like an act of nostalgia. No new equipment and not much energy or interest in doing anything new. Again, this is really where Trump and the administration itself seem to be. It matches.
