Waiting for the point where Trump says: “In 2024, 77,304,296 Americans voted for me. With us tonight are all 77,304,296 of them.”
Trump’s focus on building power-generating plants at large and small scales, regardless of whether they are green or not, is refreshing. America needs more power.
Congress should not codify Trump’s international price-control regime on pharmaceuticals. We have far greater access to new brand-name drugs in America than in other rich countries for a reason. (Generic drugs are already cheaper in the United States than in Canada, by the way.)
If you’re wondering why the Democratic side of the House chamber looks so full, many of the people sitting in these seats are not members of Congress but guests filling their vacant seats.
Trump has directly accused Democrats in the chamber — pointing at them when doing so — of being responsible for the rising cost of consumer goods, food staples, and health care-related expenses. Democratic leaders impressed the need for restraint on their members ahead of this speech, but Trump is going to test their resolve.
The “Great Health-Care Plan” is mere gloss on top of the existing Obamacare system. Deeper reform is much-needed, as underlying coverage costs have grown dramatically since the Affordable Care Act went into effect.
Tonight’s SOTU is either poorly mic’ed, or Trump needs to work on his mic technique. When he raises his voice, the high frequencies cut out and he sounds hoarse and shouty. The phrase “THE PRICE OF EGGS” just came out of his mouth sounding like an Orcish curse.
“We are doing really well. Those prices are coming down rapidly.” This is Trump’s Mission Accomplished move. It didn’t work for Biden. Whether the voters buy it will be the biggest issue in the midterms.
It’s important to note that Trump’s tariffs did not reduce the U.S. trade deficit in goods one bit in 2025. It actually increased from 2024. Economists predicted that tariffs would not be effective at cutting the trade deficit, because it is determined primarily by international investment flows, and they were correct.
I didn’t agree with what Trump said about tariffs–especially the mathematically fantastic idea that they can replace income taxes–but at least he laid off the smear of the justices in the majority for supposedly betraying the country.