Following the longest government shutdown in the history of the United States, President Donald Trump gave his postponed State of the Union address to Congress on February 5, 2019. While the President attempted to convey a message encouraging unity between the parties and from within, the entire event itself suggested the opposite.
Although members of the Democratic Party were present, their attendance was not a demonstration of unity between the parties, but rather, the unity from within the Democratic Party itself. The now infamous pictures of the female Democratic representatives dawning white-an ode to the Suffragettes- was also intended to illustrate the power they that they now possessed in the House of Representatives. The standing ovations that President Trump received from these women, while he boasted about the economic progress that women had made in the past year, appeared to confuse everyone, including the President. However, the celebratory applause that filled the House was from these women, to these women-; not for Trump.
Throughout his speech, Trump also looked to foster support from Republicans who had originally opposed his proposal to fund the American-Mexican wall using the military budget. Trump used the narrative of illegal immigration as an “urgent national crisis,” with some even fearing that he would use the speech as an opportunity to declare a national emergency. This part of his speech most certainly did not create unity between the two parties, as this was- and continues to be- a policy that the Democrats are trying their hardest to prevent. In fact, while the Democrats, including the women, first played along with Trump when he was boasting about his success, he received silence and boos when he voiced his malicious stance on immigration.
Trump’s “fear-mongering agenda” as phrased by the Democratic House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, is not uniting the country at all, but dividing it. On the one hand, there are the Democrats, who go as far to fact-check Trump’s supposed ‘factual’ statements. On the other hand, there are the Republicans, who cheer Trump on as he lists non-existent statistics and suggests that his presidency is the greatest of all time. While it would be ignorant to suggest that all Republicans support Trump and his policies, public opinion polls have found that the majority do.
Trump’s government shutdown back in January resulted in everything but making the two parties walk hand-in-hand together down the aisles of Congress and the House. Handing extortionate tax breaks to millionaires and then criticising Democrats -who advocate for increasing taxes on the wealthy– during the address, is comical.
What is even more comical is how President Trump essentially appealed to the Democrats via this ‘honourable’ speech of unity to immediately put a stop to any impending congressional investigations into his past and current conduct. It is no surprise that the Democratic Party and its supporters have been pushing for Donald Trump’s impeachment. Now that the Democrats hold the House, this idea has now become a potential possibility- and Trump knows it. He proclaimed that the “ridiculous partisan investigations” were highly unnecessary as the nation “must be united at home.”
All of these however were attempts to unite the Democratic and Republican parties. While Trump may have boosted his approval ratings, the likelihood of maintaining this facade appears increasingly difficult. As long as Trump remains in power, there will be no unity within America; it is simply impossible. Trump’s presidency has always sparked division amongst the American people and the two parties. His controversial legislation, remarks, and tweets make partisanship inevitable and entirely discredit his State of the Union address.
Although President Trump gained a 7% increase in the public approval rating- raising it to 44%- this increase can largely be accredited to his economic wins in the past year. While his policies on immigration continue to deepen the political divide in the U.S., his rating seems difficult to maintain. A couple of tweets or distasteful remarks made during an interview will do the trick to bring his approval ratings back down.
Nancy Pelosi’s iconic condescending applause summarizes the State of the Union address perfectly. There was no unity at the start, middle, or even at the end of the speech and the reality is that bipartisan unity during Trump’s era seems unlikely. While it is genuinely unfortunate, there is very little that the two parties can currently agree on. Trump’s policies are simply too conservative for the increasingly progressive Democrats. It will be interesting to see who will be standing at the podium at the 2020 State of the Union address and whether a speech emphasizing unity will even be necessary.
By Sukaina Kazim
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