On Tuesday, Donald Trump gave his first State of the Union address. Many have praised Trump, including Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, who stated that Americans are 'coming out of this economic funk that we were in throughout the Obama years'. Political commentator Sean Hannity called the speech 'amazing' and 'inspirational,' adding that 'America is back'.
Others were less enthusiastic. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that the president's address merely 'stoked the fires of division instead of bringing us closer together'. Ross Douthat, in the New York Times, writes that Trump's address 'showed what a more successful version of the Trump presidency would look like', but 'there is no sign that Trump is prepared to build bridges where he's burned them, no plan for getting more out of this speech than just a temporary polling bump'.
For many, what Trump did not say is even more telling. He began his address by thanking the American heroes who assisted following natural disasters such as Hurricane Maria. 'To everyone still recovering in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, California, and everywhere else — we are with you, we love you, and we will pull through together.'
The president failed to mention that Puerto Rico is still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Maria, with many Puerto Ricans still unable to attend school or drink clean water. There is no effective trash service and 30 per cent of the country still has no electricity. By the end of January, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will stop giving food and water supplies to Puerto Rico. Since Hurricane Maria swept across the nation, more than 200,000 Puerto Ricans have left the island.
Trump also failed to bring up racial tensions in America. Throughout his first year, he has been criticised for his inability to talk about race in America, from his response to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, to his remarks on NFL athletes who kneel during the National Anthem. Aside from a thinly veiled attack against kneeling athletes, there was no focus on racial tensions in America in his address.
While many have hailed the president's proposed immigration policy, much of it was rooted in the same xenophobic rhetoric Trump employed during the presidential campaign. He described how open borders in America have resulted in the deaths of innocent citizens, highlighting the stories of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens, two teenagers who were killed