State of the Trick

Trump's Mysterious SOTU of Misdirection

“Tonight,” the president continued, “I’m inviting every legislator to join with my administration in reaffirming a fundamental principle. If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

Democratic lawmakers stayed in their seats. This was obviously what Mr. Trump was hoping might happen. “You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up,” he pronounced triumphantly.

Well, that—as the New York Times reported—was what this speech was all about: attempting to reframe Trump’s disastrous ICE policy into a version of the most effective ad of the 2024 campaign. Democrats are for they/them. Trump is for real Americans.

Did it work? Well, probably not….although my Two Joes podcast partner, Joe Trippi, has an interesting theory: that the purpose of the speech was to herd disappointed Republicans—i.e. the sliver of folks who pushed Trump’s approval ratings from the low 40s to the high 30s, in part because of the brutality of the ICE raids—back into the fold, to get Donald back over 40% approval. According to CNN, the majority of speech viewers were either Republicans or masochistic, self-harming pundits. It was not a very national event. Some thoughts:

1. Jeez, the whole speech was about winning back that sliver of Republicans? That’s not very ambitious. But numbers—poll numbers, the stock market, TV ratings—mean an awful lot to Trump. Let’s see if he bumps up a couple of points off this Promethean effort.

2. The Stand Up moment was TV effective, though…and may be that rarest of political phenomena—a SOTU sound bite (actually, a visual) that finds its way into political ads later this year: the Democrats refuse to stand up for America! (My guess is the Democrats will counter with ads featuring ICE’s unAmerican barbarity. Current polling says that’s the stronger side of the argument. We’ll see how that holds up in the secrecy of the ultimate Sanctuary, the voting booth.)

3. He tried to drown the economy in heroism. His section about Issue #1, the public perception of a bum economy, was perfunctory, forgettable…and quickly forgotten in the non-stop tributes to various heroes—the entire U.S. hockey team, for chrissake! The team’s goalie was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Two Congressional Medals of Honor were bestowed (one, upon a courageous Chinook pilot in the Maduro snatch operation; the other on a 100-year-old fighter pilot). A Purple Heart went to the severely wounded soldier shot by an Afghan madman in Washington. The mother of the Ukrainian woman murdered by an—wait for it—illegal immigrant in Charlotte last year was comforted by—wait for it—Erika Kirk. The introduction of the special hero guest is attributed to Ronald Reagan, the last showbiz figure to hold the office. But Trump has turned the entire SOTU into a This Is Your Life game show. “Come on down!” He actually said when launching into several of his encomiums. This is a metaphor for his Administration—the overwhelming power of misdirection. And it still works. Even the Dems in the room stood up and applauded the heroes.

4. The Dems did not stand to applaud Sage Blair, whom, Trump claims, was forcibly “reassigned” a new gender by her Virginia school district. According to Perplexity: “Her grandmother and adoptive mother, Michele Blair, alleges that school staff “socially transitioned” Sage—using a male name and pronouns and allowing access to the boys’ restroom—without informing her.” Well, that seems a bit of a stretch…but so did the notion of government-funded sex changes for federal prisoners. The Blair Switch Project was another case of MAGA virtue signaling, designed to win back wandering Republicans. The Dems didn’t stand for Sage. It was visual evidence that the Dems remain “crazy” in the transgender sphere.

5. Speaking of the Democrats. It was a bad night for them. Trump successfully hornswoggled the donkeys with his “stand up” stunts. Their “alternative” demonstration outside the Capitol was a major enfizzlement. No one showed up. Their official response, delivered by Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger in the wee hours after Trump’s speech, was strong, true and…what was I going to say? Ohh, I remember: it was forgettable. It was 20th century oratory at a moment when something Trumpian—something visual, something dramatic—was required. I mean, Spanberger was a CIA agent! Why not make some use of that? Why not make it personal? Tell a true story that can be contrasted with Trump’s incessant perfidy. Senator Katie Britt delivered her 2024 SOTU rebuttal from her Alabama kitchen, which was pathetic but memorable. Spanberger chose a live audience of supporters in Virginia’s colonial House of Burgesses—a point she made, but never paid off; indeed, the audience reaction seemed canned, like a sitcom laugh track.

The Democrats still have no idea how to respond to the Trump Show. But Donald is a magician peddling the same old bag of tricks. He gives a sugar buzz, but it evaporates almost immediately. And then he has to give another sugar buzz…and the public tolerance for showbiz glucosity is becoming sated. We can’t unsee the ICE thugs. Or next month’s utility bill, or the perverse warrens of the health care system. Trump’s tricking as fast as he can—and he did look rather spry last night—but he’s slipping down the hill, hoping for 40% approval, which is a long way from victory.

And guess what? In the deep slough of endless winter, we’re extending the special Sanity Clause 3rd Anniversary special subscription discount offer: