Jan 31st, 2018, 04:37 PM

The State of Delusion 2018

By Marissa Stanley
Image Credit : Gage Skidmore
A lookback at President Donald Trump's State of the Union address.

United States President Donald Trump spoke to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night for the historic State of the Union. What is supposed to be an address to both Republican and Democratic members of Congress to set up a budget and economic report as well as give the goals for the future of the country, was twisted into a reality TV show in the most Trumpian style. The speech was very clearly read off a teleprompter, which meant President Donald Trump got to play the character of actually being a respected president. This act did not land with the crowd though. From Melania Trump to the majority of the Democratic Party, the applause seemed to fall short. There was an obvious divide in a night that was supposed to demonstrate a united and efficient government. 

What President Trump performed Tuesday night was his dream: a crowd of people forced to listen to him, while he got to speak of his "accomplishments," forever soaking in the fact that he won the presidency. His speech compared to many of his others: some truths, some lies, and a whole lot of stagecraft. President Trump spoke of his usual accomplishments: the economy is at its best and unemployment rates are at their lowest. Although, this is proven to be not an accomplishment that can be credited to him, but rather, Former President Barack Obama. The faces of the Black Congressional Caucus, while he spoke of his false accomplishments, demonstrated this.

Without fail, President Trump spoke of his only piece of legislation that he has been able to pass within his first year — his beloved tax reform. He often describes it as the "biggest" and as a "gift" to the American people for the holiday season. President Donald Trump's Republican party hold the House, the Senate, and the Presidency but still couldn't unite to pass any other major piece of legislation. His tax plan has been credited with helping big corporations and the wealthy. The new bill is set off of a trickle-down economic plan, which is a Reagan-era system that is known to be flawed. This means that the wealth will eventually trickle down to middle and lower class citizens because the wealthy will invest in businesses allowing for the businesses to grow, creating cheaper products and hiring more people. It has proven time and time again that this system of economics does not work. Cutting taxes for the wealthy does not equal jobs for the poor. 

His speech spoke of his future goals: lower prices for prescription medication, immigration reform and expanding the nuclear weapons program. His promises for the future were sugar-coated stink bugs and nothing we have not heard before during the last year. Lowering prices for prescription medication sounds great, but remember that the Republicans are still trying to take away universal health care which helps pay for this medication. His immigration reform is faulty due to President Trump being inconsistent about DACA and still wanting his wall to be funded. He intends to expand the nuclear program, even though he has continuously provoked North Korea about nuclear weapons

Another common and unexpected theme of the night was "unity." This may be considered strange for a man that has referred to Nazis as being "decent people," for a man that wants to ban people based on their religion, for a man that is willing to easily separate family members. He called for Democrats and Republicans to work together for the American people. Although, it seems, like any of the time the two parties are working together the President is off playing golf or throwing a tantrum on Twitter. The message of unity is one that we should be promoting right now, but President Donald Trump's definition of the word calls for unity of the people he sees fit to join. 

President Donald Trump spoke like the man he should be, rather than who he actually is. President Trump has been living in a world that is swarmed with lies and delusion. He is the great divider of the American people. He actions do not compare to the optimistic words he spoke. 

Although these times may seem rough, it is important to remember that there is a future. President Donald Trump will not win his battles in trying to erase Former President Barack Obama's legacy or trying to push the United States back in time. As the late poet Maya Angelou wrote, "You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated."

So, what did can we take away from President Donald Trump's State of the Union address? 

He can successfully read off a teleprompter and it is time to put into action the change we want to see.  

The 2018 State of the Union in 4 minutes