Washington – The president is aimed at the nation, whether joint meetings of the congress or the state of the trade union speeches, historically an opportunity to promote national unity and at the same time emphasize political differences.
This ship has been sailing for a long time, but the speech by President Trump in the Capitol on Tuesday evening – and the reaction of the legislators of both parties – was remarkable and fiery from the moment and most recently controversial.
When Trump entered the chamber, Riss Rep. Lance Godden (R-Texas) a sign with the inscription “This is not normal” from Rep. Melanie Stansbury (Dn.M.) when he came past her.
As soon as Trump took over the podium, democratic legislators showed small black signs: “Rescue of Medicaid”, “Musk steals” and “protective veterans”. After Trump called his victory on November 5 as an unprecedented mandate, rep. Al Green (D-Texas) got up and screamed: “You have no mandate!” how he focused on the president.
Spokesman Mike Johnson (R-La.) Wait that he would instruct the Sergeant at Arms to restore order if senators and representatives did not observe a decency. When Green stood and said, Johnson said: “Remove this gentleman from the chamber.” Green was managed as a republican legislator: “USA! USA!”
The protests of the Democrats continued during the speech when they laughed at the topics of the president and grumbled loudly. Others got up to present T-shirts with the inscription “Resistance”. Some left the room and turned the president's back to go up the aisle when he was still talking.
Shortly before the president ended his speech, the Democrats sang “6. January ”, a memory of the violent amount of Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol four years ago.
It is not unusual for presidents to announce their achievements during such addresses – something that Trump has repeatedly done – and rarely mentioned their predecessors. But in an unusually hard language in the house chamber, Trump repeatedly attacked the former president Biden and described him as “the worst president in American history”.
Trump also noticed how he won the referendum together with the election college, and mentioned the name of the candidate he defeated, the former Vice President Kamala Harris. This was also unusual for an address in front of the house and the Senate.
In the past, the speeches in these revered environments tried to achieve a tone of unity and cohesion among the Americans, which were embodied by President Reagan's statements in such places.
But in different times, these occurred before the existence of social media and the large number of media that enable the audience to select the transmitters and writers, whose views match their own.
One of the first remarkable outbursts occurred in 2009 when Rep. Joe Wilson (Rs.c.) called: “You lie!” President Obama focused on addressing the law on affordable care for both congress chambers. At that time, the outbreak was a shocking break from tradition. Soon afterwards, his colleagues in the house blamed him in a vote that was largely in the party line.
Republican representatives Lauren Boebert from Colorado, left, and Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia, rights, scream, “build the wall!” As President Biden stated his condition of the Union in 2022. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) Lies between them.
(Evelyn Hockstein / Associated Press)
The representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA.) And Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) Also often interrupted the former President Biden during his state of the Union.
However, the change in behavior is not limited to one side of the partisan course.
After Trump ended his state of the Union in 2020, the then spokesman for the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), deliberately tore her copy of his speech.
The then spokesman Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) tears her copy of President Trump's state of the Union after submitting it in February 2020.
(Associated Press)
Mehta reported from Los Angeles and Pinho from Washington. Times Staff Writer Kevin Rector contributed to this report.