DOUG SCHOEN: One big winner, one giant loser and one big problem after Trump's State of the Union

President Donald Trump gave a virtuoso show Tuesday night. He achieved a fig of important goals successful his State of the Union address, but it is unclear whether helium fundamentally changed the governmental dynamic successful America. Still, it was a large show — with profound messages.

The archetypal and astir important connection was that the American radical should subordinate the progress, aboriginal and occurrence of the state with the Trump medication and the Republican Party. The president spoke of transformations, turnarounds and, astir of all, "the aureate property of America." It was moving and uplifting — though not needfully arsenic persuasive arsenic helium whitethorn person hoped.

To beryllium sure, Trump made his astir compelling lawsuit yet that the affordability crisis, which Democrats utilized to triumph the 2025 off-year elections, was present yet nether control.

He besides made it wide that his Republican Party had policies connected wellness care, retirement, prices and, astir of all, taxes that helium argued would payment the American radical successful ways fewer person articulated.

At the aforesaid time, successful ways I person ne'er heard before, Trump utilized the code to castigate not lone the Biden medication but Democrats successful Congress, who did small to contiguous a unified beforehand astatine the State of the Union.

Between Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, being ejected from the House enclosure for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a enactment and members of the Squad jeering Trump and wearing buttons with expletives, the messaging by Democrats astatine the 2026 State of the Union was adjacent worse than past year. That was particularly existent fixed the much than 30 bare seats successful the chamber, arsenic immoderate Democrats chose to clasp their ain "People’s State of the Union" — immoderate that mightiness be.

Between Trump’s attacks and the Democrats’ behavior, it is hard to spot however the state emerged much agreed aft an bonzer presumption that had to beryllium moving to galore Americans. Indeed, different spot of Trump’s code was that helium explicitly associated the country’s occurrence with moving radical — particularly heroes who person achieved bonzer accomplishments for our nation, past and present. The explicit and implicit connection was this: By lasting with Trump and his policies, it was the lone mode America could execute the occurrence helium spoke of successful the discourse of the turnaround, the transformation, astir of all, the "golden age" helium said is underway.

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The president’s usage of imagery was almighty — from the victorious U.S. Olympic hockey squad to the subject heroes recognized successful the chamber. It was awe-inspiring and moving, and it near maine with a consciousness of pridefulness successful our state that I had not felt successful years during a State of the Union address.

Still, connected Tuesday night, I did not consciousness that galore minds were changed oregon that galore midterm voters were swayed by the president’s astir one-hour, 40-minute speech. While I americium by nary means sympathetic to today’s Democratic Party — particularly its progressive helping — the grade of attacks and venom expressed astatine what is traditionally a nonpartisan lawsuit was off-putting, adjacent to idiosyncratic who has spent 50 years successful the rough-and-tumble of politics.

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At the aforesaid time, Trump acceptable the docket for the midterm elections and made it wide helium volition tally a populist run based connected economical empowerment and affordability, contrasting it with a Democratic Party that helium said supports unfastened borders, higher taxes and policies hostile to instrumentality and order.

I americium convinced galore Americans recovered the code profoundly moving and compelling successful ways governmental events seldom achieve. I americium not convinced, however, that polls volition amusement the cardinal alteration that Trump and Republicans hoped would travel the State of the Union.

Time volition tell.

It was peculiarly compelling erstwhile Trump asked lawmakers successful the enclosure to basal if they believed successful the "fundamental principle" that "the archetypal work of the American authorities is to support American citizens, not amerciable aliens." Almost nary Democrats stood. 

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The determination drew a predictable and lengthy lasting ovation from Republicans. But I americium not convinced that, fixed what polls amusement is wide nationalist interest astir ICE’s actions, that the infinitesimal — arsenic bonzer arsenic it was — volition marque migration the winning contented it was successful 2024. Yes, Americans admit the Trump administration’s accomplishment successful sealing the border. But galore are present judging the president and his enactment much connected ICE’s actions successful large cities than connected Homeland Security’s enactment astatine the border.

President Trump delivered a large code Tuesday night, but a important situation remains: I bash not judge galore minds were changed, nor were Americans brought together.

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