What Stood Out in Trump’s Speech to Congress? – Go Health Pro

Kim Strassel

Donald Trump’s style isn’t to everyone’s liking, but his Tuesday speech shows his team has cracked the code for making the substance count. The president’s fifth congressional address was the most effective of his presidencies, presenting an administration of action and resolve. He drilled home his biggest priorities—with help from powerful audience invitees.

After the expected whirlwind recounting of his first six weeks of cuts, freezes, withdrawals and executive orders, the president dug into the initiatives he wants to sustain. His list of government waste was sure to make an impression and rally support for his Department of Government Efficiency. He elaborated on the success of his border controls—highlighting two mothers of Americans murdered by undocumented migrants—as he asked Congress to fulfill his next border-funding requests. He spotlighted his support for local police, naming a 13-year-old cancer survivor who dreams of being a police officer an honorary Secret Service member. And he endeavored to explain his tariff policies as a matter of “fairness,” albeit also acknowledging they could cause some “disturbance” to the economy.

The president wasn’t above poking at the other side, yet the speech generally radiated optimism. While Mr. Trump didn’t shy away from describing problems—crime, high prices, foreign unrest, fentanyl—the overall message was of renewal and resurgence. That’s a message a lot of Americans have been waiting to hear. 

—Ms. Strassel is a member of the Journal’s editorial board. She writes the weekly Potomac Watch column and the All Things online newsletter.