The Note: Diving into Trump's first address to Congress

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March 1, 2017

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Diving into Trump's first address to Congress

The Big Story

Choose your own superlative. It was the most effective speech of President Trump's time in office, his most presidential address, the one where he most clearly surpassed expectations. It's also, to his critics, the most dangerous speech the president has given because he managed to package his campaign promises in a newly compelling way, despite all the noise and chaos of the past six weeks. The White House even worked in a surprise of a genuine emotional moment, turning the story about the Yemen raid into one of American sacrifice and valor, not botched planning or bungled execution. The evening was a reminder that the president did just get elected, got elected for a reason, and can look and sound like a president when he wants to. Bringing a new tone to this next phase could mean real presidential momentum, if Trump is able to bottle the energy from the House chamber into some tangible results.

The Sleeper Story

It's Republican unity, but it comes with a price. The laundry list has expensive items: paid family leave, health care tax credits, a sweeping tax cut, a big boost in military spending, and the trillion-dollar infrastructure plan. When Republican members of Congress were done applauding, those price tags started to make themselves known. The ultimate cost may be the very unity the president was trying to purchase. Trump is still facing down a party with deep divisions on how to handle "repeal and replace" Obamacare – something that was supposed to be the easy part of the Republican agenda. Trump has redefined what it means to be conservative, but only to an extent. Last night may be remembered as a high point for party unity, when it needs to be a starting point.

The Shiny Story

Is the era of "trivial fights" truly over? Countless pixels have been burned pondering the question of whether this, or that, or that time in the way-back past, is the moment that a newly mature Donald Trump showed up. He's been on his best Twitter behavior of late, but he's done that before for a few days at a time. With his continued willingness to call out what he labels "fake news," his critique of the Oscars, his new jousting with President Obama – don't believe the hype this time about a new Trump who acts like a grown-up. To Trump, no fight has seemed too trivial to engage in before. It's "small thinking" to assume that this change will be permanent.

TLDR

The biggest surprise from Donald Trump's joint address last night wasn't what he said, but how he said it. His tone was one we haven't seen from the still-new president since that stunner of an election night. The question now is, will it continue?

Trump pitches unity to Congress amid turbulent start to presidency

President Donald Trump delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, addressing a host of familiar themes from his campaign and calling for unity to address a litany of issues that he says are plaguing the country. Trump's call for an end to the "pure unadulterated division" and "trivial fights" comes in the wake of a bruising campaign and a tumultuous start to his presidency, squaring off against critics as well as waging a pitched battle against the media, reports ABC's MEGHAN KENEALLY. http://abcn.ws/2mD3OaV 7 LINES TO REMEMBER FROM TRUMP'S ADDRESS, Courtesy of ABC's ADAM KELSEY: http://abcn.ws/2mIEFLd