
Trump mixes tough talk and calls for unity in first State of the Union
President Donald Trump sought to infuse his maiden State of the Union address with an undercurrent of optimism, declaring Tuesday the nation was thriving a year after he took office.
Arguing for bipartisan efforts while trumpeting the roaring stock market and low unemployment, Trump struck a unifying tone after a year of stoking divisions on race, politics and gender.
He advocated for an immigration proposal that would allow up to 1.8 undocumented immigrants to remain in the country while funding a border wall, ending the visa lottery system and reforming family immigration rules.
He rhetorically played off the ongoing efforts to reach a deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, saying, "Americans are dreamers, too."
He spoke about the "Biggest tax cuts and reform in American history," record low black unemployment and major victories against ISIS. CNN's Reality Check Team was ready to vet his claims.
In a Democratic rebuttal that was sharply critical of the President's speech, Rep. Joe Kennedy tied the turmoil of the past year to Trump's administration, saying, "We all feel the fault lines of a fractured country."
And while it's important not to over-analyze what the speech means for Trump's presidency -- his first year in office suggests what he says one day means very little for what he will do the next -- CNN's Chris Cillizza offers six takeaways. Source 4c.
Would you feel like having "Unity" as Trump called it after his state of the union address which by the way was carried out in normal fashion without all the fan fare and side topics he usually makes.
International Level: Senior Politician / Political Participation: 177 17.7%