President Donald Trump addressed the nation in prime-time Tuesday night and gave his first State of the Union address as Commander in Chief.
In continuing his ethos and mission, “Make America Great Again,” the President lifted up America and called for a “new American moment.”
And, in the United States, “there has never been a better time to start living the American dream,” Trump said, noting that the economy has never been better.
While reflecting on the administration’s achievements throughout the past year, Trump also stressed that there needs to be unity in moving America forward even more.
He also spoke for several minutes about America’s military and its veterans, and the honor they deserve – and that the American flag represents our country’s heroes.
“It’s why we salute our flag. Why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem,” Trump said. “Americans love their country, and they deserve a government that shows them the same love and loyalty in return.”
“We are serving our brave veterans,” Trump continued, “including giving veterans choice in their healthcare decisions.”
Trump touted the VA Accountability Act.
“Since its passage, my admin has already removed more than 1,500 VA employees who failed to give our veterans the care they deserve,” Trump said. “We are hiring people who love our vets as much as we do.”
“I will not stop until our veterans are properly taken care of, which has been my promise to them since the very beginning of this great journey,” the President added.
Trump had not tweeted for more than 24 hours leading up to the State of the Union – unusual for a President who regularly communicates in 160 characters or more.
The speech was prepared over the course of several months, and Trump had input in creating it. He was assisted by National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and Gary Cohn, Economy Adviser.
The speech lasted about 80 minutes.
Rep. Joe Kennedy from Massachusetts gave the Democrats’ response speech following the President’s address. Kennedy is the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy.
