President Trump Delivers State of the Union

Last week, President Donald Trump delivered his first official State of the Union address in front of Congress. The one-hour-and-twenty-minute speech focused on the success of the economy in Trump’s first year and his fulfilled campaign promises to date. The optimistic tone has reflected in the polls, with a CBS poll released the day after the speech giving a 75% approval of the speech.

Congress itself was split down partisan lines on opinion of the speech. While republican congressmen/women applauded often throughout the speech, Democrats offered a rebuttal led by Joe Kennedy III (D-MA). Kennedy focused on the President’s numbers on taxes and job growth. Also Kennedy questioned whether the playing field was level for all, stating, “This administration isn’t just targeting the laws that protect us – they are targeting the very idea that we are all worthy of protection. For them, dignity isn’t something you’re born with but something you measure.”

Carrying on with tradition President Trump invited several guests to Capitol Hill. He named the following guests in the speech: Coast Guard Petty Officer Ashlee Leppert, California firefighter David Dahlberg, Homeland Security Agent C.J. Martinez, Albuquerque Police Officer Ryan Holets, Army Staff Sergeant Justin Peck, Ohio business owners Steve Staub and Sandy Keplinger and employee Corey Adams, the parents of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens, who were both murdered last year, 12-year-old Preston Sharp, who planted flags in the graves of veterans, and Ji Seong-Ho, a man who traveled on crutches to escape North Korea and works to aid defectors.

According to a Monmouth University poll, Trump’s approval rating jumped to 42% after the State of the Union aired. According to FiveThirtyEight, the approval rating is expected to stagnate at 45% for this week.

Watch this space for more information on Capitol Hill following the State of the Union address.