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Raul Reyes: On immigration, Trump puts on a cynical show
On Tuesday night, instead of the 2020 State of the Union, President Donald Trump presented an extended partisan rally. This spectacle included handing out an "opportunity scholarship" to an African-American child, presenting the Medal of Freedom to a divisive radio host and surprising a military wife with the appearance of her husband. These were calculated stunts worthy of reality television -- not befitting the President's annual address to the nation.
The tone of the evening was set right from the beginning, when the President refused to shake the extended hand of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. So much for setting politics aside and affirming unity.
Over the next roughly 90 minutes, Trump seemingly could not call attention to his accomplishments without resorting to putting down past administrations or bashing Democrats. This had the unintended effect of making the Commander-in-Chief look boastful, petty and small.
On border security and immigration, Trump was entirely predictable. He highlighted his administration's action on immigration, while failing to mention that his policies have been largely carried out through executive orders and regulations, thus bypassing Congress.
He bragged about building his border wall, without mentioning that Mexico is certainly not paying for it. He recited gruesome stories of crimes by undocumented migrants, playing to his xenophobic base. Decrying so-called sanctuary cities, Trump declared, "the United States of America should be a sanctuary for law-abiding Americans."
This was said without a shred of irony by the President whose companies have long hired undocumented workers, and who himself stands accused of high crimes and misdemeanors (all of which he denies.)
It was also notable what went unspoken during his speech: No mention of voting rights, the threat of foreign interference in our election or income inequality. No mention of the earthquakes in Puerto Rico, the dangers of white supremacist violence or the ballooning federal deficit. And forget about climate change or the Dreamers. Instead, the President who has repeatedly shown disrespect for American institutions, values and norms has now debased the State of the Union address itself.
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Posted by Erin Burnett to Rush Limbaugh at February 5, 2020 at 1:34 PM
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