State of the Union 2026

I stayed up late last night to watch President Trump's State of the Union Speech. In curiosity, I even stayed tuned for the rebuttal by Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger of Virginia. I would have to say that rather than giving a speech, Trump put on a performance, a performance that unlike most State of the Union addresses was hard not to watch despite its length. 

Thinking about it this morning, I looked back on old Weekly Bystander posts and found that I had forgotten that Trump had given a spectacular performance in his first State of the Union address back in 2017. Then, even liberal opponents had to give him credit. I wrote,

Donald Trump and his political advisors put together a brilliant speech Tuesday night in his address to the Congress. David Brooks on PBS gave him an “A”, and even liberal commentator Mark Shields had to grudgingly give him a  “C+”. Trump touched all the high points of his familiar message but did it in such a fashion as to make even liberal commentators say that he appeared “Presidential.” 

He also used with great effect the touching stories of some ordinary Americans who had been invited to attend, a practice used by many previous Presidents in State of the Union messages. Their stories were heart-warming and even heart wrenching.

 If anything, the stories in 2026 were even more heart wrenching. Who will ever forget the Marine standing at attention despite his wounded legs, and receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role in leading the Maduro raid.

Today, I do worry, just as I did in 2017, that Trump’s promises may have set the bar too high. If he can deliver on his promises and fulfill his lofty vision for America, he will be one of the greatest Presidents in history. I know it is good to set goals and aim high but now President Trump will have to deliver. I do not think it will be an easy task given the state of the Union today.

There will be vicious battles in many of our states as the mid-term elections approach. Governor Spanberger's speech was practically a declaration of war. We have a fleet prepared to attack Iran if negotiations fail, but it seems that the Democratic opposition rather than supporting the President's foreign policies  would like them to fail. 

I think my conclusion in 2017 is still appropriate today. I wrote,

I have to admit that when I hear a brilliant speech delivered by a real pro like Trump, I have mixed feelings. It was hard not to be inspired by his message but at the same time, I had to wonder. Could Trump just be, as some suspect, a con man? I don’t think so. It is more likely that he could be a con man who has been converted by his own message or cause in the manner of film characters such as  Professor Harold Hill in “The Music Man," or Gary Cooper in Frank Capra’s masterpiece, “Meet John Doe." However, both these fictional characters were down and out drifters before they rose to prominence. Trump was a billionaire businessman as well as a celebrity already.

I like to think that Trump is more in the line of a wealthy Renaissance merchant who realizes that he must attain political power not only to preserve and protect what he and his family have gained over a lifetime, but also to preserve and protect the city or country that have done so much for him and his family.

The true test of the Trump administration will be on how much it can deliver. If President Trump can just deliver on a third of his promises, it will be a successful Presidency. Batting .333 is good in any league. I hope commentators will begin to focus on what the Trump administration is actually doing, and not on what they fear he will do.*

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*Note: I do think the President could have done a better job last night in his discussion of fraud in Minnesota. Instead of blaming the whole Somali community in Minneapolis, he could have explained that the fraudsters did not just defraud taxpayers, but they kept aid from reaching people in need. Money intended for hungry children, for education, and for those suffering from autism was diverted and often sent abroad. Their Governor, their Attorney General, their representatives in Congress all failed to protect the needy in Minnesota.