U.S. President Donald Trump gave his first presidential address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night in Washington, and to the surprise of virtually all who watched, he looked and, more importantly, sounded, presidential throughout the address. Trump was disciplined, sticking to his prepared remarks. His tone was subdued and the speech attempted to provide a vision for the country rather than focus on the man himself. As one especially vocal critic conceded after the address, Trump "became president of the United States."
While we join those who applaud the president for this turn, a close look at the speech reveals its shortcomings. There was little indication of how Trump will structure the many priorities he identified in his remarks. He again played fast and loose with facts; one fact-checker found "numerous inaccuracies." Overseas audiences will bemoan the lack of vision for foreign policy and the thoughts he did provide are alarming.
It was clear that something was different when the president began his address with a forthright denunciation of acts of vandalism and violence targeting Jewish Community Centers and Jewish cemeteries, as well as the shooting of Indian citizens in what appears to have been a hate crime. Trump said the country "stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms." Neither he nor his administration has been that direct in previous comments.