For decades, interviewing Donald Trump, I sometimes do a lightning question at the end. This has always been his favorite part. He gave a brief view of a range of political and cultural themes.
Now he turns the entire presidency into a lightning round, sending a series of breathless executive orders, striking tariffs around the world, causing Elon Musk to sip outside the federal government, blowing up the alliance as he pulled Vladimir Putin off the closure. Trump’s energy, his output and the vast amount of words he said during his six weeks before his presidency are amazing.
He sprinkled more in his speech at a joint Congress meeting Tuesday night, talking for 100 minutes, the longest speech to Congress’ presidential speech.
Again, it works like lightning. He was Jackson’s action, leaving the World Health Organization by committing to racing to cut regulations, getting rid of seemingly stupid or redundant foreign aid programs. Even if the Atlanta Fed says the economy will sign this quarter, he exaggerated the economic success. He sprinted through rough arguments, painted electric cars as evil, predicted tariffs would lead to a car boom, and asserted that nearly 20 million people in the century-old era (some push 150) are getting social security. (Data shows that in December 2024, only 98 people received social security payments.)
He sounds like a Bob Barker-style game show host who throws prizes in a fast-shooting style on his gallery guests. Congratulations, you are going to go for the pastry! Congratulations, you are now in the Secret Service!
He is loud, confident and powerful, and for his supporters, he is very effective. Republican lawmakers were ecstatic, despite many being upset about his tariff obsession – the market plunged the past week – his disgusting embrace of Putin.
Democrats can only fight this dominant Trump by refusing to applaud or stand, waving small paddles that include “musk stealing” and “false” messages, dressing in pink, or being abandoned on behalf of Al Green.
They will need a bigger boat.
When I interviewed Trump in the 2016 game, I wondered if the profane and violent former reality star would become president. He replied that he could do this if he wanted, pointing out that he could spend the meal with the social masters of Palm Beach.
But it turns out that Trump does not need to change his behavior to become president. He just changed his presidency to match his personality.
He mocked Elizabeth Warren for “Pocahontas” at a political rally and once again mocked her for “Pocahontas” in a formal speech to Congress.
He sprayed the air with exaggeration and untrue attitude at the rally, and he felt it necessary to add any facts to the president. After the speech, Nancy Pelosi declared: “A declaration of misunderstanding.”
He ignores what he is saying and doing blatantly conflicting. He praised the police, saying they would receive “very worthy of respect” and called for death sentences to anyone who murdered the police. Even though he supports the insurgents, he called them nearly 1,600 “patriots” in the January 6 attack on the Capitol, police were hurt to try to fight the violent Trump mob.
He declared in the House Chamber: “The days of unelected bureaucracy are over”, ignoring Musk’s irony, the most powerful non-elected government official in history waving a chainsaw – basking in the sun in the first lady’s box. (Finally wearing a suit.)
Trump yelled to Robert F. Kennedy: “Our goal is to get toxins out of the environment.” But Trump has been eliminating regulations to achieve this. He wants to make in-depth layoffs in the EPA, and the agency’s two top appointments are former chemical executives.
He pays homage to a child, he says he may get cancer from chemicals despite being cut by science and public health research.
He praised tariff hikes as “protecting the soul of our country,” he said, “I love farmers – now they will sell into our home market, the United States,” but many farmers make money abroad, so they may not appreciate Trump’s savage sigh, “There is a lot of fun. I love you, too.”
Trump said in shock that he “brought back to America’s freedom of speech.” Meanwhile, some of his execution orders require the government axe to choose the words and phrases of “wake up”, and he threatens that schools that tolerate certain types of protests will lose federal funds.
He also banned the Associated Press from covering him on the Oval Office and Air Force One because the News Agency would not bend over and called the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of the United States.
When his administration summoned Joseph McCarthy by asking the name of the government employees, it seemed unpleasant to boast about freedom of speech. The administration has set up a hotline to get targeted publicity to promote colleagues at DEI and head of the FBI’s New York field office when he interfered in Trump’s revenge rage, urging employees to “dig” and refuse to name the agents working on the January 6 case.
Other presidents may try to heal the division after a fierce election, not Trump. He knew that dragging the Democrats, lifting up the division and inspiring the cultural war brought him into the oval, and he never gave up on what made him number one.
Trump ruthlessly wasted his ex in his speech, blaming him for everything he had and even the price of eggs. He ignored the etiquette that once marked as a president’s speech, and he regarded Joe Biden as “the worst president in American history.”
As usual, he won all the honors and blamed everyone else on blame.
“We have Marco Rubio in charge,” Trump said, adding that as his secretary of state looked, “now we know who to blame if there is anything wrong.”
Trump has not focused on his campaign promises to lower prices. But at the Capitol, he finally asked the question. Egg prices are out of control. We are working hard to restore it to its original state. “He then quickly handed the bucks over to Brooke Rollins, the secretary of agriculture. “Secretary, did a great job in this regard. ”
He offered a softer tone in Ukraine, citing a message from Volodymyr Zelensky urging peace and said he was ready to sign a mineral deal. Now that Trump has forced Ukrainian President Grovel, who has already humiliated war heroes in public and placed his swollen self above the long-standing foreign policy principles of the United States, he may give Zelensky another chance.
His new imperialist attitude is on display, in stark contrast to his old rant, as his career in Iraq and Afghanistan fails how bad George W. Bush is. Regarding Greenland, Trump said: “One way or another, we will get it.” He also vowed: “My administration will take back the Panama Canal, and we’ve already started doing that.”
Of course, the thrust of Trump’s speech is to glorify himself, claiming that when he escapes assassination, God has given him sanctification. The point is to brag about yourself is the best. What he once boasted was that the Trump Tower restaurant rolls were “the best rolls in the city.”
He said the first month of the presidency was “the most successful in national history. What else makes it more impressive is, you know who is who? George Washington. What about that?”
Trump reshaped his presidency in his own image, just like he reshaped the Republican Party. The first presidential speech of his new term reflects all his old rally: it is an ode to himself.
