The Trump Presidency
Communications

Speech to Congress ... Trump’s First 100 Days: His speech differed in style, not substance

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Trump’s First 100 Days: His speech differed in style, not substance

Here’s where things stand heading into Day 41 of the Trump administration:

President Trump’s first speech to Congress on Tuesday night didn’t sound like his speeches on the campaign trail.

For one thing, Trump was calm. He read from a teleprompter, with little ad-libbing. He adopted the tone, cadence and vocabulary expected of a major political speech. Even his body language was more controlled.

The address might have seemed unusual for Trump as a result. But if you listened closely, it became clear that the difference was in its style, not its substance. Underneath the polished exterior were the same themes and promises that Trump used to fire up his base during the election and that continue to provoke controversy in the early days of his presidency.

Consider the images he summoned.

“Dying industries.” “Crumbling infrastructure.” “Our terrible drug epidemic.” “Our neglected inner cities.” “Attacks at home.”

President Trump's address to Congress, in 3 minutes Embed Share Play Video3:00

President Trump promised to lower taxes, combat terrorism and replace the Affordable Care Act in a speech to a joint session of Congress, Feb. 28. Here are key moments from that speech. (Video: Sarah Parnass/Photo: Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

In short, an America in dangerous decline — a decline Trump says he can reverse. This is a rhetorical mainstay for Trump, and he did not abandon it Tuesday night.

Now take matters of policy. Some expected Trump would use his speech to stake out more moderate positions on certain issues. A natural choice might be immigration reform: Earlier in the day, Trump had expressed openness to creating a path to legal status for illegal immigrants.

But that also did not happen. Trump did not moderate his positions in his speech. He also did not mention a path to legal status for undocumented people, choosing instead to focus on the dangers of illegal immigration.

POTUS BLAMES MILITARY LEADERS FOR SEAL’S DEATH

The emotional peak of Trump’s speech was his reference to the Navy SEAL killed during a covert mission the president authorized in Yemen in late January.


Trump to widow of fallen Navy SEAL: 'Ryan's legacy is etched into eternity' Embed Share Play Video1:25

A tearful Carryn Owens, the widow of U.S. Navy SEAL William 'Ryan' Owens who died in a raid in Yemen, received a standing ovation from Congress when President Trump acknowledged her husband's bravery. (Photo: Melina Mara, The Post/Reuters)

Earlier in the day, Trump had blamed military leaders for the man’s death. Generals “lost” Senior Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owens during an operation “they wanted to do,” Trump told Fox News on Tuesday morning.

“They came to see me and they explained what they wanted to do, the generals, who are very respected,” he said. “My generals are the most respected that we’ve had in many decades, I believe. And they lost Ryan.”

Trump did not acknowledge his responsibility in Owens’s death as the “senior-most leader in the United States military chain of command,” our colleague wrote.

TRUMP QUESTIONS SOURCE OF ANTI-SEMITIC THREATS

Trump opened his speech with a reference to the recent increase in anti-Semitic incidents around the country.

“While we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms,” he said.

It was the second time in recent days Trump had criticized the wave of bomb threats and vandalism at Jewish cemeteries.


Police officers walk through a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia after acts of vandalism. (Bastiaan Slabbers/EPA)

At the same time, his comment struck an odd note after something Trump said earlier in the day.

During one private meeting on Tuesday, the president questioned who is behind the recent spate of incidents and suggested the people responsible are “the reverse” of who some might expect.

It’s hard to tell what exactly this means because Trump’s word choice is unclear. But it is possible the president was suggesting the incidents are fakes designed to paint his supporters as anti-Semitic.

Advocacy groups, perceiving this possibility, swiftly denounced Trump’s comments in statements to the press.

“We are astonished by what the President reportedly said,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League.

“To cast doubt on the authenticity of Anti-Semitic hate crimes in America constitutes Anti-Semitism in itself,” said Steven Goldstein, executive director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect.

FINALLY, ABOUT THAT DOSSIER …

Remember the controversial dossier about Trump assembled last year by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele?

That was the file alleging, in part, that Trump associates colluded with the Kremlin to hack Democrats during the election and that Russia holds personally compromising information on Trump.

It is still unclear whether the details in the dossier are true. But The Post uncovered a new detail about Steele on Tuesday: We now know that the FBI reached an agreement with Steele a few weeks before the election to pay him to continue his research.

In the end, Steele was not paid by the FBI. But the fact of his prior arrangement “shows that the bureau considered him credible and found his information, while unproved, to be worthy of further investigation,” our colleagues wrote. Follow the author @eliseviebeck.