Predictably, former President Donald Trump was critical of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.
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In a recorded video, Trump issued what he referred to as “the real state of the union,” which was just a slew of Joe Biden criticism.
Donald Trump argued that Biden and “the radical Democrats” were failing on various policy fronts, including immigration, crime, transgender issues, and the Russo-Ukraine War.
So, basically, Trump’s message was the standard conservative fare – but delivered in a really bizarre fashion.
Donald Trump Gave His Own Crazy State of the Union
“Joe Biden’s weaponized Justice Department – and I’m a victim of it – is persecuting his political opponents. His administration is waging war on free speech. They’re trying to indoctrinate and mutilate our children,” Trump said in the video.
“He’s leading us to the brink of World War III. And on top of all of that, he’s the most corrupt president in American history.”
Yikes. There’s a lot to unpack there. A few things to note.
First, Trump is not the victim of a weaponized Justice Department. The Justice Department is investigating Donald Trump – but has so far restrained from prosecuting the former president. So, the victim claim is a bit premature. But that’s Trump’s whole schtick. Regardless of context – Trump claims victimhood.
Second, as far as I know, Biden’s administration is not waging war on free speech. The left has become increasingly illiberal, with respect to policing speech and cancel culture and all of that – I suppose that’s what Trump is referring to – but I can’t attribute any of those illiberal tendencies to the Biden administration.
Third, the Biden administration isn’t trying to “indoctrinate and mutilate our children.” I believe Trump refers to the uptick in people declaring themselves transgender and electing gender reassignment surgery. The Biden administration may implicitly accept the whole transgender thing but does not seem to be pushing any sort of agenda.
Now, if Trump were referring to the left generally, he may have an argument; the left does have agenda that much of the country finds controversial – but that’s not what Trump said.
Four, Biden and the west are playing a dangerous game in Ukraine. Propping up the Ukrainian military, without aggressively pushing for a peace settlement, has allowed war to persist for twelve months while continuously antagonizing a nuclear power. Donald Trump has a valid point here. Unfortunately, the point is buttressed between two hyperbolic and absurd points, and loses credibility accordingly.
Fifth, Biden is not the most corrupt president in US history. I assume Donald Trump is referring to the Hunter Biden thing. I don’t know. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear Biden has taken some liberties at one point during his 50 years in Washington. Is he corrupt? It depends on how one defines corruption. No one has credibly made a charge of corruption stick. We know he’s plagiarized, like, a few times. We suspect Biden suppressed Tara Reid’s harassment claims. We suspect Biden probably helped his sons get a job or two. But, in applying a boilerplate definition of corruption, I’m going to rate Biden as the least corrupt of the last two presidents in office.
Clearly, Trump still has a bone to pick with Biden – who defeated Trump in the 2020 election.
Trump has already declared his candidacy for the 2024 election while Biden is expected to do the same in the next few weeks.
If Donald Trump can hang on to win the GOP primary, the two men may be on a collision course for a rematch.
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Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison lives in Oregon and listens to Dokken.
