Former President Donald Trump played pundit again on Tuesday night, live-“truthing” President Biden’s State of the Union address on Truth Social. And he had surprisingly nice things to say about the president’s performance.
Before he was the president, Donald Trump was something of a pundit. For years, he would watch Fox News and other media and comment on what different politicians on TV were doing.
After his presidency, he’s continued to do so, even without Twitter.
On Tuesday, “by popular demand,” Trump live-posted about the State of the Union address on his Truth Social platform. Strangely, Trump indicated that he expected his once and possibly future political opponent to give a historically significant address.
“If properly done, and if Joe has just a modestly good night, this speech has the opportunity to rival any of the World’s great orators, including, Lincoln, Washington, and, of course, the late, great, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Winston Churchill,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We are truly a Nation In Decline, and for that reason I want Joe Biden to do well tonight!”
Throughout his commentary, Trump noted that the Capitol is being protected by an “expensive fence,” and noted that it was “not wanted at our border”. He took a shot at former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as new speaker Kevin McCarthy was seated behind the president for the first time.
“Nice to see Nancy Pelosi not sitting in the background. Hopefully, she’s spending more time with her husband!,” Trump said. Pelosi, however, is still in Congress, and was in attendance at the speech; Biden thanked her from the podium.
Donald Trump ripped Biden for various mistakes, such as his referring to Sen. Charles Schumer as the “minority leader” (he is the majority leader) and overusing the word “folks,” a term Biden has often used in speeches over the course of his career.
“He seems to be very angry, shouting into the mic, when he’s trying to come across as conciliatory. Perhaps somebody should walk up to the dais, tap him on the shoulder, and say, “Be cool!,” Trump wrote of Biden.
He also criticized Speaker Kevin McCarthy, because he was “having a seriously hard time staying awake. I give him credit for being true to himself and the cause. He is just not interested in what is being fed to the audience.”
Donald Trump made random comments about individual lawmakers. “J.D. Vance is looking good!,” he said of the new Ohio senator. He made fun of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s name (““But-edge-edge”). He again directed invective at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife Elaine Chao (“he forgot to thank Mitch McConnell and his lovely wife, Coco Chow, for giving him all of these Trillions of Dollars to waste!”)
“Having a hard time getting the words out, even though the Fake News will credit him with one of the Great Speeches of all time. I really want to see him improve. Come on Joe, you can do it!,” Trump said of Biden. But he did praise the First Lady.
“His wife, Jill, is looking lovely tonight in a beautiful purple dress, clapping and applauding with great enthusiasm.”
Of the viral moment when Biden defended Social Security, as Republicans in the crowd booed, Trump stated that “He’s lying so much about Social Security, Medicare, and so many other things!”
But Trump’s summation of the speech was more positive towards the president than much of the commentary.
“Look, he worked hard tonight, it’s not a natural thing for him, it never was, and never will be, but you’ve got to give him credit for trying,” he said.
“I disagree with him on most of his policies, but he put into words what he felt, and he ended up the evening far stronger than he began. Give him credit for that. Many things weren’t mentioned that should have been, but that’s for another time.”
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Expertise and Experience: Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
