President Donald Trump was in peak form Tuesday night when he addressed Congress.
For over an hour, Trump riled up the Republican half of the audience with declarations about what he had accomplished, from completing “the largest deportation operation in American history” to the tariffs that he has imposed on foreign countries to his quest to get rid of “wokeness” in the government and schools. He also bragged about targeting trans people.
As I watched him go on about the accomplishments, I could see the energy of Republicans in the room. And what I saw made me nervous for the rest of his presidency.
“Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the golden age of America,” Trump said. “From that moment on, it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country.”
Republicans were on the edge of their seats, constantly standing to applaud the man they probably owe their political careers to. They cheered when Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) were mentioned. Vice President JD Vance could barely contain his glee as Trump listed all of the initiatives in the United States and abroad that had been labeled “DEI.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia wore a MAGA red hat saying, “Trump was right about everything.”
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For them, this is no cause for concern – it was a celebration, a so-called return to normalcy. For some of us, it was a reminder of the political target Republicans have played on our lives.
“And our country will be woke no longer,” Trump told Congress.
Trump was quick to remind us of his hate for trans people
Trump spoke of his declaration that there would only be two genders recognized by the United States.
“I also signed an executive order to ban men from playing in women’s sports,” Trump said, before going on to tell the story of Payton McNabb, a high school student who became an activist against transgender girls in women’s sports after suffering a brain injury when a trans girl spiked a volleyball at her.
He recognized several anti-trans activists, including January Littlejohn, whose story about her child’s Florida public school transitioning them without her consent doesn’t entirely match what emails obtained by CNN show.
Trump brought it all back to immigration – how the number of border crossings was going down, and how the country was going to keep criminals off the streets. It is horrifying to watch Trump exploit these people’s pain to justify his vile treatment of immigrants.
“We are achieving the great liberation of America,” Trump said. I guess Republicans don’t care that their “liberation” comes at the persecution of other Americans.
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Rep. Al Green showed Democrats how to protest Trump’s lies
I was glad to see one Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Al Green of Texas, stand and speak in protest of the administration. He was escorted out of the chamber.
A few other Democrats left throughout Trump’s address. Most Democrats, though, stayed in their seats, holding circular signs with straightforward slogans like “Musk steals” and “save Medicaid.” None of that will alter the hateful course Republicans seem dedicated to taking America through. But it’s good to see Democrats finally showing some fight.
Opinion:Trump’s speech described an America that doesn’t exist, and Republicans ate it up
Watching Republicans cheer for Trump’s hate was depressing
I’m dismayed that Republicans are cheering while Trump uses racist, hateful rhetoric to talk about other human beings. I’m terrified that no one seems willing or able to stand up to his delusions of grandeur.
Before we know it, we won’t be able to recognize the United States as the progressive and inclusive country we were slowly becoming.
I’ve spent a lot of time since Trump’s inauguration thinking about my LGBTQ + community. I’m thinking about my various identities and how they intersect. I’m thinking of the people I care about that Trump and Republicans are trying to erase. All we can do is continue, despite it all.
I want to live in a country where everyone is recognized for who they are. After this speech, I fear that we are not going to be there for a long time and I fear that it’s precisely how Republicans want it.
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