WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump stood before a Congress and a nation sharply divided by impeachment and used his State of the Union address to extol a “Great American Comeback” on his watch. That’s just three years after he took office decrying a land of “American carnage” under his predecessor.
” We meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential. As we begin a new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans.
Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one nation. (Applause.)
The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It’s the agenda of the American people.” Read full speech.
President Donald Trump leaned hard on the strong U.S. economy as he made the case for his reelection in the State of the Union address. His speech came at an extraordinary moment, on the eve of a Senate vote on his impeachment, where he is expected to be acquitted and become the first president with that stain on his record to actively campaign for a second term.
WATCH FULL SPEECH:
” width=”560″ height=”315″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=”allowfullscreen”>
The tension in the room was clear, including an icy exchange with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The partisan discord in Washington was on vivid display Tuesday as the first president to campaign for reelection while facing impeachment vigorously made his case for another term: Republican legislators chanted “Four More Years.”
President Donald Trump started his State of the Union address to chants of 'four more years' and he told lawmakers 'The state of our union is stronger than ever before.' More from #SOTU: https://t.co/RwCJNga1aC #SOTU2020 pic.twitter.com/kbBJmiYi6b
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 5, 2020
Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. President Donald Trump presented the award during the State of the Union speech Tuesday night. Limbaugh, 69, is a staunch Trump supporter. He announced Monday he is battling advanced lung cancer. A bearded Limbaugh, seated next to first lady Melania Trump, looked stunned as the president announced the award. He eventually stood and saluted Trump and offered a thumbs-up to Republicans in the House chamber.
JUST IN: President Trump honors Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during #SOTU address: "Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country."
The conservative radio host announced this week that he is battling lung cancer. https://t.co/z21h5Ddt05 pic.twitter.com/aNHL7YFNND— ABC News (@ABC) February 5, 2020
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of Trump’s speech as he ended his address.
At the conclusion of the State of the Union address, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up a copy of President Donald Trump’s speech.
You can read the full speech here: https://t.co/4VlFHL6EFT pic.twitter.com/z0cxmlXPjr
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) February 5, 2020
Bernie Sanders says President Donald Trump must think the American people are “gullible” to believe his health care pledge in his State of the Union speech. Sanders spoke Tuesday, not long after Trump wrapped up his address in Washington. The Vermont senator seized on the president’s vow to protect the health insurance coverage of people with preexisting conditions. Sanders said, “Really? How gullible do you think the American people are?” He noted that the Trump administration and a Republican-led Congress came within one vote of repealing the Obama administration’s health care law, which largely prevents private insurers from denying coverage for people with preexisting conditions.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer gave the Democratic response:
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers Democratic response to Trump #SOTU: "I need a lot more than 10 minutes to respond to what the president just said. So instead of talking about what he is saying, I'm going to highlight what Democrats are doing." https://t.co/bulmjJOCUb pic.twitter.com/H9yVx7buel
— ABC News (@ABC) February 5, 2020
