In his first address to Congress, President Trump gave one of his most detailed assessments of the political “earthquake” that propelled him to the White House.
Mr. Trump began his speech by vowing, “I will not allow the mistakes of recent decades past to define the course of our future.”
“For too long, we’ve watched our middle-class shrink as we’ve exported our jobs and wealth to foreign countries,” Mr. Trump said. “We’ve financed and built one global project after another, but ignored the fates of our children in the inner cities of Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit — and so many other places throughout our land.”
He said the U.S. had spent too much time and resources defending the borders of other nations, while leaving America’s borders open to illegal immigrants and drugs.
“We’ve spent trillions of dollars overseas, while our infrastructure at home has so badly crumbled,” Mr. Trump said.
The president said Americans’ frustration finally boiled over last year, with his victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton.
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“In 2016, the earth shifted beneath our feet,” Mr. Trump said. “The rebellion started as a quiet protest, spoken by families of all colors and creeds -– families who just wanted a fair shot for their children, and a fair hearing for their concerns.”
He said those voices swelled into “a loud chorus — as thousands of citizens now spoke out together, from cities small and large, all across our country.”
“Finally, the chorus became an earthquake – and the people turned out by the tens of millions, and they were all united by one very simple, but crucial demand, that America must put its own citizens first … because only then, can we truly ’Make America Great Again,’” he said, using his familiar campaign slogan.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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