OPINION:
Today is President Trump’s First State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress. I’ll be broadcasting a special preview of the speech live, on location on Capitol Hill from 3PM to 6PM ET. You can listen live right here on WMAL.
As viewers watch cable news this evening before and after the speech they’re going to hear a lot of cliches thrown around. That’s what pundits do on nights like this. And here’s the cliche that’s most annoying… “The audience for this speech isn’t really the Congressman and Senators sitting in the chamber, the audience is the American people watching at home.”
Bull. I hope the president ignores that bit of sophistry.
The President should truly direct his speech at the 535 men and women who are sitting in that room. Talk directly to them… No… Directly at them. Challenge them. Make the dramatic narrative for the rest of this year a simple one for every American to understand: It’s Trump versus Congress.
This President thrives when the stakes are raised to that level. This President excels when he is told by everyone around him that he can’t achieve what he wants to achieve. This President does his best work when it’s him against the impossible. He needs to have a target that he is competing against. And for the sake of his agenda that target has to be Congress. He needs to defeat them to get what he wants done.
Make no mistake, Democrats and, sadly, a good number of the Republicans in Congress want to defeat the President. They already have this mindset, it’s high-time he takes them on.
Please Mr. President, for this speech, ignore the audience at home. They are going to be there and they are going to be watching. Most of them have already made up their mind about you. Ignore them. Focus instead on those people who are trying to destroy you. They are all sitting in that beautiful chamber right in front of you. The rest of this year and the success of your agenda all depend on one notion… Who is going to win this battle?
This is your chance, Mr. President, to deliver the first blow. Hit them hard.
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