On Jan. 30, 2018, Donald Trump had his first State of the Union address. Much like every State of the Union address for the last 30 years, nothing significant was said. This is not a strike on Trump personally, as this is not something he alone started. Rather, the address is a tradition dating back to Ronald Reagan and possibly even earlier.
The issue here is that these addresses never hold much substance. They’re more akin to pep rallies, something to boost American morale. They appear to be nothing more than wishful, vague talk and celebrating recent American achievements or acknowledging tragedies in an attempt to make as many people as possible see the president in a positive light.
Reagan gave his first State of the Union address during his second term in 1986, a week after the tragedy of the Challenger, when seven astronauts perished due to an error occurring right after launch. It was a massive stain on American space exploration that Reagan knew he had to address due to how recent it was. People were still grieving, so the president took everyone’s mourning and tried to bring them together.
“We pause together to mourn and honor our seven Challenger heroes, and I hope that we’re now ready to do what they would want us to do: go forward, America, and reach for the stars,” said Reagan.
Trying to use people’s grief as a political message and then immediately moving on to gesturing vague current issues that America needs to work out isn’t insightful or tasteful, and the praise Reagan received from those ten minutes was not deserved.
Back in 2015, Barack Obama gave one of his last State of the Union addresses. Of course, one of the first things he spoke about was the one issue that has plagued his presidency since the 2008 campaign: the Great Recession. Though it officially ended in the summer of 2009, not even six months into his first year as president, the rather severe recession is a financial crisis that is heavily associated with Obama’s presidency.
Mentioning the most significant economic crisis of the 21st century was not addressed as an issue. Instead, it served to heap praise on America’s comeback. Much like Reagan did, Obama used events of his presidency to display accomplishment. Such statements are grand and vague, but only glorify past successes with no discussion as to why they happened which isn’t doing anything useful. It’s not like they’re even raising awareness, as the issues brought up are mainstream concerns that everyone already knows about.
Such “pep rallies” might be needed, however, if the context of them is considered. Such as Trump’s, whose approval ratings are now at the highest they’ve been since the start of his first year, at 49%, according to a recent Rasmussen Poll. Maybe those pep rallies are the necessary evils for presidents to see ratings boost. For Trump, maybe being liked is now something important to him, now that the midterm elections are in less than a year.
Boosting popularity should not be the point of theses addresses. The reason such addresses are even big events is due to the fact that they’re important. Turning what should be political debate and in-depth discussion into a morale boosting parade is disheartening to the future of politics.
Aliya Leary // Staff Writer
