ICYMI: Here Are the 8 Best Lines from Trump's State of the Union Address
Hey, we’re all busy people, and perhaps you missed President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night. Nancy Pelosi certainly wished she did, after all, given the fact that she ripped up the paper with the speech on it after spending the entire night looking like she was going to cry.
If you didn’t get the chance to watch, here are eight of Trump’s best lines from the evening:
1) “Socialism destroys nations. But always remember: Freedom unifies the soul.”
For the first time in recent memory, there were scads of actual socialists in the audience at the State of the Union. A socialist had actually come close to winning the Iowa caucuses. (And, given how strange the rules were, could technically have said he won.) And yet, socialism is destroying countries like Venezuela and Bolivia as we speak.
At times like these, it’s good to remember how freedom is always the best medicine.
2) “Three years ago, we launched the great American comeback. Tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results. Jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging, and our country is thriving and highly respected again! America’s enemies are on the run, America’s fortunes are on the rise, and America’s future is blazing bright.
“The years of economic decay are over. The days of our country being used, taken advantage of, and even scorned by other nations are long behind us. Gone too are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes, and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth, power, and prestige.
“In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline, and we have rejected the downsizing of America’s destiny. We have totally rejected the downsizing. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never, ever going back.”
Remember how Barack Obama said that there was no way that one could wave a magic wand and make jobs come back? Well, call Donald Trump the Harry Potter of the White House, because we have record-low unemployment, wage growth, a phase-one deal with China that actually involves respect for our intellectual property and all sorts of other winning. We’re not sick of winning yet.
3) “Charles McGee was born in Cleveland, Ohio, one century ago. Charles is one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen — the first black fighter pilots … After more than 130 combat missions in World War II, he came back to a country still struggling for civil rights and went on to serve America in Korea and Vietnam.
“On Dec. 7th, Charles celebrated his 100th birthday. A few weeks ago, I signed a bill promoting Charles McGee to Brigadier General. And earlier today, I pinned the stars on his shoulders in the Oval Office. General McGee: Our nation salutes you.”
You can’t add much to that, other than to offer profuse thanks to a man who gave his all for a country that viewed him as a second-class citizen — and then fought for it again, twice. Hero is a word too often used, and yet it’s insufficient for this great man.
4) “Almost every American family knows the pain when a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness. Here tonight is a special man, beloved by millions of Americans who just received a Stage 4 advanced cancer diagnosis. This is not good news, but what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet. Rush Limbaugh, thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country.
“And, Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and that you inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our country’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
This one no doubt angered scores of liberals. And good. Rush Limbaugh wouldn’t have had it any other way.
This one meant a lot to me. As a young person in a half-liberal family where You Didn’t Say Such Things, Rush Limbaugh told me that yeah, you could say those things, and you could still be a decent person. You didn’t have to be a shock jock to say something shocking and true.
That’s where America was — and that was 30 years ago. One wishes Limbaugh would spend many years behind the golden EIB microphone with talent on loan from God and half his brain tied behind his back just to make it fair. One fears, unfortunately, he won’t. If he doesn’t, this moment meant a lot to Limbaugh, and perhaps even more to people like me.
5) “My Administration is also defending religious liberty, and that includes the constitutional right to pray in public schools. In America, we do not punish prayer. We do not tear down crosses. We do not ban symbols of faith. We do not muzzle preachers and pastors. In America, we celebrate faith. We cherish religion. We lift our voices in prayer, and we raise our sights to the glory of God.”
Videographers of conservative America, I give you the easiest commercial in the history of political ads. Look at the footage. Find your opponent. See if they stood up for this. They didn’t? Good work. You’ve earned a few steak dinners without any work.
6) “I’m also calling upon the members of Congress here tonight to pass legislation finally banning the late-term abortion of babies. Whether we are Republican, Democrat, or independent, surely we must all agree that every human life is a sacred gift from God.”
See response to moment number five above.
7) “Our message to the terrorists is clear: You will never escape American justice. If you attack our citizens, you forfeit your life.”
One thing I fear we’ll forget about Qasem Solemani: He was a terrorist. He wasn’t just a guy in an Iranian uniform that we called a terrorist. He was an actual, legitimate, honest-to-God terrorist. He funded client militias that set IEDs in Iraq that blew the legs off of our servicemembers. He helped fund an insurgency in Yemen that turned the country into a (yes) hellhole and then had them shoot a metric ton of rockets into Saudi Arabia.
When protesters in Iraq got tired of the Shiite client government there, he reminded that client government of what could be done: “We in Iran know how to deal with protesters,” Soleimani said during an October visit, according to The Atlantic. “This happened in Iran and we got it under control.”
Qassem Soleimani was turned into a pile of unthinking carbon molecules. More’s the pity. Anyone who picks up his mantle should and will meet his fate. Oh, this kind of actual justice annoys liberals? Thank u, next?
8) “We are Americans. We are the pioneers. We are the pathfinders. We settled the New World, we built the modern world, and we changed history forever by embracing the eternal truth that everyone is made equal by the hand of Almighty God. America is the place where anything can happen. America is the place where anyone can rise. And here, on this land, on this soil, on this continent, the most incredible dreams come true.”
If you disagreed with this statement, you also probably ripped up the speech.
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