Our writers weigh in on Trump’s address to Congress

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Today, churches around the world celebrate Ash Wednesday, a day of repentance, contrition, recognition of our own mortality, and the beginning of the season of Lent: a time for withdrawal, fasting, contemplation and prayer.

Lent seems the perfect antidote to the frightening political theater we witnessed Tuesday night in Washington, when a rambling, yet supremely confident President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time in his second presidential term.

For those of us who watched coverage of bizarre Trump rallies over the summer — complete with incongruously joyful ‘80s music, disembodied dancing, and supporters who’d been paid to attend, only to hope that November would bring the end to these orgies of projected anger and demonization of invented enemies — Tuesday night was a scary reminder that those rallies are no longer the province of cable TV but instead the vision of a new, authoritarian America projected to the world.

When the Minnesota Star Tribune asked me to write a response to this speech, I honestly had to wrestle with the choice to do so. Too often national journalism has normalized Trump by covering his speeches and politics as a typical manner of course: pomp and circumstance papering over the threat of concentration camps for immigrants and dehumanization of transgender Americans.

Then, I saw Rep. Al Green lift his cane at the start of Trump’s speech, standing solidly on his own two feet. Contrary to Republican claims, Green’s conduct did not appear unhinged or rude. Instead, his countenance was solemn; his face grim. I saw in that face the resistance of generations of Black Americans, the resistance of people around the world to authoritarian rule, which is marked by its cruelty to the poor people who Green has championed throughout his political career.

“You have no mandate,” Green said.

At least someone in that room Tuesday night was willing to speak the truth. And ultimately, that’s why I decided to write after all. If most Americans disagree with what’s happening in this country right now, the time for staying silent is over.

ANGELA DENKER, contributing columnist

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Trump invoked (insulted, really) his predecessor Joe Biden 13 times Tuesday during his 100-minute speech. But he mentioned Ronald Reagan only once.

Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, conversely, referenced Reagan four times in her cogent, coherent 11-minute Democratic response, which was far more effective than the theatrics from fellow lawmakers attending the address.

And Trump didn’t really rally around Reagan’s resolute anti-Kremlin principles, but in context of asking for funding for a “state-of-the-art golden-dome missile shield,” adding as an aside that Reagan “wanted to do it long ago, but the technology wasn’t there, not even close.”

Meanwhile, Slotkin said Trump “loves to promise ‘peace through strength.’ That’s actually a line he stole from Ronald Reagan. But let me tell you, after the spectacle that just took place in the Oval Office last week, Reagan must be rolling over in his grave. We all want an end to the war in Ukraine, but Reagan understood that true strength required America to combine our military and economic might with moral clarity.”

The spectacle, of course, was the spectacular Oval Office meltdown on Friday between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who on Tuesday deepened transatlantic tensions by suggesting that a U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal was a better security guarantee than “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”

So far, France and Britain have pledged troops. They weren’t random when they deployed troops to fight — and die — alongside Americans after the U.S. became the only NATO nation to invoke the mutual-defense Article 5 after 9/11.

Belying (if not belittling) that solidarity, Trump has picked additional fights with multiple members of the pact, including, in his speech, Denmark (via Greenland) and Canada (via tariffs).

Reagan understood that peace through strength included the force multiplier of encouraging, not alienating allies.

Slotkin, who served her country abroad while in the CIA, said “As a Cold War kid, I’m glad it was Reagan and not Trump in the office in the 1980s.

“Trump would have lost us the Cold War.”

JOHN RASH, editorial writer and columnist

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It’s clear Democrats have learned nothing from their electoral shellacking of 2024. Disrupting a presidential address as U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, did was pathetic, but not nearly as lame as the entire Democratic congressional caucus refusing to applaud for anything, even a terminally ill 13-year-old boy and parents of a teen murdered by illegal migrants sitting in the House gallery, as well as presidential plans to revitalize U.S. shipbuilding and fight revenge pornography. You can’t even clap for any of that? Gloomy and glum is a bad look, particularly for a party already so wildly unpopular. I remain quite relieved these Democrats are no longer in power in Washington.

Trump’s speech was in large part a well-deserved victory lap for critical executive actions he has taken to stop the crisis at the southern border and reverse insidious cultural trends that Americans have had enough of. The president reminded us that thanks to him, illegal border crossings are at an all-time low, women will be protected from biological men invading their athletic competitions and locker rooms, and divisive racial quotas are no longer part of federal contracting and hiring policies. These mentions drew big applause at the Capitol, and I suspect did at most viewers’ homes, too. They sure did at mine. Ending wokeism and the flood of migrants into the United States are common-sense no-brainers.

And when was the last time we heard a president call for a balanced budget? America is about to go over a fiscal cliff, and President Trump, unlike his recent predecessors, seems to care. Kudos.

That said, many of us are concerned with the indiscriminate trade wars Trump is launching and his retreat from longstanding international alliances. America is a strong nation, but we need strong allies and trade partners, too, to be prosperous and secure. The president didn’t do much to alleviate those worries on Tuesday. And while USAID clearly has plenty of waste to cut, legitimate foreign aid is a critical soft power tool and China will happily fill any void we leave. The president’s denigration of all forms of it, much of which helps the world’s poor and something compassionate Americans should be proud of, is off the mark.

Take the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), for example, which by investing in critical HIV prevention, treatment and care has saved 26 million lives and prevented nearly 8 million babies since 2003 from being born with HIV in Africa. As a proud pro-lifer, I want programs like that to remain. America and the world will be better for it.

ANDY BREHM, contributing columnist

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Growing up as an immigrant in America, I witnessed firsthand many examples of how government policies shape lives for the better or for the worse. When I was appointed by President Biden’s White House to serve the American people as a senior adviser in the State Department, I knew it was more than a professional role; it was a chance to contribute to policies that uplift families like mine. From economic recovery from the pandemic to foreign policy priorities that improved relations with other nations and expanded our allies, I saw how leadership rooted in inclusivity and vision could bring about real change.

In his address to Congress last night, President Trump said: “We inherited, from the last administration, an economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare.” While a new administration always inherits a number of challenges from the previous administration, the facts are the U.S. economy rebounded from pandemic-induced job losses, reaching the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years under the previous administration. The Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by Biden lowered prescription drug costs and invested in clean energy. With the exception of the foreign policy failures in the Middle East, Biden’s administration led on the world stage — welcoming refugees, strengthening global democracy and fostering economic partnerships with allies. Through initiatives like the Global Declaration of Mayors for Democracy, the U.S. strengthened transparent governance and youth civic participation worldwide.

We stand at a crossroads as a country. The progress we have made in economic growth, global leadership and social equity must be protected and expanded. Democracy is not self-sustaining; it requires participation, vigilance and commitment from all of us. Now is the time to act. Engage in your community, advocate for policies that uplift all Americans, and support leadership that prioritizes equity, prosperity and global peace. The future is ours to shape — if we take meaningful actions.

HAMSE WARFA, contributing columnist