Trump strikes conciliatory pose, but will it last?

Auston Gonzalez, Editor in Chief

“The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American people.” President Donald Trump initiated the annual State of the Union Address to a national audience Tuesday with what seemed to be a peaceful tone concerning the welfare of United States citizens.

As he move through his speech, Trump managed to keep this same tone to a degree, attempting to unite the currently divided Republican party, as well as a decent number of Democrats. Coming in the waning moments of an extended government shutdown, there was a significant level of tension before his speech. A vast number of individuals have seen paychecks vanish, including employees of the locally headquartered NASA. In some cases, students have witnessed their parents being forced to acquire part-time jobs to compensate for the lack of financial support from their government-funded career.

Although the shutdown has finally come to a close after around a month of chaos, Trump has made it clear that if his wishes are not satisfied, he may be “forced” to implement a shutdown once again. Frankly, I find it unfortunate that he has the ability to sweet-talk an audience into satisfaction, yet also has the ability to put a halt on the pay for a plethora of government employees with just the snap of a finger. Don’t get me wrong, he has done several things to benefit the nation. Limiting immigration and ensuring the safety of U.S. citizens is vital for the nation’s social and economic well-being. Pushing for gender equality and creating new jobs for men and women alike will improve our economy tremendously as well.

However, the approach he takes in striving to address these issues is questionable. Clearly is impossible to agree on every political issue, but placing blame on others just creates more tension and an unprofessional appearance will overshadow any beneficial implementations that Trump hopes achieve. I believe it is not only important that this country embraces the fact that he is our president until 2021 (most likely), but likewise he must understand that calling Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, “nasty,” describing former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. as “dumb” and referring to Sen. Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas” is simply childish.

Though he does not tend to call anyone these names in a formal setting, the media is still able to obtain this information. Additionally, all we have to do is open his Twitter page to understand the immaturity he can express. A true leader is able to unite a group and encourage them to understand a common goal, without having to scorn the ideas of those he or she does not agree with. Ultimately, Trump’s ideas expressed in the State of the Union Address were in the attempt of bettering the United States’ economy and increasing his approval rating. Obviously, he will not be able to satisfy 100 percent of government officials and voters. If he is honest in his statements about women, public safety and economic ideas, then we are not in as bad of a position as we believed we were during the 2016 election. However, if he continues to lead in an amateurish manner, we will continue to watch chaos unfold in Washington DC.