President Trump’s speech Tuesday night before Congress represented an important step toward righting an administration that has been listing.
After repeatedly denigrating the state of these United States, often relying upon falsehoods to support his assertions, Trump adopted an almost optimistic tone in his first national speech since taking office. He demonstrated leadership. He spoke of the future. On Tuesday, in short, Trump appeared presidential — hopefully establishing a new course for his administration.
“A new chapter of American greatness is now beginning,” he said. “A new national pride is sweeping across our nation. And a new surge of optimism is placing impossible dreams firmly within our grasp. What we are witnessing today is a renewal of the American spirit.” Whether or not one agrees with that assessment, it was refreshing to hear the president expand his vocabulary beyond the dystopian vision he typically espouses.
It is almost a law of nature that the presidency requires a sharp learning curve. Even for seasoned political leaders, the weight of the office can be unfathomable until one is actually sitting in the Oval Office — and Trump is not a seasoned political leader. Even with that caveat, his lack of understanding regarding policy and the often inept performance of his administration has been disappointing.
Through the early days of his presidency, Trump has remained the too-easily provoked businessman who was in evidence throughout the campaign. And the struggles of his administration have been exemplified by the clunky rollout of a travel ban involving seven Muslim-majority countries. That ban was stayed by a federal court — a decision that induced an un-presidential response from the president.
The bar had been set low in the early days of the Trump presidency, and whether Tuesday’s speech marks a leap over that bar or merely a short-lived act remains to be seen. But at least there was room for critics to find hope — and room for supporters to be thrilled.
That hope, understandably, did not involve substantive policy changes. Trump still plans to build a wall along the United States’ border with Mexico; he still is intent upon scuttling the Affordable Care Act. Critics will continue to decry these desires, but those critics must be reminded that Trump won the Electoral College and Republicans retained control of both chambers of Congress. Elections, it has been said, have consequences — and one of those consequences is that the winners set the agenda.
Whether or not one supports that agenda, it is reasonable to expect the president of the United States to grow into the job and act presidential — and there remains room for growth beyond Tuesday’s performance. Trump and his surrogates too often employ “alternative facts,” and it is instructive to read through the many fact-checks provided by news outlets to separate the truths from the lies; Trump’s frequent haranguing of the media is an affront to democracy and the First Amendment; and the administration should support a thorough investigation into Russia’s role in trying to sway the election rather than dismissing accusations as “fake news.”
As we have asserted since the night of the election, we hope that Donald J. Trump is a wildly successful president. Rooting for failure is akin to hoping the plane you are on flies into the side of a mountain because you don’t like the pilot. By striking an optimistic tone on Tuesday, Trump took one small step toward achieving that success.
