I wonder how Donald Trump’s next State of the Union speech will play out before an empowered group of Democratic senators and representatives.
Will he be belligerent or conciliatory?
Will he laud the power of the presidency with its executive orders and veto pen, or seek common ground to solve the nation’s lingering problems of high fuel costs, high medical costs, burdensome tariffs, rising financial inequality, corruption in government, environmental hazards, ICE excesses, frayed foreign relations with traditional allies including Israel, realigned relations with Ukraine and Russia, and, resolution of the war with Iran, to name just a few issues exacerbated by the mercurial Trump..
The next two months will offer clues to Trump’s temperament. Based on his history, we might do well to gird ourselves to expect a “slash and burn” presidency, particularly since he cannot run again and his loyalty to Republicans runs only as deep as it influences his own standings.
Expect Trump to push harder for his pet construction projects—the ballroom, the golf course, the arch, a renaming of a renovated Kennedy Center.
Until January 3 at noon, when the newly elected Congress takes office, Trump might be able to count on a pliant though badly butchered lame duck Republican majority in the Senate to confirm administration and judicial nominations. Of course, cowered Republicans might now realize the orange mass behind the Resolute Desk no longer is an omnipotent wizard. They might start thinking for themselves, thinking about ways they can improve the lives of their constituents and not the bank balances of Trump family and friends.
I would be astonished if Trump does not maneuver Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito into retirement in the coming weeks so he could rush through conservative successors on the Supreme Court while Republicans still can confirm them, no matter how flawed they may be. What better legacy can all three men have than assuring the continued rightward tilt of the court for decades to come.
Trump will be invited to give his State of the Union vision at a date chosen by the new speaker of the House, probably an evening in late January or early February. During those first weeks of Democratic control of the House and Senate our newly elected majorities will begin tackling some of the legacies of Trumpmania.
Expect legislative proposals to begin coalescing around the following: Raising the minimum federal wage from $7.25 per hour to $15; Restoring funding for Obamacare; Restoring funding to school food programs; Restoring funding and staffing to FEMA; Protecting the Kennedy Center from destruction; Stripping funding for the Triumphal Arch.
Trump will argue such moves will add to the deficit. True, but they would help ease the cost of living burden that Trump orchestrated. He may well veto passage of any such legislation. Democrats will use those vetoes to underscore the need for a Democrat to be elected president in 2028 along with sustaining majorities in both chambers of Congress.
