Sherman R. Frederick/Properly Subversive
I’m calling it a good night for President Trump and his 2026 SOTU address. He made effective use of his “guests” to put a face to his overall theme that America is back as a common-sense nation doing good worldwide.
Two key moments:
- When President Trump said, “Please stand up if you agree with this statement: The first duty of the American government is to stand up for its citizens, not illegal aliens.” Democrats sat. Trump pointed in their direction and said, “How do you not stand? How do you not stand?”
- He called for legislation to ban sex changes for minors, inviting a girl to the chamber who had been encouraged at school to transition to a boy without parental notification. The chamber applauded her. Democrats sat in silence. Trump pointed to them and said, “These people are crazy.”
Those two issues resonate with voters, and Trump’s address found a visual way to show the dark underbelly of the Democratic Party.
But the economy remains a soft spot for Trump’s mid-term hopes.
While he has top-line numbers to brag about — and he did do that, of course — my read of the feeling on the ground is that everything has gotten more expensive, from $25 hamburgers at a sit-down restaurant to $20 movie tickets for a first-run flick.
The Democratic response given by newly elected Gov. Abigail Spanberger took direct aim at that. Her best line:
“Is the president working for you? We all know the answer is ‘no’”.
While her response offered no reason to think Democrats have any idea how to reverse the cost of living that spun out of control under their watch, we’re seeing the overall economy as a danger area for Republicans hoping to hold Congress and keep the Trump Revolution rolling.
Postscript: The one-liner that isn’t getting enough attention today came when President Trump said this: “The tariffs paid for by foreign countries will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax.”
Yes, please.
(Sherman R. Frederick is a longtime Nevada journalist and a member of the Nevada Press Association Hall of Fame. You can read more from him at shermanfrederick.substack.com.)
