1 00:00:11,966 --> 00:00:16,366 JUDY WOODRUFF: Welcome to our "PBS NewsHour" special live coverage of President Trump's 2 00:00:16,366 --> 00:00:20,200 second State of the Union address, and the Democratic response. 3 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:21,933 I'm Judy Woodruff. 4 00:00:21,933 --> 00:00:25,800 Mr. Trump faces a deeply divided Congress and nation. 5 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:30,800 He is expected to call for unity, while, at the same time, continuing his demand for a 6 00:00:32,166 --> 00:00:34,566 wall on the U.S. southern border with Mexico. 7 00:00:34,566 --> 00:00:39,233 Tonight's address was delayed a week by the federal government shutdown, with another 8 00:00:39,233 --> 00:00:42,233 potentially on the horizon next week. 9 00:00:42,233 --> 00:00:47,200 Stacey Abrams, who lost a close governor's race in Georgia last November, will deliver 10 00:00:47,966 --> 00:00:50,033 the Democratic response. 11 00:00:50,033 --> 00:00:54,333 But, for the first time, we will see newly elected Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi 12 00:00:55,100 --> 00:00:57,266 seated behind Mr. Trump. 13 00:00:57,266 --> 00:01:02,233 It is his first address before this divided Congress, with a new Democratic majority in 14 00:01:02,833 --> 00:01:04,833 the House. 15 00:01:04,833 --> 00:01:08,300 Our Lisa Desjardins is there at the Capitol, and Yamiche Alcindor is at the White House. 16 00:01:09,500 --> 00:01:10,766 Yamiche, the president left the White House. 17 00:01:10,766 --> 00:01:12,466 He has just arrived at the Capitol. 18 00:01:12,466 --> 00:01:14,500 What do we expect him to say? 19 00:01:14,500 --> 00:01:17,800 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well, we know that president is extremely excited to deliver this State 20 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,433 of the Union address in the House chambers. 21 00:01:20,433 --> 00:01:24,033 Important to note that the president at one point was looking at other locations outside 22 00:01:24,033 --> 00:01:27,900 Washington, D.C., to deliver his State of the Union address, but instead decided that 23 00:01:27,900 --> 00:01:31,966 the House was where he wanted to deliver it because of all of its grandeur and all of 24 00:01:31,966 --> 00:01:33,900 its history. 25 00:01:33,900 --> 00:01:35,966 We know that the president is going to be talking about immigration. 26 00:01:35,966 --> 00:01:38,833 He is going to be casting immigration as a moral issue, and saying that the political 27 00:01:38,833 --> 00:01:42,900 class of D.C. that is safe and that has gates on their homes, that they are going to deny 28 00:01:42,900 --> 00:01:46,000 that same sense of security to working-class people. 29 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:50,766 The president is also going to try to deliver a unifying message and talk about prescription 30 00:01:50,766 --> 00:01:52,800 drugs and infrastructure. 31 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,366 But the one thing to remember, of course, is that the president has some credibility 32 00:01:56,366 --> 00:02:01,233 issues on that, because Democrats are saying that he has offended them, that he has insulted 33 00:02:01,233 --> 00:02:05,266 Democrats, that he has even suggested that Democrats don't believe in border security. 34 00:02:05,266 --> 00:02:08,500 But we are going to try to think that the president is really going to try to deliver 35 00:02:08,500 --> 00:02:12,733 a message to say this is not about his agenda, but about America's agenda. 36 00:02:12,733 --> 00:02:16,466 JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Lisa, at the Capitol, it is hard to think of a State of the Union 37 00:02:16,466 --> 00:02:21,300 that has been preceded by as much drama as we have had over the last few weeks, waiting 38 00:02:21,300 --> 00:02:26,000 to see whether this government shutdown would end, they would come to some sort of temporary 39 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:27,233 agreement. 40 00:02:27,233 --> 00:02:29,833 How has that affected the anticipation there? 41 00:02:29,833 --> 00:02:34,566 LISA DESJARDINS: I think there is a lot of anxiety and frustration at deeper levels, 42 00:02:34,566 --> 00:02:37,233 especially for Republicans here at the U.S. Capitol. 43 00:02:37,233 --> 00:02:42,033 But it is an interesting contrast tonight, Judy, because there is also a different kind 44 00:02:42,033 --> 00:02:44,833 of excitement than I have felt in a while here. 45 00:02:44,833 --> 00:02:49,666 And that's because -- think about it -- there are 101 new members of this Congress, many 46 00:02:49,666 --> 00:02:51,200 of them never elected to office before. 47 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:53,300 (CROSSTALK) 48 00:02:53,300 --> 00:02:54,666 JUDY WOODRUFF: Lisa, I have got to interrupt you just a second, just one second. 49 00:02:54,666 --> 00:02:59,633 MAN: The president of the United States! 50 00:03:00,500 --> 00:03:03,266 (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) 51 00:03:03,266 --> 00:03:07,300 JUDY WOODRUFF: And the president enters the chamber of the House of Representatives. 52 00:03:07,300 --> 00:03:10,266 Lisa, I interrupted you, so that we could hear the president announce by the sergeant 53 00:03:10,266 --> 00:03:12,066 at arms. 54 00:03:12,066 --> 00:03:13,566 But continue with what you were saying. 55 00:03:13,566 --> 00:03:16,100 You were saying a lot of anxiety there. 56 00:03:16,100 --> 00:03:19,366 LISA DESJARDINS: Well, I am happy to be interrupted by the announcement of the president of the 57 00:03:19,366 --> 00:03:20,366 United States. 58 00:03:20,366 --> 00:03:21,833 (LAUGHTER) 59 00:03:21,833 --> 00:03:23,633 LISA DESJARDINS: I will step aside any time for that. 60 00:03:23,633 --> 00:03:25,733 There is anxiety, especially among Republicans, over the shutdown. 61 00:03:25,733 --> 00:03:28,366 And kind of in general, the last year has been one of ups and downs legislatively. 62 00:03:30,300 --> 00:03:35,266 However, there is a lot of excitement because think about this; 101 people in that chamber 63 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:37,533 are newly elected. 64 00:03:37,533 --> 00:03:39,600 They have never been to a State of the Union before. 65 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:43,833 So there is almost just sort of like a first day of school kind of excitement for many 66 00:03:43,833 --> 00:03:48,166 of these especially younger and first-time lawmakers that are in that chamber tonight. 67 00:03:48,166 --> 00:03:49,166 JUDY WOODRUFF: Yes. 68 00:03:49,166 --> 00:03:51,166 You are exactly right. 69 00:03:51,166 --> 00:03:53,333 And a lot of them are a lot younger than the class that preceded them. 70 00:03:53,333 --> 00:03:58,300 As we watch President Trump greet and be greeted by members of Congress who are seated there 71 00:04:00,266 --> 00:04:03,800 along the aisle, I want to introduce all of you to the team who is going to be with me, 72 00:04:05,833 --> 00:04:09,766 watching the president and analyzing his remarks later. 73 00:04:09,766 --> 00:04:14,766 Joining us all this night, syndicated columnist Mark Shields, Amy Walter of The Cook Political 74 00:04:16,833 --> 00:04:19,300 Report, Peter Wehner of the Ethics and Policy - - Public Policy Center in Washington. 75 00:04:19,300 --> 00:04:22,666 He served in the last three Republican administrations. 76 00:04:22,666 --> 00:04:27,100 Karine Jean-Pierre, senior adviser to MoveOn.org, she worked in the Obama White House. 77 00:04:27,100 --> 00:04:31,600 And Chris Buskirk, editor of the conservative blog American Greatness. 78 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:33,066 Welcome to all of you. 79 00:04:33,066 --> 00:04:34,533 And, Mark Shields, I am going to come to you first. 80 00:04:34,533 --> 00:04:36,666 MARK SHIELDS: Sure. 81 00:04:36,666 --> 00:04:39,933 JUDY WOODRUFF: This is the -- President Trump's second State of the Union address, but the 82 00:04:39,933 --> 00:04:44,666 atmosphere, I think it is fair to say, is very different from last year. 83 00:04:44,666 --> 00:04:47,033 MARK SHIELDS: Totally different, Judy. 84 00:04:47,033 --> 00:04:50,900 It's a -- after presidents have suffered stinging rebukes in midterm elections, the common approach 85 00:04:52,966 --> 00:04:57,433 is to reach for common ground, to reach across the aisle, to come in a little bit humbled, 86 00:04:58,900 --> 00:05:03,233 as Bill Clinton did in '94, as George Bush did in 2007. 87 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:11,800 And it will be interesting to see if Donald - - if President Donald Trump does try that 88 00:05:13,700 --> 00:05:17,433 sort of grace note that particularly comes to mind with George W. Bush, who said that 89 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:21,933 he was -- he felt privileged to speak words that nobody had ever spoken before, "Madam 90 00:05:21,933 --> 00:05:26,933 Speaker," when he introduced Nancy Pelosi the first time she was speaker. 91 00:05:26,933 --> 00:05:31,666 And so I will just be interested to see how he handles the rebuke, or just ignores it. 92 00:05:31,666 --> 00:05:36,266 JUDY WOODRUFF: And President Trump is giving, as tradition would have it, a copy of his 93 00:05:36,266 --> 00:05:41,266 remarks, the address, to both Speaker Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, both of whom 94 00:05:43,433 --> 00:05:45,500 will be sitting behind him. 95 00:05:45,500 --> 00:05:49,633 And we will be watching their reaction throughout the night, because they are the fixture, as 96 00:05:50,666 --> 00:05:53,600 - - again, as tradition would have it. 97 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:58,600 The president at this point enjoying a round of applause that he is getting as he -- and 98 00:06:01,566 --> 00:06:03,700 everybody is standing, Democrats and Republicans. 99 00:06:03,700 --> 00:06:06,866 It is a point of honor as the president comes in. 100 00:06:06,866 --> 00:06:09,200 Peter Wehner, you have watched this president before. 101 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:11,200 He seems to be enjoying the moment. 102 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:14,666 PETER WEHNER, Ethics and Public Policy Center: Well, he enjoys it when he's the center of 103 00:06:14,666 --> 00:06:15,833 attention. 104 00:06:15,833 --> 00:06:17,866 And he is the center of attention. 105 00:06:17,866 --> 00:06:19,733 But I tell you, what I am looking for in the speech is -- his aides were saying that this 106 00:06:19,733 --> 00:06:23,400 is going to be an effort to unify the country. 107 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:25,733 I just don't think that is realistic. 108 00:06:25,733 --> 00:06:30,633 And the reason I don't is that this is a person whose entire presidency has been based on 109 00:06:30,633 --> 00:06:33,033 division and acrimony and anger. 110 00:06:33,033 --> 00:06:35,000 And, number one, I don't know that he can pull it off. 111 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:39,266 And, number two, even if he does, I don't know how plausible it is or how long it will 112 00:06:39,266 --> 00:06:41,300 last. 113 00:06:41,300 --> 00:06:44,800 JUDY WOODRUFF: Amy Walter, that is the skepticism that is out there, isn't it? 114 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,533 AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: Well, and it is a well-earned skepticism. 115 00:06:47,533 --> 00:06:49,666 (LAUGHTER) 116 00:06:49,666 --> 00:06:51,733 AMY WALTER: But, look, there are actually real things on the table here that have to 117 00:06:51,733 --> 00:06:56,000 be -- theoretically, have to be figured out in the next few days here, especially about 118 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:57,633 a potential government shutdown. 119 00:06:57,633 --> 00:06:58,966 DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: Thank you very much. 120 00:06:58,966 --> 00:07:01,066 JUDY WOODRUFF: The president. 121 00:07:01,066 --> 00:07:03,233 DONALD TRUMP: Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, the first lady of the 122 00:07:03,233 --> 00:07:04,233 United States. 123 00:07:04,233 --> 00:07:06,166 (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) 124 00:07:06,166 --> 00:07:08,166 Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United 125 00:07:08,166 --> 00:07:12,833 States, and my fellow Americans:We meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential. 126 00:07:37,433 --> 00:07:42,433 As we begin a new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs 127 00:07:45,233 --> 00:07:48,733 for all Americans. 128 00:07:48,733 --> 00:07:53,733 Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping 129 00:07:55,133 --> 00:07:59,466 that we will govern not as TWO PARTIES but as ONE NATION. 130 00:08:20,233 --> 00:08:25,233 The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican Agenda or a Democrat Agenda. 131 00:08:27,533 --> 00:08:32,266 It is the agenda of the American People. 132 00:08:32,266 --> 00:08:37,266 Many of us campaigned on the same core promises: to defend American jobs and demand FAIR TRADE 133 00:08:41,366 --> 00:08:46,366 for American workers; to rebuild and revitalize our nation's infrastructure; to reduce the 134 00:08:49,500 --> 00:08:54,500 price of healthcare and prescription drugs; to create an immigration system that is safe, 135 00:08:58,700 --> 00:09:03,700 lawful, modern and secure; and to pursue a foreign policy that puts America's interests 136 00:09:08,700 --> 00:09:10,833 first. 137 00:09:10,833 --> 00:09:15,100 There is a new opportunity in American politics, if only we have the courage to seize it. 138 00:09:31,700 --> 00:09:35,833 Victory is not winning for our party. 139 00:09:35,833 --> 00:09:40,833 Victory is winning for our COUNTRY. 140 00:09:43,833 --> 00:09:48,833 This year, America will recognize two important anniversaries that show us the Majesty of 141 00:10:03,433 --> 00:10:08,433 America's Mission, and the Power of American Pride. 142 00:10:10,333 --> 00:10:13,666 In June, we mark 75 years since the start of what General Dwight D. Eisenhower called 143 00:10:16,233 --> 00:10:21,233 the Great Crusade - the Allied liberation of Europe in World War II. 144 00:10:26,500 --> 00:10:31,500 On D-Day, June 6th, 1944, fifteen thousand young American men jumped from the sky and 145 00:10:42,700 --> 00:10:47,666 sixty thousand more stormed in from the sea, to save our civilization from tyranny. 146 00:10:53,666 --> 00:10:58,633 Here with us tonight are three of those heroes: Private First Class Joseph Reilly, Staff Sergeant 147 00:11:05,433 --> 00:11:10,433 Irving Locker, and Sergeant Herman Zeitchik. 148 00:11:33,700 --> 00:11:38,700 Gentlemen, we salute you. 149 00:11:59,666 --> 00:12:04,633 In 2019, we also celebrate 50 years since brave young pilots flew a quarter of a million 150 00:12:09,233 --> 00:12:14,233 miles through space to plant the American flag on the face of the moon. 151 00:12:16,533 --> 00:12:21,533 Half a century later, we are joined by one of the Apollo 11 astronauts who planted that 152 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:30,200 flag: Buzz Aldrin. 153 00:13:02,333 --> 00:13:07,333 This year American astronauts will go back to space on American rockets. 154 00:13:10,733 --> 00:13:15,733 In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed science, and redefined the middle 155 00:13:31,833 --> 00:13:36,833 class standard of living for the entire world to see. 156 00:13:46,733 --> 00:13:51,733 Now, we must step boldly and bravely into the next chapter of this Great American Adventure, 157 00:14:06,066 --> 00:14:11,066 and we must create a new standard of living for the 21st century. 158 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,233 An amazing quality of life for all of our citizens is within our reach. 159 00:14:18,766 --> 00:14:23,766 We can make our communities safer, our families stronger, our culture richer, our faith deeper, 160 00:14:28,433 --> 00:14:33,433 and our Middle Class bigger and more prosperous than ever before. 161 00:14:53,866 --> 00:14:58,866 But we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution - and embrace 162 00:15:02,066 --> 00:15:07,066 the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good. 163 00:15:16,933 --> 00:15:21,933 Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. 164 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:35,800 We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, 165 00:15:40,333 --> 00:15:45,333 and unlock the extraordinary promise of America's future. 166 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:49,866 The decision is ours to make. 167 00:15:49,866 --> 00:15:54,866 We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, 168 00:15:58,266 --> 00:16:01,333 incredible progress or pointless destruction. 169 00:16:01,333 --> 00:16:06,333 Tonight, I ask you to choose GREATNESS. 170 00:16:25,100 --> 00:16:30,100 Over the last two years, my administration has moved with urgency and historic speed 171 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,433 to confront problems neglected by leaders of BOTH parties over many decades. 172 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:41,833 In just over two years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic 173 00:16:43,166 --> 00:16:48,166 boom - a boom that has rarely been seen before. 174 00:16:51,133 --> 00:16:56,133 We have created 5.3 million new jobs and importantly added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs -something 175 00:17:00,233 --> 00:17:05,200 which almost everyone said was impossible to do, but the fact is, we are just getting 176 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:11,600 started. 177 00:17:23,766 --> 00:17:28,766 Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades, and growing for blue collar workers, who I 178 00:17:31,266 --> 00:17:36,266 promised to fight for, faster than anyone else. 179 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:44,800 Nearly 5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps. 180 00:17:49,633 --> 00:17:54,633 The U.S. economy is growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office, and we are 181 00:18:10,033 --> 00:18:15,033 considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the world. 182 00:18:23,133 --> 00:18:28,133 Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in half a century. 183 00:18:36,266 --> 00:18:41,266 African-American, Hispanic-American and Asian-American unemployment have all reached their lowest 184 00:18:51,133 --> 00:18:56,133 levels ever recorded. 185 00:19:09,866 --> 00:19:14,866 Unemployment for Americans with disabilities has also reached an all-time low. 186 00:19:20,133 --> 00:19:25,133 More people are working now than at any time in our history - 157 million. 187 00:19:40,366 --> 00:19:45,366 We passed a massive tax cut for working families and doubled the child tax credit. 188 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:11,000 We virtually ended the estate, or death, tax on small businesses, ranches, and family farms. 189 00:20:23,900 --> 00:20:28,900 We eliminated the very unpopular Obamacare individual mandate penalty - and to give 190 00:20:44,900 --> 00:20:49,866 critically ill patients access to life-saving cures, we passed RIGHT TO TRY. 191 00:20:57,833 --> 00:21:02,800 My Administration has cut more regulations in a short time than any other administration 192 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:18,000 during its entire tenure. 193 00:21:20,133 --> 00:21:25,133 Companies are coming back to our country in large numbers thanks to our historic reductions 194 00:21:32,766 --> 00:21:37,766 in taxes and regulations. 195 00:21:41,033 --> 00:21:46,000 We have unleashed a revolution in American Energy - the United States is now the number 196 00:21:48,166 --> 00:21:53,133 one producer of oil and natural gas in the world. 197 00:21:59,633 --> 00:22:04,600 And now, for the first time in 65 years, we are a net exporter of energy. 198 00:22:23,233 --> 00:22:28,233 After 24 months of rapid progress, our economy is the envy of the world, our military is 199 00:22:40,666 --> 00:22:45,666 the most powerful on earth, and 200 00:23:02,300 --> 00:23:07,300 America is winning each and every day. 201 00:23:12,533 --> 00:23:17,533 Members of Congress: the State of our Union is Strong. 202 00:23:47,566 --> 00:23:52,566 Our country is vibrant and our economy is thriving like never before. 203 00:23:54,633 --> 00:23:58,233 On Friday, it was announced that we added another 304,000 jobs last month alone - almost 204 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:08,400 double what was expected. 205 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:23,200 An economic miracle is taking place in the United States - and the only thing that 206 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:33,200 can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations. 207 00:24:52,466 --> 00:24:57,466 If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. 208 00:25:01,266 --> 00:25:06,266 It just doesn't work that way! 209 00:25:07,700 --> 00:25:11,633 We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad. 210 00:25:14,033 --> 00:25:19,033 This new era of cooperation can start with finally confirming the more than 300 highly 211 00:25:22,900 --> 00:25:27,900 qualified nominees who are still stuck in the Senate - some after years of waiting. 212 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:52,800 The Senate has failed to act on these nominations, which is unfair to the nominees and to our 213 00:25:55,333 --> 00:25:57,133 country. 214 00:25:57,133 --> 00:26:00,900 Now is the time for bipartisan action. 215 00:26:00,900 --> 00:26:05,900 Believe it or not, we have already proven that it is possible. 216 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:11,933 In the last Congress, both parties came together to pass unprecedented legislation to confront 217 00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:20,600 the opioid crisis, a sweeping new Farm Bill, historic VA reforms, and after four decades 218 00:26:27,466 --> 00:26:32,466 of rejection, we passed VA Accountability so we can finally terminate those who mistreat 219 00:26:36,100 --> 00:26:41,100 our wonderful veterans. 220 00:26:46,566 --> 00:26:51,566 And just weeks ago, both parties united for groundbreaking Criminal Justice Reform. 221 00:27:20,133 --> 00:27:25,133 Last year, I heard through friends the story of Alice Johnson. 222 00:27:27,866 --> 00:27:30,633 I was deeply moved. 223 00:27:30,633 --> 00:27:35,633 In 1997, Alice was sentenced to life in prison as a first-time non-violent drug offender. 224 00:27:42,700 --> 00:27:47,700 Over the next two decades, she became a prison minister, inspiring others to choose a better 225 00:27:52,633 --> 00:27:54,633 path. 226 00:27:54,633 --> 00:27:59,633 She had a big impact on that prison population - and far beyond. 227 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:06,800 Alice's story underscores the disparities and unfairness that can exist in criminal 228 00:28:10,333 --> 00:28:15,333 sentencing - and the need to remedy this injustice. 229 00:28:17,300 --> 00:28:22,233 She served almost 22 years and had expected to be in prison for the rest of her life. 230 00:28:29,466 --> 00:28:34,466 In June, I commuted Alice's sentence -when I saw Alice's beautiful family greet her 231 00:28:39,233 --> 00:28:44,233 at the prison gates, hugging and kissing and crying and laughing, I knew I did the right 232 00:28:47,133 --> 00:28:52,133 thing - Alice is here with us tonight. 233 00:29:08,733 --> 00:29:13,733 Alice, thank you for reminding us that we always have the power to shape our own destiny. 234 00:29:43,166 --> 00:29:48,166 Inspired by stories like Alice's, my administration worked closely with members of both parties 235 00:29:49,866 --> 00:29:54,866 to sign the First Step Act into law. 236 00:30:04,700 --> 00:30:09,700 This legislation reformed sentencing laws that have wrongly and disproportionately harmed 237 00:30:11,933 --> 00:30:15,533 the African-American community. 238 00:30:15,533 --> 00:30:20,533 The First Step Act gives non-violent offenders the chance to re-enter society as productive, 239 00:30:22,333 --> 00:30:24,400 law-abiding citizens. 240 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:29,400 Now, states across the country are following our lead. 241 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:34,666 America is a nation that believes in redemption. 242 00:30:34,666 --> 00:30:39,666 We are also joined tonight by Matthew Charles from Tennessee. 243 00:30:42,266 --> 00:30:47,233 In 1996, at age 30, Matthew was sentenced to 35 years for selling drugs and related 244 00:30:52,866 --> 00:30:54,966 offenses. 245 00:30:54,966 --> 00:30:59,500 Over the next two decades, he completed more than 30 Bible studies, became a law clerk, 246 00:31:03,100 --> 00:31:07,166 and mentored fellow inmates. 247 00:31:07,166 --> 00:31:12,166 Now, Matthew is the very first person to be released from prison under the First Step 248 00:31:14,433 --> 00:31:18,966 Act. 249 00:31:18,966 --> 00:31:23,966 Matthew, on behalf of All Americans: WELCOME HOME. 250 00:31:51,166 --> 00:31:56,133 Now, Republicans and Democrats must join forces again to confront an urgent national crisis. 251 00:32:05,466 --> 00:32:10,466 Congress has 10 days left to pass a bill that will fund our government, protect our homeland, 252 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:18,000 and secure our Southern Border. 253 00:32:20,033 --> 00:32:23,600 Now is the time for Congress to show the world that America is committed to ending illegal 254 00:32:25,566 --> 00:32:30,266 immigration and putting the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers, and human traffickers 255 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:39,200 OUT OF BUSINESS. 256 00:33:01,366 --> 00:33:06,366 As we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States. 257 00:33:09,333 --> 00:33:14,333 We have just heard that Mexican cities, in order to remove the illegal immigrants from 258 00:33:17,466 --> 00:33:22,466 their communities, are getting trucks and buses to bring them up to our country in areas 259 00:33:24,166 --> 00:33:28,300 where there is little border protection. 260 00:33:28,300 --> 00:33:33,300 I have ordered another 3,750 troops to our Southern Border to prepare for the tremendous 261 00:33:38,666 --> 00:33:41,566 onslaught. 262 00:33:41,566 --> 00:33:44,800 This is a MORAL issue. 263 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:49,800 The lawless state of our Southern Border is a threat to the safety, security and financial 264 00:33:51,466 --> 00:33:55,766 well-being of all Americans. 265 00:33:55,766 --> 00:34:00,733 We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of 266 00:34:02,333 --> 00:34:04,533 our citizens. 267 00:34:04,533 --> 00:34:09,533 This includes our obligation to the millions of immigrants living here today, who followed 268 00:34:11,533 --> 00:34:16,366 the rules and respected our laws. 269 00:34:16,366 --> 00:34:21,366 LEGAL immigrants enrich our nation and strengthen our society in countless ways. 270 00:34:39,566 --> 00:34:44,566 I want people to come into our country, but they have to come in legally. 271 00:34:54,300 --> 00:34:59,300 Tonight, I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of LOVE and 272 00:35:11,533 --> 00:35:16,533 DEVOTION to our fellow citizens and to our country. 273 00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:22,533 No issue better illustrates the divide between America's WORKING CLASS and America's 274 00:35:24,300 --> 00:35:28,600 POLITICAL CLASS than illegal immigration. 275 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:33,600 Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls 276 00:35:36,466 --> 00:35:41,466 and gates and guards. 277 00:35:47,900 --> 00:35:52,900 Meanwhile, working class Americans are left to pay the price for mass illegal migration 278 00:36:03,666 --> 00:36:08,666 - reduced jobs, lower wages, overburdened schools and hospitals, increased crime, and 279 00:36:15,633 --> 00:36:20,266 a depleted social safety net. 280 00:36:20,266 --> 00:36:25,266 Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate - it is cruel. 281 00:36:29,433 --> 00:36:34,433 1 in 3 women is sexually assaulted on the long journey north. 282 00:36:44,100 --> 00:36:49,100 Smugglers use migrant children as human pawns to exploit our laws and gain access to our 283 00:36:53,466 --> 00:36:55,466 country. 284 00:36:55,466 --> 00:36:59,500 Human traffickers and sex traffickers take advantage of the wide open areas between our 285 00:37:01,966 --> 00:37:06,966 ports of entry to smuggle thousands of young girls and women into the United States and 286 00:37:09,433 --> 00:37:14,433 to sell them into prostitution and modern-day slavery. 287 00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:22,600 Tens of thousands of innocent Americans are killed by lethal drugs that cross our border 288 00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:30,200 and flood into our cities - including meth, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl. 289 00:37:34,966 --> 00:37:39,966 The savage gang, MS-13, now operates in at least 20 different American states, and they 290 00:37:44,300 --> 00:37:49,300 almost all come through our Southern Border. 291 00:37:51,300 --> 00:37:55,033 Just yesterday, an MS-13 gang member was taken into custody for a fatal shooting on a subway 292 00:37:57,533 --> 00:38:01,033 platform in New York City. 293 00:38:01,033 --> 00:38:06,033 We are removing these gang members by the thousands, but until we secure our border 294 00:38:07,766 --> 00:38:12,766 they're going to keep streaming back in. 295 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:18,833 Year after year, countless Americans are murdered by criminal illegal aliens. 296 00:38:20,766 --> 00:38:24,900 I've gotten to know many wonderful Angel Moms, Dads and families -no one should ever 297 00:38:28,666 --> 00:38:33,666 have to suffer the horrible heartache they have endured. 298 00:38:37,500 --> 00:38:42,400 Here tonight is Debra Bissell. 299 00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:47,400 Just three weeks ago, Debra's parents, Gerald and Sharon, were burglarized and shot to death 300 00:38:50,833 --> 00:38:55,833 in their Reno, Nevada home by an illegal alien. 301 00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:01,733 They were in their eighties and are survived by 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren. 302 00:39:07,033 --> 00:39:12,033 Also here tonight are Gerald and Sharon's granddaughter, Heather, and great-granddaughter 303 00:39:14,166 --> 00:39:16,066 Madison. 304 00:39:16,066 --> 00:39:20,333 To Debra, Heather, Madison, please stand:few can understand your pain. 305 00:39:37,333 --> 00:39:42,333 But I will never forget, and I will fight for the memory of Gerald and Sharon, that 306 00:39:58,666 --> 00:40:02,033 it should never happen again. 307 00:40:02,033 --> 00:40:07,033 Not one more American life should be lost because our nation failed to control its very 308 00:40:09,666 --> 00:40:12,233 dangerous border. 309 00:40:12,233 --> 00:40:16,966 In the last two years, our brave ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of criminal aliens, including 310 00:40:24,133 --> 00:40:29,133 those charged or convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 killings. 311 00:40:39,233 --> 00:40:44,200 We are joined tonight by one of those law enforcement heroes: ICE Special Agent Elvin 312 00:40:46,300 --> 00:40:48,833 Hernandez. 313 00:40:48,833 --> 00:40:53,800 When 314 00:41:09,500 --> 00:41:14,500 Elvin was a boy, he and his family legally immigrated to the United States from the Dominican 315 00:41:16,300 --> 00:41:18,433 Republic. 316 00:41:18,433 --> 00:41:23,433 At the age of eight, Elvin told his dad he wanted to become a Special Agent. 317 00:41:25,333 --> 00:41:28,800 Today, he leads investigations into the scourge of international sex trafficking. 318 00:41:33,966 --> 00:41:38,966 Elvin says: "If I can make sure these young girls get their justice, I've done my job." 319 00:41:45,233 --> 00:41:50,200 Thanks to his work and that of his colleagues, more than 300 women and girls have been rescued 320 00:41:54,466 --> 00:41:59,433 from horror and more than 1,500 sadistic traffickers have been put behind bars. 321 00:42:11,266 --> 00:42:16,266 Special Agent Hernandez please stand: We will ALWAYS support the brave men and women of 322 00:42:33,566 --> 00:42:38,566 Law Enforcement -and I pledge to you tonight that we will NEVER Abolish our heroes from 323 00:42:42,300 --> 00:42:47,300 ICE. 324 00:42:57,566 --> 00:43:02,533 My administration has sent to Congress a commonsense proposal to end the crisis on our Southern 325 00:43:04,700 --> 00:43:06,733 Border. 326 00:43:06,733 --> 00:43:10,733 It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, 327 00:43:15,066 --> 00:43:20,066 closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, 328 00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:27,800 to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry. 329 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:35,000 This 330 00:43:57,133 --> 00:44:02,100 is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier - not just a simple concrete wall. 331 00:44:06,466 --> 00:44:11,466 It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need, 332 00:44:14,966 --> 00:44:19,966 and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down. 333 00:44:36,666 --> 00:44:41,666 San Diego used to have the most illegal border crossings in the country. 334 00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:48,000 In response, a strong security wall was put in place. 335 00:44:49,533 --> 00:44:53,566 This powerful barrier almost completely ended illegal crossings. 336 00:44:56,300 --> 00:45:01,300 The border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime 337 00:45:03,833 --> 00:45:08,833 - one of the highest in the country, and considered one of our nation's most dangerous 338 00:45:13,100 --> 00:45:16,533 cities. 339 00:45:16,533 --> 00:45:21,533 Now, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of our safest cities. 340 00:45:29,533 --> 00:45:34,533 Simply put, WALLS WORK and WALLS SAVE LIVES. 341 00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:55,400 So let's work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America 342 00:45:57,033 --> 00:45:59,233 SAFE. 343 00:45:59,233 --> 00:46:04,233 As we work to defend our people's safety, we must also ensure our economic resurgence 344 00:46:08,166 --> 00:46:10,966 continues at a rapid pace. 345 00:46:10,966 --> 00:46:15,966 No one has benefitted more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 percent 346 00:46:18,433 --> 00:46:23,433 of the new jobs created in the last year. 347 00:47:00,800 --> 00:47:05,800 All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before - 348 00:47:39,366 --> 00:47:44,366 and exactly one century after Congress passed the Constitutional Amendment giving women 349 00:47:47,366 --> 00:47:52,366 the right to vote, we also have more women serving in Congress than ever before. 350 00:48:57,600 --> 00:49:02,600 As part of our commitment to improving opportunity for women everywhere, this Thursday we are 351 00:49:05,066 --> 00:49:08,900 launching the first ever government-wide initiative focused on economic empowerment for women 352 00:49:10,866 --> 00:49:13,300 in developing countries. 353 00:49:13,300 --> 00:49:18,300 To build on our incredible economic success, one priority is paramount -reversing decades 354 00:49:27,966 --> 00:49:32,900 of calamitous trade policies. 355 00:49:32,900 --> 00:49:37,900 We are now making it clear to China that after years of targeting our industries, and stealing 356 00:49:41,333 --> 00:49:46,333 our intellectual property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end. 357 00:49:56,066 --> 00:50:01,066 Therefore, we recently imposed tariffs on $250 billion dollars of Chinese goods - and 358 00:50:10,033 --> 00:50:15,033 now our Treasury is receiving billions of dollars. 359 00:50:17,033 --> 00:50:21,166 But I don't blame China for taking advantage of us - I blame our leaders and representatives 360 00:50:24,400 --> 00:50:28,333 for allowing this travesty to happen. 361 00:50:28,333 --> 00:50:33,333 I have great respect for President Xi, and we are now working on a new trade deal with 362 00:50:34,533 --> 00:50:36,533 China. 363 00:50:36,533 --> 00:50:41,466 But it must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our 364 00:50:43,466 --> 00:50:48,433 chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs. 365 00:51:03,700 --> 00:51:08,700 Another historic trade blunder was the catastrophe known as NAFTA. 366 00:51:10,600 --> 00:51:15,000 I have met the men and women of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Hampshire, 367 00:51:17,766 --> 00:51:22,766 and many other states whose dreams were shattered by NAFTA. 368 00:51:25,100 --> 00:51:30,100 For years, politicians promised them they would negotiate for a better deal. 369 00:51:31,533 --> 00:51:36,233 But no one ever TRIED - until now. 370 00:51:36,233 --> 00:51:41,233 Our new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement - or USMCA - will replace NAFTA and deliver for 371 00:51:44,900 --> 00:51:49,866 American workers: bringing back our manufacturing jobs, expanding American agriculture, protecting 372 00:52:04,266 --> 00:52:09,266 intellectual property, and ensuring that more cars are proudly stamped with the four beautiful 373 00:52:14,933 --> 00:52:19,933 words: MADE IN THE USA. 374 00:52:23,866 --> 00:52:28,866 Tonight, I am also asking you to pass the United States Reciprocal Trade Act, so that 375 00:52:38,433 --> 00:52:43,433 if another country places an unfair tariff on an American product, we can charge them 376 00:52:46,366 --> 00:52:51,366 the exact same tariff on the same product that they sell to us. 377 00:52:58,766 --> 00:53:03,733 Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of America's crumbling 378 00:53:11,200 --> 00:53:16,200 infrastructure. 379 00:53:25,666 --> 00:53:30,666 I know that Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill -and I am eager to work with you on 380 00:53:33,166 --> 00:53:37,633 legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment, including investments in the cutting 381 00:53:40,866 --> 00:53:45,266 edge industries of the future. 382 00:53:45,266 --> 00:53:47,533 This is not an option. 383 00:53:47,533 --> 00:53:50,400 This is a necessity. 384 00:53:50,400 --> 00:53:55,400 The next major priority for me, and for all of us, should be to lower the cost of healthcare 385 00:53:59,366 --> 00:54:04,333 and prescription drugs - and to protect patients with pre-existing conditions. 386 00:54:12,633 --> 00:54:17,633 Already, as a result of my administration's efforts, in 2018 drug prices experienced their 387 00:54:28,233 --> 00:54:33,233 single largest decline in 46 years. 388 00:54:42,766 --> 00:54:44,833 But we must do more. 389 00:54:44,833 --> 00:54:49,266 It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the 390 00:54:50,666 --> 00:54:55,500 exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place. 391 00:54:58,833 --> 00:55:03,833 This is wrong, unfair, and together we can stop it. 392 00:55:20,766 --> 00:55:25,766 I am asking Congress to pass legislation that finally takes on the problem of global freeloading 393 00:55:28,366 --> 00:55:33,366 and delivers fairness and price transparency for American Patients. 394 00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:42,000 We should also require drug companies, insurance companies, and hospitals to disclose real 395 00:55:49,800 --> 00:55:54,800 prices to foster competition and bring costs down. 396 00:56:09,466 --> 00:56:14,466 No force in history has done more to advance the human condition than American Freedom. 397 00:56:37,366 --> 00:56:42,366 In recent years we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS. 398 00:56:46,433 --> 00:56:51,433 Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach. 399 00:56:54,400 --> 00:56:59,400 My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate 400 00:57:02,833 --> 00:57:07,833 the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years. 401 00:57:20,200 --> 00:57:25,200 Together, we will defeat AIDS in America. 402 00:57:35,733 --> 00:57:40,733 Tonight I am also asking you to join me in another fight that all Americans can get behind: 403 00:57:43,633 --> 00:57:48,633 the fight against childhood cancer. 404 00:58:01,766 --> 00:58:06,766 Joining Melania in the gallery this evening is a very brave 10 year old girl, Grace Ee-line. 405 00:58:11,833 --> 00:58:16,833 Every birthday 406 00:58:41,466 --> 00:58:46,466 since she was 4, Grace asked her friends to donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. 407 00:58:50,000 --> 00:58:55,000 She did not know that one day she might be a patient herself. 408 00:58:57,333 --> 00:59:01,400 Last year, Grace was diagnosed with brain cancer. 409 00:59:01,400 --> 00:59:05,200 Immediately, she began radiation treatment. 410 00:59:05,200 --> 00:59:10,200 At the same time, she rallied her community and raised more than $40,000 dollars for the 411 00:59:12,733 --> 00:59:17,733 fight against cancer. 412 00:59:37,600 --> 00:59:42,600 When Grace completed treatment last fall, her doctors and nurses cheered with tears 413 00:59:47,933 --> 00:59:52,933 in their eyes as she hung up a poster that read: "Last day of Keemo." 414 01:00:15,600 --> 01:00:20,600 Grace - you are an inspiration to us all. 415 01:00:22,033 --> 01:00:26,633 Many childhood cancers have not seen new therapies in decades. 416 01:00:28,666 --> 01:00:32,600 My budget will ask Congress for $500 million dollars over the next 10 years to fund this 417 01:00:33,466 --> 01:00:36,266 critical life-saving research. 418 01:00:36,266 --> 01:00:41,266 To help support working parents, the time has come to pass SCHOOL CHOICE for America's 419 01:00:46,566 --> 01:00:50,200 children. 420 01:00:50,200 --> 01:00:55,166 I am also proud to be the first President to include in my budget a plan for nationwide 421 01:01:06,533 --> 01:01:11,533 paid family leave - so that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn 422 01:01:14,233 --> 01:01:19,233 child. 423 01:01:21,866 --> 01:01:26,866 There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant 424 01:01:36,000 --> 01:01:41,000 child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days. 425 01:01:44,700 --> 01:01:49,666 Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would 426 01:01:51,633 --> 01:01:56,033 allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth. 427 01:01:58,466 --> 01:02:03,433 These are living, feeling, beautiful, babies who will never get the chance to share their 428 01:02:04,300 --> 01:02:07,433 love and dreams with the world. 429 01:02:07,433 --> 01:02:12,433 And then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he stated 430 01:02:13,633 --> 01:02:17,033 he would execute a baby after birth. 431 01:02:17,033 --> 01:02:22,033 To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit 432 01:02:25,366 --> 01:02:30,366 the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb. 433 01:02:55,933 --> 01:03:00,900 Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. 434 01:03:24,766 --> 01:03:29,766 And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children - born and unborn - are made 435 01:03:33,366 --> 01:03:35,833 in the holy image of God. 436 01:03:35,833 --> 01:03:40,833 The final part of my agenda is to protect America's National Security. 437 01:03:46,166 --> 01:03:51,166 Over the last two years, we have begun to fully rebuild the United States Military -with 438 01:03:54,333 --> 01:03:59,333 $700 billion dollars last year and $716 billion dollars this year. 439 01:04:03,233 --> 01:04:08,233 We are also getting other nations to pay their fair share. 440 01:04:24,600 --> 01:04:29,600 For years, the United States was being treated very unfairly by NATO - but now we have 441 01:04:37,666 --> 01:04:42,666 secured a $100 billion dollar increase in defense spending from NATO allies. 442 01:04:53,433 --> 01:04:58,433 As part of our military build-up, the United States is developing a state-of-the-art Missile 443 01:05:11,866 --> 01:05:14,433 Defense System. 444 01:05:14,433 --> 01:05:19,433 Under my Administration, we will never apologize for advancing America's interests. 445 01:05:22,666 --> 01:05:27,666 For example, decades ago the United States entered into a treaty with Russia in which 446 01:05:30,366 --> 01:05:35,366 we agreed to limit and reduce our missile capabilities. 447 01:05:37,233 --> 01:05:41,933 While we followed the agreement to the letter, Russia repeatedly violated its terms. 448 01:05:50,000 --> 01:05:55,000 That is why I announced that the United States is officially withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range 449 01:05:57,333 --> 01:06:02,333 Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty. 450 01:06:03,133 --> 01:06:08,133 Perhaps 451 01:06:21,100 --> 01:06:26,100 we can negotiate a different agreement, adding China and others, or perhaps we can't -in 452 01:06:30,066 --> 01:06:35,066 which case, we will outspend and out-innovate all others by far. 453 01:06:48,866 --> 01:06:53,866 As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean 454 01:06:56,100 --> 01:06:58,700 Peninsula. 455 01:06:58,700 --> 01:07:03,700 Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile 456 01:07:06,533 --> 01:07:09,733 launch in 15 months. 457 01:07:09,733 --> 01:07:14,733 If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, 458 01:07:18,133 --> 01:07:23,133 be in a major war with North Korea. 459 01:07:28,900 --> 01:07:33,900 Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one. 460 01:07:36,433 --> 01:07:41,433 Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam. 461 01:07:48,400 --> 01:07:53,400 Two weeks ago, the United States officially recognized the legitimate government of Venezuela, 462 01:08:00,666 --> 01:08:05,633 and its new interim President, Juan Gwydo. 463 01:08:13,200 --> 01:08:18,200 We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom - and we condemn 464 01:08:21,700 --> 01:08:26,700 the brutality of the Maduro regime, whose socialist policies have turned that nation 465 01:08:30,800 --> 01:08:35,800 from being the wealthiest in South America into a state of abject poverty and despair. 466 01:08:40,833 --> 01:08:45,833 Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country. 467 01:08:59,666 --> 01:09:04,666 America was founded on liberty and independence - not government coercion, domination and 468 01:09:07,366 --> 01:09:08,566 control. 469 01:09:08,566 --> 01:09:13,366 We are BORN FREE, and we will STAY FREE. 470 01:09:27,766 --> 01:09:32,766 Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will NEVER be a socialist country. 471 01:09:58,733 --> 01:10:03,733 One of the most complex set of challenges we face is in the Middle East. 472 01:10:07,900 --> 01:10:12,900 Our approach is based on principled realism - not discredited theories that have failed 473 01:10:14,933 --> 01:10:19,933 for decades to yield progress. 474 01:10:22,300 --> 01:10:25,200 For this reason, my Administration recognized the TRUE capital of Israel - and proudly 475 01:10:27,966 --> 01:10:32,966 opened the American Embassy in Jerusalem. 476 01:10:46,566 --> 01:10:51,533 Our brave troops have now been fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years. 477 01:10:56,000 --> 01:11:00,966 In Afghanistan and Iraq, nearly 7,000 American Heroes have given their lives. 478 01:11:05,133 --> 01:11:10,133 More than 52,000 Americans have been badly wounded. 479 01:11:11,666 --> 01:11:16,233 We have spent more than $7 trillion dollars in the Middle East. 480 01:11:19,633 --> 01:11:24,633 As a candidate for President, I pledged a new approach. 481 01:11:27,833 --> 01:11:32,833 Great nations do not fight endless wars. 482 01:11:48,466 --> 01:11:53,433 When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. 483 01:11:58,300 --> 01:12:03,266 Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty 484 01:12:09,433 --> 01:12:11,400 killers. 485 01:12:11,400 --> 01:12:16,266 Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of ISIS, it is time to give our 486 01:12:19,966 --> 01:12:24,966 brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home. 487 01:12:27,366 --> 01:12:31,033 I have also accelerated our negotiations to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan. 488 01:12:45,633 --> 01:12:50,633 Our troops have fought with unmatched valor - and thanks to their bravery, we are now 489 01:12:53,866 --> 01:12:58,833 able to pursue a political solution to this long and bloody conflict. 490 01:13:19,900 --> 01:13:24,900 In Afghanistan, my Administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan 491 01:13:27,933 --> 01:13:32,566 groups, including the Taliban. 492 01:13:32,566 --> 01:13:37,566 As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence 493 01:13:39,633 --> 01:13:44,633 and focus on counter-terrorism. 494 01:13:47,333 --> 01:13:52,333 We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement - but we do know that after two 495 01:13:54,033 --> 01:13:59,033 decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for PEACE. 496 01:14:06,666 --> 01:14:11,666 Above all, friend and foe alike must never doubt this nation's power and will to defend 497 01:14:24,966 --> 01:14:26,900 our people. 498 01:14:26,900 --> 01:14:31,533 18 years ago, terrorists attacked the USS Cole - and last month American Forces killed 499 01:14:39,200 --> 01:14:44,200 one of the leaders of the attack. 500 01:14:58,133 --> 01:15:03,133 We are honored to be joined tonight by Tom Wibberley, whose son, Navy Seaman Craig Wibberley, 501 01:15:06,966 --> 01:15:11,966 was one of the 17 sailors we tragically lost. 502 01:15:13,400 --> 01:15:17,333 Tom: we vow to always remember the heroes of the USS Cole. 503 01:15:39,733 --> 01:15:44,733 My administration has acted decisively to confront the world's leading state sponsor 504 01:15:46,900 --> 01:15:51,900 of terror: the radical regime in Iran. 505 01:15:58,400 --> 01:16:03,400 To ensure this corrupt dictatorship never acquires nuclear weapons, I withdrew the United 506 01:16:06,400 --> 01:16:11,400 States from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal. 507 01:16:13,366 --> 01:16:18,133 And last fall, we put in place the toughest sanctions ever imposed on a country. 508 01:16:32,166 --> 01:16:37,166 We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants Death to America and threatens genocide 509 01:16:41,766 --> 01:16:46,766 against the Jewish People. 510 01:16:49,100 --> 01:16:53,633 We must never ignore the vile poison of Anti-Semitism, or those who spread its venomous creed. 511 01:17:07,600 --> 01:17:12,600 With one voice, we must confront this hatred anywhere and everywhere it occurs. 512 01:17:15,566 --> 01:17:20,566 Just months ago, 11 Jewish-Americans were viciously murdered in an Anti-Semitic attack 513 01:17:25,033 --> 01:17:28,266 on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. 514 01:17:28,266 --> 01:17:33,266 SWAT Officer Timothy Matson raced into the gunfire and was shot seven times chasing down 515 01:17:39,600 --> 01:17:41,700 the killer. 516 01:17:41,700 --> 01:17:46,700 Timothy has just had his 12th surgery - but he made the trip to be here with us tonight. 517 01:17:58,100 --> 01:18:03,100 Officer Matson: we are forever grateful for your courage in the face of evil. 518 01:18:54,166 --> 01:18:59,166 Tonight we are also joined by Pittsburgh survivor Judah Samet. 519 01:19:00,600 --> 01:19:05,000 He arrived at the synagogue as the massacre began. 520 01:19:06,866 --> 01:19:11,200 But not only did Judah narrowly escape death last fall - more than 7 decades ago, he 521 01:19:13,800 --> 01:19:18,800 narrowly survived the Nazi concentration camps. 522 01:19:19,666 --> 01:19:24,400 Today is Judah's 81st birthday. 523 01:19:49,333 --> 01:19:54,333 Judah says he can still remember the exact moment, nearly 75 years ago, after 10 months 524 01:20:42,233 --> 01:20:47,200 in a concentration camp, when he and his family were put on a train, and told they were going 525 01:20:49,800 --> 01:20:52,066 to another camp. 526 01:20:52,066 --> 01:20:57,033 Suddenly the train screeched to a halt. 527 01:20:59,100 --> 01:21:00,800 A soldier appeared. 528 01:21:00,800 --> 01:21:04,833 Judah's family braced for the worst. 529 01:21:04,833 --> 01:21:09,833 Then, his father cried out with joy: "It's the AMERICANS." 530 01:21:38,200 --> 01:21:43,200 A second Holocaust survivor who is here tonight, Joshua Kaufman, was a prisoner at Dachau Concentration 531 01:21:47,666 --> 01:21:49,733 Camp. 532 01:21:49,733 --> 01:21:53,633 He remembers watching through a hole in the wall of a cattle car as American soldiers 533 01:21:56,466 --> 01:21:58,533 rolled in with tanks. 534 01:21:58,533 --> 01:22:03,033 "To me," Joshua recalls, "the American soldiers were proof that God exists, and they 535 01:22:05,333 --> 01:22:08,333 came down from the sky." 536 01:22:08,333 --> 01:22:13,333 I began this evening by honoring three soldiers who fought on D-Day in the Second World War. 537 01:22:19,900 --> 01:22:24,100 One of them was Herman Zeitchick. 538 01:22:24,100 --> 01:22:26,566 But there is more to Herman's story. 539 01:22:26,566 --> 01:22:31,566 A year after he stormed the Beaches of Normandy, Herman was one of those American Soldiers 540 01:22:35,633 --> 01:22:40,633 who helped liberate Dachau. 541 01:23:12,833 --> 01:23:17,833 He was one of the Americans who helped rescue Joshua from that hell on earth. 542 01:23:21,600 --> 01:23:26,600 Almost 75 years later, Herman and Joshua are both together in the gallery tonight -seated 543 01:23:31,333 --> 01:23:36,133 side-by-side, here in the home of American Freedom. 544 01:23:36,133 --> 01:23:41,133 Herman and Joshua: your presence this evening honors and uplifts our entire nation. 545 01:24:18,700 --> 01:24:23,700 When American soldiers set out beneath the dark skies over the English Channel in the 546 01:24:25,700 --> 01:24:29,800 early hours of D-Day, 1944, they were just young men of 18 and 19, hurtling on fragile 547 01:24:34,333 --> 01:24:39,333 landing craft toward the most momentous battle in the history of war. 548 01:24:42,533 --> 01:24:47,266 They did not know if they would survive the hour. 549 01:24:47,266 --> 01:24:51,533 They did not know if they would grow old. 550 01:24:51,533 --> 01:24:56,533 But they knew that America had to prevail. 551 01:24:58,000 --> 01:25:01,866 Their cause was this nation, and generations yet unborn. 552 01:25:04,433 --> 01:25:07,700 Why did they do it? 553 01:25:07,700 --> 01:25:12,700 They did it for AMERICA - they did it for us. 554 01:25:14,666 --> 01:25:17,766 Everything that has come since -our triumph over communism, our giant leaps of science 555 01:25:23,000 --> 01:25:28,000 and discovery, our unrivaled progress toward equality and justice - ALL of it is possible 556 01:25:31,600 --> 01:25:36,600 thanks to the blood and tears and courage and vision of the Americans who came before. 557 01:25:41,300 --> 01:25:46,300 Think of this Capitol -think of this very Chamber, where lawmakers before you voted 558 01:25:49,233 --> 01:25:54,233 to end slavery, to build the railroads and the highways, to defeat fascism, to secure 559 01:25:59,266 --> 01:26:04,266 Civil Rights, to face down an evil empire. 560 01:26:06,900 --> 01:26:11,900 Here tonight we have legislators from across this magnificent Republic. 561 01:26:16,200 --> 01:26:21,200 You have come from the rocky shores of Maine and the volcanic peaks of Hawaii; from the 562 01:26:25,466 --> 01:26:30,466 snowy woods of Wisconsin and the red deserts of Arizona; from the green farms of Kentucky 563 01:26:33,833 --> 01:26:37,333 and the golden beaches of California. 564 01:26:37,333 --> 01:26:42,333 Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. 565 01:26:47,433 --> 01:26:51,933 What will we do with this moment? 566 01:26:51,933 --> 01:26:55,533 How will we be remembered? 567 01:26:55,533 --> 01:27:00,566 I ask the men and women of this Congress: Look at the opportunities before us! 568 01:27:04,800 --> 01:27:09,800 Our most thrilling achievements are still ahead. 569 01:27:10,933 --> 01:27:15,866 Our most exciting journeys still await. 570 01:27:17,000 --> 01:27:21,100 Our biggest victories are still to come. 571 01:27:21,966 --> 01:27:26,033 We have not yet BEGUN TO DREAM. 572 01:27:26,033 --> 01:27:31,033 We must choose whether we are defined by our differences - or whether we dare to transcend 573 01:27:34,700 --> 01:27:37,200 them. 574 01:27:37,200 --> 01:27:41,366 We must choose whether we squander our inheritance - or whether we proudly declare that WE 575 01:27:45,266 --> 01:27:50,133 ARE AMERICANS: We do the incredible. 576 01:27:50,133 --> 01:27:53,333 We defy the impossible. 577 01:27:53,333 --> 01:27:56,500 We conquer the unknown. 578 01:27:56,500 --> 01:28:01,500 This is the time to re-ignite the American Imagination. 579 01:28:04,000 --> 01:28:09,000 This is the time to search for the tallest summit, and set our sights on the brightest 580 01:28:12,200 --> 01:28:14,233 star. 581 01:28:14,233 --> 01:28:18,466 This is the time to rekindle the bonds of love and loyalty and memory that link us together 582 01:28:20,433 --> 01:28:25,433 as citizens, as neighbors, as patriots. 583 01:28:26,866 --> 01:28:31,300 This is our future -our fate - and our choice to make. 584 01:28:32,600 --> 01:28:36,900 I am asking you to CHOOSE GREATNESS. 585 01:28:36,900 --> 01:28:41,900 No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to come, we must go forward together. 586 01:28:46,300 --> 01:28:51,033 We must keep America FIRST in our hearts. 587 01:28:51,033 --> 01:28:55,966 We must keep Freedom alive in our souls. 588 01:28:55,966 --> 01:29:00,966 And we must always keep FAITH in America's Destiny -that One Nation, Under God, must 589 01:29:06,400 --> 01:29:11,400 be the HOPE and the PROMISE and the LIGHT and the GLORY among all the nations of the 590 01:29:16,000 --> 01:29:17,800 world! 591 01:29:17,800 --> 01:29:19,066 Thank you. 592 01:29:19,066 --> 01:29:22,866 God Bless You, God Bless America, and Goodnight! 593 01:29:22,866 --> 01:29:24,466 (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) 594 01:29:24,466 --> 01:29:26,600 DONALD TRUMP: Thank you. 595 01:29:26,600 --> 01:29:30,933 JUDY WOODRUFF: And that concludes President Trump's second State of the Union address. 596 01:29:30,933 --> 01:29:35,200 Coming up in a few minutes will be the Democrats' response. 597 01:29:35,200 --> 01:29:40,200 That will be delivered by Stacey Abrams, who lost last November to Republican Brian Kemp 598 01:29:41,366 --> 01:29:43,433 in a tight contest for governor of Georgia. 599 01:29:43,433 --> 01:29:48,133 You can see the president applauding, as he is applauded by members of Congress, as he 600 01:29:51,333 --> 01:29:56,333 is there in the chamber of the House of Representatives with all the members of the House and the 601 01:29:57,766 --> 01:30:01,800 Senate, his Cabinet, members of the Supreme Court. 602 01:30:01,800 --> 01:30:05,200 This has been an hour-and-a-half-long speech. 603 01:30:05,200 --> 01:30:10,200 The president touched on themes from unifying the two parties, pleading with Democrats to 604 01:30:12,400 --> 01:30:17,400 work with him on his immigration and border security proposal, deploring abortion, loosening 605 01:30:22,133 --> 01:30:27,133 abortion rights measures, and on a number of foreign policy issues. 606 01:30:28,600 --> 01:30:30,600 It crossed the spectrum. 607 01:30:30,600 --> 01:30:35,100 And there was a good -- a good amount of this speech was devoted to celebrating heroes in 608 01:30:37,433 --> 01:30:42,433 the audience from World War II Holocaust survivors, to a young girl who has fought back brain 609 01:30:46,200 --> 01:30:48,800 cancer. 610 01:30:48,800 --> 01:30:53,100 I am joined here in the studio by Mark Shields, Amy Walter, Peter Wehner, Karine Jean-Pierre, 611 01:30:53,866 --> 01:30:56,366 and Chris Buskirk. 612 01:30:56,366 --> 01:30:59,066 And I want to -- Mark, I want to turn to you first. 613 01:30:59,066 --> 01:31:04,033 This is a president who spent so much of this speech pleading with Democrats to work with 614 01:31:05,966 --> 01:31:08,000 him across the aisle, pleading for unity, and yet we are coming off one of the most 615 01:31:08,000 --> 01:31:11,533 divided periods in recent history. 616 01:31:11,533 --> 01:31:13,200 MARK SHIELDS: Yes. 617 01:31:13,200 --> 01:31:15,400 Judy, it is fascinating to me. 618 01:31:15,400 --> 01:31:20,400 As I listened to the speech, he devoted three pages of the speech to the economy. 619 01:31:22,366 --> 01:31:25,600 And he has got a marvelous economic story to tell, and he never talks about it. 620 01:31:26,733 --> 01:31:28,700 I mean, he very rarely brings it up. 621 01:31:28,700 --> 01:31:30,166 And he did tonight. 622 01:31:30,166 --> 01:31:34,166 And I think he is on strong ground when he does it. 623 01:31:34,166 --> 01:31:38,466 The rest of it, when he said, this is not - - he opened it up by saying, this is not 624 01:31:38,466 --> 01:31:43,466 a two-party -- it's not -- I don't want a Republican or Democrat response. 625 01:31:45,733 --> 01:31:50,700 Any time we use Democrat as an adjective, it sends up the hairs on the back of every 626 01:31:51,333 --> 01:31:52,600 Democrat's neck. 627 01:31:52,600 --> 01:31:54,066 The word is Democratic. 628 01:31:54,066 --> 01:31:55,500 That's an adjective. 629 01:31:55,500 --> 01:31:57,566 Democrat is a dismissive, pejorative word. 630 01:31:57,566 --> 01:32:01,966 And, you know, so, if you are offering an olive branch, that isn't the way to begin. 631 01:32:03,066 --> 01:32:05,600 It was a long speech. 632 01:32:05,600 --> 01:32:09,433 He delivers the speech better than he has in the past, but I just thought it was conspicuously 633 01:32:10,433 --> 01:32:11,433 unmemorable. 634 01:32:11,433 --> 01:32:12,633 JUDY WOODRUFF: Peter Wehner? 635 01:32:12,633 --> 01:32:14,333 PETER WEHNER: I will say a couple of things. 636 01:32:14,333 --> 01:32:19,333 Just from the craft of a speech, it was very bad. 637 01:32:20,033 --> 01:32:21,033 It was banal. 638 01:32:21,033 --> 01:32:22,033 It was undisciplined. 639 01:32:22,033 --> 01:32:24,666 It was windy. 640 01:32:24,666 --> 01:32:26,733 And it was tossed together. 641 01:32:26,733 --> 01:32:29,933 It didn't have the sense that there was somebody in control of the speech. 642 01:32:29,933 --> 01:32:34,833 You know, the teleprompter is not a friend of Donald Trump, and he proved that tonight. 643 01:32:34,833 --> 01:32:38,533 And this is a -- this is a man who is more or less allergic to eloquence. 644 01:32:38,533 --> 01:32:40,766 And he showed that again tonight. 645 01:32:40,766 --> 01:32:43,833 So, in that respect, I thought it was a bad speech. 646 01:32:43,833 --> 01:32:48,200 I thought it was -- contrary to what his aides said, it wasn't a speech of unity. 647 01:32:48,200 --> 01:32:51,833 It was at its core a speech for the base. 648 01:32:51,833 --> 01:32:54,733 He gave -- devoted one sentence to education. 649 01:32:54,733 --> 01:32:59,700 And he must have gone on 15 minutes on illegal immigration. 650 01:33:00,633 --> 01:33:02,533 So that was his target audience. 651 01:33:02,533 --> 01:33:06,333 The last thing on this immigration issue, that argument and his entire case is built 652 01:33:06,966 --> 01:33:08,500 on a fiction. 653 01:33:08,500 --> 01:33:13,033 And the fiction is that this is an unprecedented crisis. 654 01:33:13,033 --> 01:33:16,800 You can be in favor of border security, but illegal border apprehensions are at their 655 01:33:16,800 --> 01:33:18,466 lowest point since 1971. 656 01:33:18,466 --> 01:33:23,200 And yet he speaks as if this is the great crisis facing America. 657 01:33:23,200 --> 01:33:24,666 And it is not. 658 01:33:24,666 --> 01:33:25,633 JUDY WOODRUFF: Amy Walter, what did you make of the speech? 659 01:33:25,633 --> 01:33:27,633 AMY WALTER: Yes. 660 01:33:27,633 --> 01:33:31,633 This sounded a lot more to me like a 2020 convention speech at the RNC than a State 661 01:33:32,366 --> 01:33:33,866 of the Union speech. 662 01:33:33,866 --> 01:33:36,200 You made a point, Judy, saying he was pleading with Democrats. 663 01:33:36,200 --> 01:33:38,233 I really didn't hear pleading. 664 01:33:38,233 --> 01:33:42,633 I heard him saying, as he has pretty much for the entirety of the time that Democrats 665 01:33:44,666 --> 01:33:49,033 have been in control of Congress, that, this is the way that I want it to be. 666 01:33:49,033 --> 01:33:51,100 Here are the problems on the border. 667 01:33:51,100 --> 01:33:54,666 He has made the same case over and over again on border security and what he wants for the 668 01:33:54,666 --> 01:33:57,233 wall. 669 01:33:57,233 --> 01:33:59,366 There wasn't a sense, we are going to compromise, we are going to find common ground, and really 670 01:33:59,366 --> 01:34:03,933 no answer to the question of, what happens in 10 days from now to the government workers 671 01:34:03,933 --> 01:34:08,933 who are sitting there wondering, if there is no agreement, what happens to us? 672 01:34:11,433 --> 01:34:14,333 JUDY WOODRUFF: I want to turn to our correspondent at the Capitol, Lisa Desjardins, and Yamiche 673 01:34:15,766 --> 01:34:18,366 Alcindor, who is at the White House. 674 01:34:18,366 --> 01:34:23,366 Lisa, the members had some sense of what the president was going to say tonight, but they 675 01:34:25,466 --> 01:34:28,133 didn't know -- they certainly didn't know all the detail. 676 01:34:28,133 --> 01:34:32,200 Are you able to a pick up from any of them in these last few minutes how they -- how 677 01:34:32,200 --> 01:34:33,200 they read this? 678 01:34:33,200 --> 01:34:35,200 LISA DESJARDINS: Yes. 679 01:34:35,200 --> 01:34:37,400 I am looking off to my right here with the House chamber just about 100 feet away, Judy, 680 01:34:37,400 --> 01:34:39,733 and I see members just starting to come out now. 681 01:34:39,733 --> 01:34:41,800 So we haven't had a chance to talk to them yet. 682 01:34:41,800 --> 01:34:44,233 And I have been e-mailing with my sources. 683 01:34:44,233 --> 01:34:48,133 I think some things that they will be thinking about -- this is a tough speech in a way for 684 01:34:48,133 --> 01:34:51,500 members to react to, because I counted myself 29 different topics. 685 01:34:51,500 --> 01:34:56,500 That's not just words he mentioned, but topics that he spoke about in multiple sentences. 686 01:34:57,233 --> 01:34:58,900 That's lot to react to. 687 01:34:58,900 --> 01:35:03,133 On the one hand, he did reach out in bipartisan ways on some issues. 688 01:35:03,133 --> 01:35:08,033 On the other hand, on the issue of border security, he tried to make that a class issue, 689 01:35:08,033 --> 01:35:13,033 and say that Democrats were against the working class in their stance for illegal immigrants. 690 01:35:15,000 --> 01:35:17,966 I think that is something we are going to see Democrats react strongly to, as well as 691 01:35:17,966 --> 01:35:20,033 the abortion language that the president had. 692 01:35:20,033 --> 01:35:24,633 I would expect a statement from Virginia's governor, Ralph Northam, who was specifically 693 01:35:24,633 --> 01:35:26,933 singled out for, I think, direct attack from the president. 694 01:35:26,933 --> 01:35:28,733 But, Judy, I will let you know. 695 01:35:28,733 --> 01:35:30,866 We are waiting for the members to come out now. 696 01:35:30,866 --> 01:35:34,466 As you saw, the applause was scattered, sometimes bipartisan. 697 01:35:34,466 --> 01:35:38,900 Sometimes, we saw even the president's most adamant opponents stand up for his statements. 698 01:35:38,900 --> 01:35:41,133 Other times, it was clearly a partisan room. 699 01:35:41,133 --> 01:35:44,700 JUDY WOODRUFF: Very quickly to Yamiche Alcindor at the White House. 700 01:35:44,700 --> 01:35:49,300 We have got about three-and-a-half minutes before we hear from Stacey Abrams with the 701 01:35:49,300 --> 01:35:51,333 Democratic response. 702 01:35:51,333 --> 01:35:55,333 Yamiche, the president went into this knowing that he is working with a Democratic majority 703 01:35:56,833 --> 01:35:58,266 in the House. 704 01:35:58,266 --> 01:36:00,433 That had to enter into the calculus of what he had to say. 705 01:36:00,433 --> 01:36:03,666 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well, the White House said that this was supposed to be a speech about 706 01:36:03,666 --> 01:36:06,066 unity and a speech about bringing the country together. 707 01:36:06,066 --> 01:36:09,966 But the president made clear that he doesn't want a compromise and that he still wants 708 01:36:09,966 --> 01:36:13,666 a border to be built -- and a border wall to be built. 709 01:36:13,666 --> 01:36:16,200 The president also used some misleading language. 710 01:36:16,200 --> 01:36:21,200 He talked about the fact that border walls in San Diego and El Paso led to a decrease 711 01:36:22,400 --> 01:36:24,333 in crime and a decrease in illegal immigration. 712 01:36:24,333 --> 01:36:27,766 What we know for a fact, actually, is that there has been no new wall built and that 713 01:36:27,766 --> 01:36:32,766 there has been some fixes to existing fences that were passed by prior administrations. 714 01:36:34,733 --> 01:36:38,366 The president also was talking about the idea that border walls would somehow stop the flow 715 01:36:39,466 --> 01:36:41,100 of illegal drugs coming into the country. 716 01:36:41,100 --> 01:36:44,233 What we know is that most drugs come through legal ports of entry. 717 01:36:44,233 --> 01:36:48,700 The president did, however, talk about the low unemployment rate for African-Americans. 718 01:36:48,700 --> 01:36:49,866 That is true. 719 01:36:49,866 --> 01:36:51,900 The employment rates are very low. 720 01:36:51,900 --> 01:36:55,466 He also talked about NATO and getting NATO to have more defense spending. 721 01:36:55,466 --> 01:36:57,566 That is true. 722 01:36:57,566 --> 01:37:00,766 The president pushed that body to spend more on defense spending and to have the countries 723 01:37:00,766 --> 01:37:03,433 around him spend more on defense spending. 724 01:37:03,433 --> 01:37:06,133 The president in some ways had a touching moment. 725 01:37:06,133 --> 01:37:10,366 He talked about a cancer survivor that he brought as a guest, and he also talked about 726 01:37:10,366 --> 01:37:12,600 Alice Johnson, who he freed from prison. 727 01:37:12,600 --> 01:37:14,733 Those were moments where you could see unity. 728 01:37:14,733 --> 01:37:18,300 But I think the most telling moment, for me as a reporter watching this, was when the 729 01:37:18,300 --> 01:37:23,300 president said, the state of our union is strong, Mike Pence clapped, Republicans started 730 01:37:24,700 --> 01:37:27,133 chanting, "USA, USA," but Nancy Pelosi sat in her seat. 731 01:37:27,133 --> 01:37:29,533 And what you -- what that tells is that we can believe our eyes. 732 01:37:29,533 --> 01:37:31,666 The state of our union is divided. 733 01:37:31,666 --> 01:37:34,766 And we have a president who, as much as he wants to talk a about the border wall and 734 01:37:34,766 --> 01:37:39,766 border security, he also is someone who is still using misleading statements and still 735 01:37:41,700 --> 01:37:45,066 not telling the entire truth in a speech that was, as you noted, an hour-and-a-half long. 736 01:37:47,000 --> 01:37:50,400 JUDY WOODRUFF: And to Robert Costa joining us now, Washington Post reporter Robert Costa, 737 01:37:51,766 --> 01:37:54,266 who is, of course, the moderator of PBS' "Washington Week." 738 01:37:54,266 --> 01:37:58,933 Robert, I saw you tweeting during the speech about the president going back to basics when 739 01:38:00,166 --> 01:38:02,233 it came to immigration and the border wall. 740 01:38:02,233 --> 01:38:06,333 ROBERT COSTA: A dark, defiant speech that has echoes of what he said, American carnage, 741 01:38:08,366 --> 01:38:12,366 at his inauguration, echoes of what he said in 2015 when he entered the presidential race. 742 01:38:14,233 --> 01:38:18,166 His message on illegal immigration was one of trying to say to the Republican Party, 743 01:38:18,166 --> 01:38:22,400 stick with me, taking this hard line, trying to build a border wall. 744 01:38:22,400 --> 01:38:27,400 This is a president staring divided government in the face and saying, I will not change. 745 01:38:29,266 --> 01:38:33,133 JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Robert, it's -- there is a contradiction there, because the White 746 01:38:33,133 --> 01:38:38,100 House all day today and up -- leading up until this saying the president was going to be 747 01:38:38,100 --> 01:38:42,466 reaching out, trying to show that he was prepared to work with Democrats. 748 01:38:42,466 --> 01:38:47,466 ROBERT COSTA: That was the White House message, but then there was the actual message in this 749 01:38:47,933 --> 01:38:50,033 speech. 750 01:38:50,033 --> 01:38:53,733 It began with overtures to the Democrats, mentions of Buzz Aldrin, chants of "USA, USA," 751 01:38:55,833 --> 01:38:59,333 then that turn toward immigration, the turn toward talk of mass illegal immigration at 752 01:39:00,133 --> 01:39:02,200 the border, of crime. 753 01:39:02,200 --> 01:39:06,333 This is who President Trump was reaching out to, the Republican voter who he wants to stand 754 01:39:06,333 --> 01:39:10,933 by him through this turbulent year ahead, with Robert Mueller's investigation looming 755 01:39:10,933 --> 01:39:13,000 and so much else. 756 01:39:13,000 --> 01:39:16,933 JUDY WOODRUFF: All right, Robert Costa with "Washington Week in Review" and also with 757 01:39:17,666 --> 01:39:19,166 The Washington Post. 758 01:39:19,166 --> 01:39:21,266 And now the Democratic response. 759 01:39:21,266 --> 01:39:24,566 It's being delivered tonight by Stacey Abrams, who lost a close race for governor in Georgia. 760 01:39:24,566 --> 01:39:25,933 STACEY ABRAMS (D), Former Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate: Good evening, my fellow Americans. 761 01:39:25,933 --> 01:39:27,966 And happy lunar new year. 762 01:39:27,966 --> 01:39:32,766 I'm Stacey Abrams, and I am honored to join the conversation about the state of our union. 763 01:39:34,733 --> 01:39:39,533 Growing up, my family went back and forth between lower middle class and working poor. 764 01:39:41,533 --> 01:39:44,633 Yet, even when they came home weary and bone-tired, my parents found a way to show us all who 765 01:39:45,966 --> 01:39:47,400 we could be. 766 01:39:47,400 --> 01:39:50,733 My librarian mother taught us to love learning. 767 01:39:50,733 --> 01:39:55,733 My father, a shipyard worker, put in overtime and extra shifts; and they made sure we volunteered 768 01:39:56,600 --> 01:39:59,033 to help others. 769 01:39:59,033 --> 01:40:02,866 Later, they both became United Methodist ministers, an expression of the faith that guides us. 770 01:40:04,700 --> 01:40:09,033 These were our family values - faith, service, education and responsibility. 771 01:40:10,966 --> 01:40:15,466 Now, we only had one car, so sometimes my dad had to hitchhike and walk long stretches 772 01:40:16,800 --> 01:40:20,500 during the 30 mile trip home from the shipyards. 773 01:40:20,500 --> 01:40:22,733 One rainy night, Mom got worried. 774 01:40:22,733 --> 01:40:27,266 We piled in the car and went out looking for him - and eventually found Dad making his 775 01:40:27,266 --> 01:40:31,833 way along the road, soaked and shivering in his shirtsleeves. 776 01:40:31,833 --> 01:40:35,733 When he got in the car, Mom asked if he'd left his coat at work. 777 01:40:35,733 --> 01:40:39,133 He explained he'd given it to a homeless man he'd met on the highway. 778 01:40:39,133 --> 01:40:44,100 When we asked why he'd given away his only jacket, Dad turned to us and said, "I knew 779 01:40:46,366 --> 01:40:49,300 when I left that man, he'd still be alone. 780 01:40:49,300 --> 01:40:54,266 But I could give him my coat, because I knew you were coming for me." 781 01:40:56,333 --> 01:40:59,400 Our power and strength as Americans lives in our hard work and our belief in more. 782 01:41:01,400 --> 01:41:05,500 My family understood firsthand that while success is not guaranteed, we live in a nation 783 01:41:06,366 --> 01:41:08,666 where opportunity is possible. 784 01:41:08,666 --> 01:41:13,666 But we do not succeed alone - in these United States, when times are tough, we can persevere 785 01:41:15,533 --> 01:41:19,333 because our friends and neighbors will come for us. 786 01:41:19,333 --> 01:41:22,700 Our first responders will come for us. 787 01:41:22,700 --> 01:41:27,700 It is this mantra - this uncommon grace of community - that has driven me to become 788 01:41:29,633 --> 01:41:33,800 an attorney, a small business owner, a writer, and most recently, the Democratic nominee 789 01:41:34,600 --> 01:41:37,166 for Governor of Georgia. 790 01:41:37,166 --> 01:41:41,800 My reason for running for governor was simple: I love our country and its promise of opportunity 791 01:41:43,800 --> 01:41:47,833 for all, and I stand here tonight because I hold fast to my father's credo - together, 792 01:41:50,800 --> 01:41:55,766 we are coming for America, for a better America. 793 01:41:57,733 --> 01:42:01,300 Just a few weeks ago, I joined volunteers to distribute meals to furloughed federal 794 01:42:01,300 --> 01:42:03,333 workers. 795 01:42:03,333 --> 01:42:07,433 They waited in line for a box of food and a sliver of hope since they hadn't received 796 01:42:08,166 --> 01:42:10,366 a paycheck in weeks. 797 01:42:10,366 --> 01:42:15,366 Making their livelihoods a pawn for political games is a disgrace. 798 01:42:17,400 --> 01:42:21,166 The shutdown was a stunt engineered by the President of the United States, one that defied 799 01:42:23,166 --> 01:42:27,266 every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people - but our values. 800 01:42:29,233 --> 01:42:33,533 For seven years, I led the Democratic Party in the Georgia House of Representatives. 801 01:42:33,533 --> 01:42:37,866 I didn't always agree with the Republican Speaker or Governor, but I understood that 802 01:42:37,866 --> 01:42:42,866 our constituents didn't care about our political parties - they cared about their lives. 803 01:42:45,300 --> 01:42:48,000 So, when we had to negotiate criminal justice reform or transportation or foster care improvements, 804 01:42:49,533 --> 01:42:54,066 the leaders of our state didn't shut down - we came together. 805 01:42:54,066 --> 01:42:56,766 And we kept our word. 806 01:42:56,766 --> 01:42:59,966 It should be no different in our nation's capital. 807 01:42:59,966 --> 01:43:04,900 We may come from different sides of the political aisle; but, our joint commitment to the ideals 808 01:43:04,900 --> 01:43:08,866 of this nation cannot be negotiable. 809 01:43:08,866 --> 01:43:13,866 Our most urgent work is to realize Americans' dreams of today and tomorrow. 810 01:43:15,733 --> 01:43:19,533 To carve a path to independence and prosperity that can last a lifetime. 811 01:43:20,966 --> 01:43:24,833 Children deserve an excellent education from cradle to career. 812 01:43:24,833 --> 01:43:29,833 We owe them safe schools and the highest standards, regardless of zip code. 813 01:43:31,866 --> 01:43:35,033 Yet this White House responds timidly while first graders practice active shooter drills 814 01:43:36,700 --> 01:43:40,400 and the price of higher education grows ever steeper. 815 01:43:40,400 --> 01:43:45,400 From now on, our leaders must be willing to tackle gun safety measures and the crippling 816 01:43:47,400 --> 01:43:50,700 effect of educational loans; to support educators and invest what is necessary to unleash the 817 01:43:51,966 --> 01:43:55,533 power of America's greatest minds. 818 01:43:55,533 --> 01:44:00,566 In Georgia and around the country, people are striving for a middle class where a salary 819 01:44:01,433 --> 01:44:03,833 truly equals economic security. 820 01:44:03,833 --> 01:44:08,833 But instead, families' hopes are being crushed by Republican leadership that ignores real 821 01:44:09,933 --> 01:44:12,800 life or just doesn't understand it. 822 01:44:12,800 --> 01:44:17,800 Under the current administration, far too many hard-working Americans are falling behind, 823 01:44:19,866 --> 01:44:24,200 living paycheck to paycheck, most without labor unions to protect them from even worse 824 01:44:24,666 --> 01:44:26,266 harm. 825 01:44:26,266 --> 01:44:30,566 The Republican tax bill rigged the system against working people. 826 01:44:30,566 --> 01:44:35,566 Rather than bringing back jobs, plants are closing, layoffs are looming and wages struggle 827 01:44:36,766 --> 01:44:40,266 to keep pace with the actual cost of living. 828 01:44:40,266 --> 01:44:45,266 We owe more to the millions of everyday folks who keep our economy running: like truck drivers 829 01:44:47,266 --> 01:44:51,733 forced to buy their own rigs, farmers caught in a trade war, small business owners in search 830 01:44:53,300 --> 01:44:57,233 of capital, and domestic workers serving without labor protections. 831 01:44:59,166 --> 01:45:02,833 Women and men who could thrive if only they had the support and freedom to do so. 832 01:45:04,833 --> 01:45:08,600 We know bi-partisanship could craft a 21st century immigration plan, but this administration 833 01:45:09,800 --> 01:45:14,800 chooses to cage children and tear families apart. 834 01:45:16,433 --> 01:45:19,800 Compassionate treatment at the border is not the same as open borders. 835 01:45:19,800 --> 01:45:22,266 President Reagan understood this. 836 01:45:22,266 --> 01:45:25,000 President Obama understood this. 837 01:45:25,000 --> 01:45:27,100 Americans understand this. 838 01:45:27,100 --> 01:45:32,100 And Democrats stand ready to effectively secure our ports and borders. 839 01:45:34,100 --> 01:45:37,333 But we must all embrace that from agriculture to healthcare to entrepreneurship, America 840 01:45:38,700 --> 01:45:43,400 is made stronger by the presence of immigrants - not walls. 841 01:45:45,400 --> 01:45:48,500 Rather than suing to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, as Republican Attorneys General 842 01:45:48,500 --> 01:45:53,200 have, our leaders must protect the progress we've made and commit to expanding health 843 01:45:53,200 --> 01:45:57,333 care and lowering costs for everyone. 844 01:45:57,333 --> 01:46:01,266 My father has battled prostate cancer for years. 845 01:46:01,266 --> 01:46:06,266 To help cover the costs, I found myself sinking deeper into debt - because while you can 846 01:46:07,633 --> 01:46:10,333 defer some payments, you can't defer cancer treatment. 847 01:46:10,333 --> 01:46:15,333 In this great nation, Americans are skipping blood pressure pills, forced to choose between 848 01:46:16,400 --> 01:46:19,000 buying medicine or paying rent. 849 01:46:19,000 --> 01:46:24,000 Maternal mortality rates show that mothers, especially black mothers, risk death to give 850 01:46:25,566 --> 01:46:27,633 birth. 851 01:46:27,633 --> 01:46:31,566 And in 14 states, including my home state where a majority want it, our leaders refuse 852 01:46:33,500 --> 01:46:37,433 to expand Medicaid, which could save rural hospitals, economies, and lives. 853 01:46:38,866 --> 01:46:43,500 We can do so much more: Take action on climate change. 854 01:46:44,900 --> 01:46:48,000 Defend individual liberties with fair-minded judges. 855 01:46:48,000 --> 01:46:53,000 But none of these ambitions are possible without the bedrock guarantee of our right to vote. 856 01:46:54,400 --> 01:46:59,400 Let's be clear: voter suppression is real. 857 01:47:01,433 --> 01:47:04,200 From making it harder to register and stay on the rolls to moving and closing polling 858 01:47:04,200 --> 01:47:09,200 places to rejecting lawful ballots, we can no longer ignore these threats to democracy. 859 01:47:12,066 --> 01:47:17,066 While I acknowledged the results of the 2018 election here in Georgia - I did not and 860 01:47:18,533 --> 01:47:22,566 we cannot accept efforts to undermine our right to vote. 861 01:47:24,933 --> 01:47:27,700 That's why I started a nonpartisan organization called Fair Fight to advocate for voting rights. 862 01:47:29,766 --> 01:47:34,766 This is the next battle for our democracy, one where all eligible citizens can have their 863 01:47:35,933 --> 01:47:38,800 say about the vision we want for our country. 864 01:47:38,800 --> 01:47:43,800 We must reject the cynicism that says allowing every eligible vote to be cast and counted 865 01:47:44,533 --> 01:47:47,033 is a "power grab." 866 01:47:47,033 --> 01:47:52,033 Americans understand that these are the values our brave men and women in uniform and our 867 01:47:53,166 --> 01:47:56,033 veterans risk their lives to defend. 868 01:47:56,033 --> 01:48:01,033 The foundation of our moral leadership around the globe is free and fair elections, where 869 01:48:02,933 --> 01:48:07,433 voters pick their leaders - not where politicians pick their voters. 870 01:48:09,433 --> 01:48:13,000 In this time of division and crisis, we must come together and stand for, and with, one 871 01:48:14,933 --> 01:48:17,000 another. 872 01:48:17,000 --> 01:48:21,466 America has stumbled time and again on its quest towards justice and equality; but with 873 01:48:21,466 --> 01:48:26,466 each generation, we have revisited our fundamental truths, and where we falter, we make amends. 874 01:48:29,866 --> 01:48:34,866 We fought Jim Crow with the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, yet we continue 875 01:48:36,800 --> 01:48:40,200 to confront racism from our past and in our present - which is why we must hold everyone 876 01:48:40,200 --> 01:48:45,200 from the very highest offices to our own families accountable for racist words and deeds - and 877 01:48:46,933 --> 01:48:49,533 call racism what it is. 878 01:48:49,533 --> 01:48:51,566 Wrong. 879 01:48:51,566 --> 01:48:55,533 America achieved a measure of reproductive justice in Roe v. Wade, but we must never 880 01:48:55,533 --> 01:49:00,566 forget it is immoral to allow politicians to harm women and families to advance a political 881 01:49:02,666 --> 01:49:04,633 agenda. 882 01:49:04,633 --> 01:49:08,733 We affirmed marriage equality, and yet, the LGBTQ community remains under attack. 883 01:49:11,066 --> 01:49:15,600 So even as I am very disappointed by the President's approach to our problems - I still don't 884 01:49:16,500 --> 01:49:18,566 want him to fail. 885 01:49:18,566 --> 01:49:23,400 But we need him to tell the truth, and to respect his duties and the extraordinary diversity 886 01:49:25,900 --> 01:49:28,200 that defines America. 887 01:49:28,200 --> 01:49:33,200 Our progress has always found refuge in the basic instinct of the American experiment 888 01:49:34,300 --> 01:49:37,733 - to do right by our people. 889 01:49:37,733 --> 01:49:42,600 And with a renewed commitment to social and economic justice, we will create a stronger 890 01:49:42,600 --> 01:49:45,100 America, together. 891 01:49:45,100 --> 01:49:50,100 Because America wins by fighting for our shared values against all enemies: foreign and domestic. 892 01:49:52,333 --> 01:49:57,333 That is who we are - and when we do so, never wavering - the state of our union 893 01:49:59,533 --> 01:50:01,466 will always be strong. 894 01:50:01,466 --> 01:50:06,433 Thank you, and may God bless the United States of America. 895 01:50:06,433 --> 01:50:08,533 (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) 896 01:50:08,533 --> 01:50:11,733 JUDY WOODRUFF: And that was Stacey Abrams delivering the Democrats' response to the 897 01:50:11,733 --> 01:50:13,666 president's State of the Union address. 898 01:50:13,666 --> 01:50:17,133 Still with us at the "NewsHour" table, Mark Shields, Amy Walter, Peter Wehner, Karine 899 01:50:17,133 --> 01:50:20,800 Jean-Pierre, and Chris Buskirk. 900 01:50:20,800 --> 01:50:25,333 Karine, remarkable in -- on a number of counts, I mean in contrast to the president. 901 01:50:25,333 --> 01:50:30,200 You have a woman of color delivering the Democratic response and you have someone who lost a race, 902 01:50:30,200 --> 01:50:31,866 who doesn't hold office right now. 903 01:50:31,866 --> 01:50:33,333 I believe that is a first... 904 01:50:33,333 --> 01:50:35,266 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, Democratic Strategist: It is a first. 905 01:50:35,266 --> 01:50:38,933 JUDY WOODRUFF: ... to have someone not holding office making the Democratic response. 906 01:50:39,666 --> 01:50:40,766 She went to her family. 907 01:50:40,766 --> 01:50:42,966 She talked about her father. 908 01:50:42,966 --> 01:50:47,200 And she laid it on the line in terms of what this administration has done in terms of health 909 01:50:47,200 --> 01:50:49,866 care, immigration, and the shutdown. 910 01:50:49,866 --> 01:50:51,633 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Yes, you said it perfectly, Judy. 911 01:50:51,633 --> 01:50:53,133 That is exactly right. 912 01:50:53,133 --> 01:50:55,666 She is the first black woman to give a response. 913 01:50:55,666 --> 01:50:57,533 Look, giving a response is very difficult. 914 01:50:57,533 --> 01:50:59,233 It is not easy to do. 915 01:50:59,233 --> 01:51:00,566 Many have failed. 916 01:51:00,566 --> 01:51:02,666 And I believe she nailed it tonight. 917 01:51:02,666 --> 01:51:07,666 It was a complete opposite of contrast to what we just heard from Donald Trump moments 918 01:51:09,633 --> 01:51:13,033 ago, a speech at a State of the Union that you would never hear being given by a president 919 01:51:13,033 --> 01:51:14,666 of the United States. 920 01:51:14,666 --> 01:51:15,933 Her speech was powerful. 921 01:51:15,933 --> 01:51:18,466 It was optimistic. 922 01:51:18,466 --> 01:51:22,100 It was talking about bringing people together, and it wasn't going down in the mud with Donald 923 01:51:22,100 --> 01:51:24,166 Trump, which is something that Democrats shouldn't do. 924 01:51:24,166 --> 01:51:27,933 It should be about a vision of how we are going to move America forward. 925 01:51:27,933 --> 01:51:29,966 And that's what we heard from her. 926 01:51:29,966 --> 01:51:33,533 And another thing that you just said, Judy, that I really agree with you on is, having 927 01:51:33,533 --> 01:51:38,533 a woman of color respond to Donald Trump, that alone is such a powerful statement, especially 928 01:51:40,400 --> 01:51:43,566 from all the hateful rhetoric that we hear from this president and we have heard from 929 01:51:43,566 --> 01:51:45,566 this president these last two years. 930 01:51:45,566 --> 01:51:48,033 JUDY WOODRUFF: Chris Buskirk, what did you take away from Stacey Abrams? 931 01:51:48,033 --> 01:51:50,833 CHRIS BUSKIRK, AmericanGreatness.org: I thought two things, style and substance. 932 01:51:50,833 --> 01:51:54,466 I thought she was a really interesting choice to do the rebuttal. 933 01:51:54,466 --> 01:51:59,333 I was sort of expecting before she was announced maybe somebody like a Kamala Harris or something 934 01:51:59,333 --> 01:52:00,600 like that. 935 01:52:00,600 --> 01:52:02,700 And then the political context struck me. 936 01:52:02,700 --> 01:52:06,233 And I thought, there are so many Democrats, Kamala Harris being one of them, running for 937 01:52:06,233 --> 01:52:09,633 president, they almost had to go with somebody who wasn't in office. 938 01:52:09,633 --> 01:52:12,266 And so there is this backdrop which I keep thinking about. 939 01:52:12,266 --> 01:52:16,933 How does this whole night play into 2020, both for the president, also for Democrats, 940 01:52:16,933 --> 01:52:19,733 who obviously will be seeking the presidency? 941 01:52:19,733 --> 01:52:22,066 And so that is sort of the style, the political part of it. 942 01:52:22,066 --> 01:52:25,233 On the substance, I thought it was -- you know, it was very up in the air. 943 01:52:25,233 --> 01:52:30,233 You know, it was very, a lot of -- a lot of sort of glib talk about, you know, the shirt 944 01:52:31,366 --> 01:52:32,300 off my back and this sort of thing. 945 01:52:32,300 --> 01:52:33,300 Great. 946 01:52:33,300 --> 01:52:35,300 I mean, those things sound good. 947 01:52:35,300 --> 01:52:38,033 But then you have to sort of come up with policies to put behind that. 948 01:52:38,033 --> 01:52:41,433 You know, there is the rhetoric, and then there is the action. 949 01:52:41,433 --> 01:52:46,433 And so I -- it just struck me what we have seen over the past 15, 20 years is that the 950 01:52:47,500 --> 01:52:48,666 Democratic -- Democratic Party. 951 01:52:48,666 --> 01:52:49,933 MARK SHIELDS: Thank you, Chris. 952 01:52:49,933 --> 01:52:51,033 CHRIS BUSKIRK: I got the adjective. 953 01:52:51,033 --> 01:52:52,900 (CROSSTALK) 954 01:52:52,900 --> 01:52:55,066 CHRIS BUSKIRK: The Democratic Party has become the party of the rich. 955 01:52:55,066 --> 01:52:58,533 Since 2008, the majority of voters with over $200,000 of income have gone Democratic. 956 01:53:00,333 --> 01:53:02,766 And that doesn't jibe well with the rhetoric. 957 01:53:02,766 --> 01:53:05,233 And that was -- I think there is this battle for the middle class. 958 01:53:05,233 --> 01:53:10,066 We saw it in Trump's speech, trying to explain what his vision is for the middle class and 959 01:53:12,033 --> 01:53:14,033 for the working class, and how that ties to things like immigration and trade. 960 01:53:14,033 --> 01:53:18,100 And then you saw Stacey Abrams trying to claim that same mantle for the Democratic Party. 961 01:53:18,100 --> 01:53:19,733 And that's where the battle is going to be fought. 962 01:53:19,733 --> 01:53:21,800 JUDY WOODRUFF: Is that what you heard, Mark Shields? 963 01:53:21,800 --> 01:53:25,633 MARK SHIELDS: Yes, I mean, Stacey Abrams didn't try to answer Donald Trump. 964 01:53:25,633 --> 01:53:30,500 She gave basically a Democratic speech, her Democratic speech, or sort of her signature 965 01:53:30,500 --> 01:53:32,000 speech. 966 01:53:32,000 --> 01:53:36,166 And, you know, it is an impossible assignment for anybody. 967 01:53:36,166 --> 01:53:41,166 And if we wanted to list on one hand the memorable ones, I think, you know, we, unfortunately, 968 01:53:43,133 --> 01:53:46,866 remember the unfortunate, the Marco Rubio striving for the water, you know, whatever 969 01:53:49,966 --> 01:53:51,566 else. 970 01:53:51,566 --> 01:53:53,633 Jim Webb, I think, probably gave the only good one I can remember. 971 01:53:53,633 --> 01:53:56,566 That was 15 -- or 13 years ago. 972 01:53:56,566 --> 01:53:58,800 But she -- no, she was good. 973 01:53:58,800 --> 01:54:00,500 And I think Chris is right. 974 01:54:00,500 --> 01:54:02,633 It was a way of avoiding a family argument. 975 01:54:02,633 --> 01:54:06,033 I mean, you choose her, she -- you stay out of the presidential. 976 01:54:06,033 --> 01:54:08,100 You are not showing favoritism. 977 01:54:08,100 --> 01:54:12,766 And, certainly, I mean, she emerged from that race in Georgia with a surprising strength, 978 01:54:15,933 --> 01:54:18,633 surprising -- I will just say one with thing. 979 01:54:18,633 --> 01:54:23,633 What Trump tried to do in his speech was, he tried to recreate the Reagan mystique. 980 01:54:25,633 --> 01:54:29,100 Ronald Reagan could talk about America and its values by talking about World War II and 981 01:54:30,500 --> 01:54:31,500 D-Day. 982 01:54:31,500 --> 01:54:33,533 He had a great gift for that. 983 01:54:33,533 --> 01:54:36,200 It doesn't ring true with Donald Trump, because he never has talked about it before. 984 01:54:36,200 --> 01:54:41,200 That has never has been a part of his basic composition or just in his knowledge. 985 01:54:44,400 --> 01:54:49,400 And I thought, you know, the idea that an American first, which is what his foreign 986 01:54:51,400 --> 01:54:55,933 policy is, the irony is, he is praising World War II and America's involvement in it, when 987 01:54:58,033 --> 01:55:00,433 his predecessors in that movement, America first, did everything they could to stay out 988 01:55:00,433 --> 01:55:02,400 of World War II. 989 01:55:02,400 --> 01:55:04,666 So, I mean, it is sort of an interesting bookend philosophically, if contradictory. 990 01:55:04,666 --> 01:55:09,466 JUDY WOODRUFF: It was striking that Stacey Abrams was the one who cited President Reagan. 991 01:55:09,466 --> 01:55:10,466 MARK SHIELDS: That's right. 992 01:55:10,466 --> 01:55:11,466 No, exactly. 993 01:55:11,466 --> 01:55:13,466 Yes. 994 01:55:13,466 --> 01:55:14,533 JUDY WOODRUFF: She talked about understanding that compassionate treatment at the border 995 01:55:14,533 --> 01:55:16,566 is not the same as open borders. 996 01:55:16,566 --> 01:55:18,533 MARK SHIELDS: Yes. 997 01:55:18,533 --> 01:55:22,833 JUDY WOODRUFF: Put Stacey Abrams in context, Peter Wehner, with what the president had 998 01:55:23,300 --> 01:55:25,266 to say. 999 01:55:25,266 --> 01:55:28,533 PETER WEHNER: Well, as everybody said, it is very, very hard to give a response to the 1000 01:55:28,533 --> 01:55:29,966 State of the Union. 1001 01:55:29,966 --> 01:55:31,700 I thought that she carried it off pretty well. 1002 01:55:31,700 --> 01:55:35,433 You have some people who have crashed and burned in these kind of things. 1003 01:55:35,433 --> 01:55:39,633 Nobody has ever given a response to a State of the Union that has been really deeply memorable. 1004 01:55:39,633 --> 01:55:41,766 And this one won't be either. 1005 01:55:41,766 --> 01:55:46,766 It was -- it was probably a good choice for the Democrats to make, for the reasons that 1006 01:55:47,366 --> 01:55:49,200 Chris said. 1007 01:55:49,200 --> 01:55:51,266 I thought she was relitigating to some extent her loss in Georgia. 1008 01:55:51,266 --> 01:55:54,100 She spent a fair amount on the right to vote. 1009 01:55:54,100 --> 01:55:56,033 That is an important issue. 1010 01:55:56,033 --> 01:56:00,166 But when you have seven minutes to give a national response, I think I probably would 1011 01:56:00,166 --> 01:56:02,200 have advised going in a different direction. 1012 01:56:02,200 --> 01:56:06,333 It was culture, leaning toward culture, as opposed to economic growth. 1013 01:56:06,333 --> 01:56:10,466 And it wasn't a hugely uplifting vision, but it was fine. 1014 01:56:10,466 --> 01:56:13,866 I will say that, a week from now, both speeches, I think, will be forgotten. 1015 01:56:13,866 --> 01:56:15,366 JUDY WOODRUFF: What do you think the overriding message... 1016 01:56:15,366 --> 01:56:16,933 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: But the contrast... 1017 01:56:16,933 --> 01:56:18,100 (CROSSTALK) 1018 01:56:18,100 --> 01:56:19,366 AMY WALTER: The contrast will be important. 1019 01:56:19,366 --> 01:56:21,466 I think Chris made a good point, too. 1020 01:56:21,466 --> 01:56:25,266 It's -- you know, we get into 2020, the battle is, who best represents the middle class? 1021 01:56:25,266 --> 01:56:29,533 The middle-class people, who do you think is looking out for them, the Republican or 1022 01:56:29,533 --> 01:56:31,566 the Democrat? 1023 01:56:31,566 --> 01:56:35,733 And also this fight that we are going to see in 2020 reflects what Mark was talking about, 1024 01:56:37,666 --> 01:56:41,166 the president, really a nostalgia for the way things were and celebrating things of 1025 01:56:43,500 --> 01:56:47,433 the past, vs. Stacey Abrams, what she represents, both her age, her gender, and her race, sort 1026 01:56:50,233 --> 01:56:54,466 of future-looking, we are going to have somebody that looks different, sounds different, comes 1027 01:56:54,466 --> 01:56:58,066 from so many different places to be in a leadership position. 1028 01:56:58,066 --> 01:57:00,166 So those will be at a contrast. 1029 01:57:00,166 --> 01:57:04,166 I think she also basically hit every note of the sort of grievances of Democrats for 1030 01:57:06,066 --> 01:57:10,733 the last two years, children in cages, you have to call racism out, the president needs 1031 01:57:12,733 --> 01:57:16,166 to tell the truth, being able to get every one of those -- this was sort of this trying 1032 01:57:16,166 --> 01:57:21,166 to be above, right, above politics, we are going to be the party that doesn't get down 1033 01:57:23,066 --> 01:57:26,300 in the muck, but then got a chance to just get some of those digs just right in there. 1034 01:57:26,300 --> 01:57:28,633 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Yes, a little bit. 1035 01:57:28,633 --> 01:57:30,500 JUDY WOODRUFF: Yes. 1036 01:57:30,500 --> 01:57:34,433 Well, we are -- just a couple of minutes more before we take a short break. 1037 01:57:34,433 --> 01:57:39,433 But I just want to quickly say to Karine, I thought from -- cosmetically, I think they 1038 01:57:40,166 --> 01:57:41,633 needed more light there. 1039 01:57:41,633 --> 01:57:42,500 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: You said that at the beginning. 1040 01:57:42,500 --> 01:57:43,733 You said, it's so dark. 1041 01:57:43,733 --> 01:57:44,733 (LAUGHTER) 1042 01:57:44,733 --> 01:57:46,833 JUDY WOODRUFF: It was dark. 1043 01:57:46,833 --> 01:57:49,266 And I think, when you give the Democratic nuance, it is often in an unfortunate location. 1044 01:57:49,266 --> 01:57:50,433 It is someplace. 1045 01:57:50,433 --> 01:57:52,400 It's not the chamber of the House. 1046 01:57:52,400 --> 01:57:53,933 And you can't see. 1047 01:57:53,933 --> 01:57:57,700 And you are focused on trying to see and hear sometimes. 1048 01:57:57,700 --> 01:57:59,066 And they do reach for water sometimes. 1049 01:57:59,066 --> 01:58:01,166 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Yes. 1050 01:58:01,166 --> 01:58:03,966 JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, we are going to be back after the turn of the hour. 1051 01:58:03,966 --> 01:58:06,133 But we know that some stations will be cutting away. 1052 01:58:06,133 --> 01:58:10,400 We are coming up on 11:00 Eastern, 8:00 p.m. Pacific time. 1053 01:58:10,400 --> 01:58:15,033 And as our coverage of the State of the Union continues, we are going to give some PBS stations 1054 01:58:15,033 --> 01:58:17,400 the opportunity to resume their regular programming. 1055 01:58:17,400 --> 01:58:21,600 But for those stations staying with us and for those of you watching online, don't go 1056 01:58:21,600 --> 01:58:22,600 anywhere. 1057 01:58:22,600 --> 01:58:24,633 We will be right back. 1058 01:58:24,633 --> 01:58:28,766 Mark Shields, Peter Wehner, Chris Buskirk, Amy Walter, and Karine Jean-Pierre, thank 1059 01:58:36,633 --> 01:58:41,633 you. 1060 01:58:45,766 --> 01:58:50,766 (BREAK) 1061 01:58:54,866 --> 01:58:59,866 JUDY WOODRUFF: And welcome back to special "PBS NewsHour" coverage of the State of the 1062 01:59:16,966 --> 01:59:19,233 Union address tonight and the Democratic response. 1063 01:59:19,233 --> 01:59:21,300 I'm Judy Woodruff. 1064 01:59:21,300 --> 01:59:24,333 And let's pick up the conversation where we left off, with Lisa Desjardins. 1065 01:59:24,333 --> 01:59:28,966 She is at the Capitol, where she has been following reaction to the president's speech. 1066 01:59:28,966 --> 01:59:31,733 And Yamiche Alcindor, who is at the White House. 1067 01:59:31,733 --> 01:59:35,766 Lisa, I am going to come to you, because you were looking for some members to try to get 1068 01:59:35,766 --> 01:59:36,766 their reaction. 1069 01:59:36,766 --> 01:59:37,933 Were you able to talk to any? 1070 01:59:37,933 --> 01:59:40,033 LISA DESJARDINS: Right. 1071 01:59:40,033 --> 01:59:42,366 I was able to speak to a wide group of members, everyone from the top Republican in the House, 1072 01:59:42,366 --> 01:59:44,533 Kevin McCarthy, to one of the freshman Democrats. 1073 01:59:44,533 --> 01:59:46,300 Your panel will be shocked. 1074 01:59:46,300 --> 01:59:49,333 There are differing views on how the president did tonight. 1075 01:59:49,333 --> 01:59:51,466 (LAUGHTER) 1076 01:59:51,466 --> 01:59:53,066 LISA DESJARDINS: Kevin McCarthy, someone who's seen as one of the closest allies of the president, 1077 01:59:53,066 --> 01:59:55,100 so I wanted to make sure and talk to him. 1078 01:59:55,100 --> 02:00:00,066 He said he thought the president did very well and that, in his words, surpassed Democratic 1079 02:00:00,666 --> 02:00:02,666 expectations. 1080 02:00:02,666 --> 02:00:06,200 He said he thought the president reached out to Democrats more than he or Democrats would 1081 02:00:06,800 --> 02:00:08,766 have expected. 1082 02:00:08,766 --> 02:00:12,533 When I brought up the areas that Democrats felt were attacks, he said he felt they were 1083 02:00:13,133 --> 02:00:15,533 justified. 1084 02:00:15,533 --> 02:00:18,566 When you talk to Democrats, like Colin Allred of Texas, a freshman member, he said he wanted 1085 02:00:19,433 --> 02:00:21,466 to look for points of agreement. 1086 02:00:21,466 --> 02:00:25,633 When the president brought up specifically his tone and words on immigration, Colin Allred 1087 02:00:27,066 --> 02:00:29,400 being from a border state, he found that was a problem. 1088 02:00:29,400 --> 02:00:31,500 He said he went too far and it got too partisan. 1089 02:00:31,500 --> 02:00:35,566 And he also, interesting, Judy, said, as a freshman, he didn't expect to have such a 1090 02:00:35,566 --> 02:00:39,566 feeling when he walked into that chamber that he didn't just represent himself, but that 1091 02:00:39,566 --> 02:00:42,966 every time he stood up, he was standing up for his entire district. 1092 02:00:42,966 --> 02:00:45,133 He said he felt that heavily on his shoulders. 1093 02:00:45,133 --> 02:00:47,200 JUDY WOODRUFF: It's interesting, Lisa. 1094 02:00:47,200 --> 02:00:51,066 Mark Shields just handed me a note saying that he thought, for the most part, the freshman 1095 02:00:51,066 --> 02:00:56,033 members behaved themselves, that they didn't get out of control. 1096 02:00:57,966 --> 02:00:59,466 How did you read that? 1097 02:00:59,466 --> 02:01:02,000 I mean, I am sure you were watching, too, their reaction. 1098 02:01:02,000 --> 02:01:03,933 They did stand. 1099 02:01:03,933 --> 02:01:08,166 I mean, the women were standing, freshmen and others, when the president talked about 1100 02:01:09,466 --> 02:01:10,666 more women being employed today than ever. 1101 02:01:10,666 --> 02:01:12,633 LISA DESJARDINS: Right. 1102 02:01:12,633 --> 02:01:15,133 That was one of the more delightful and surprising moments of the night, I think. 1103 02:01:15,133 --> 02:01:20,133 But Mark Shields is on to something, not for the first time . That was intentional, Judy. 1104 02:01:21,266 --> 02:01:23,733 This freshman class has been very strategic. 1105 02:01:23,733 --> 02:01:25,800 They are aggressive and assertive. 1106 02:01:25,800 --> 02:01:30,800 They are activists mostly, but they are being very careful about when they choose their 1107 02:01:30,800 --> 02:01:32,300 moments. 1108 02:01:32,300 --> 02:01:35,100 And they are -- they want to be seen as dignified and serious. 1109 02:01:35,100 --> 02:01:40,066 They do not want to be seen as a class that is going to knee-jerk react to everything. 1110 02:01:40,066 --> 02:01:42,300 And I think you saw that in the speech tonight. 1111 02:01:42,300 --> 02:01:47,300 I think we will see in their Twitter feeds probably more of their emotional reaction 1112 02:01:48,766 --> 02:01:51,200 that they chose not to display as much on the House floor. 1113 02:01:51,200 --> 02:01:55,100 JUDY WOODRUFF: I know that Speaker Pelosi said earlier today, when I was one of a group 1114 02:01:55,100 --> 02:01:59,966 of reporters talking to her, she said that she didn't think she would need to signal 1115 02:01:59,966 --> 02:02:04,933 to her members to -- quote, unquote -- "behave or stay calm." 1116 02:02:07,466 --> 02:02:10,200 But there was a point during tonight's State of the Union when it looked like she was gesturing. 1117 02:02:10,800 --> 02:02:12,233 I am not sure. 1118 02:02:12,233 --> 02:02:14,233 I don't know whether you saw that. 1119 02:02:14,233 --> 02:02:17,566 LISA DESJARDINS: No, I did see, but with the Republicans -- we are thinking of different 1120 02:02:17,566 --> 02:02:19,666 moments, perhaps. 1121 02:02:19,666 --> 02:02:21,500 I saw her gesturing toward the Republican side when the president said something to 1122 02:02:21,500 --> 02:02:22,500 the effect of... 1123 02:02:22,500 --> 02:02:24,533 JUDY WOODRUFF: Ah. 1124 02:02:24,533 --> 02:02:25,966 LISA DESJARDINS: ... if I had not -- if I wasn't president, I think we would be in a 1125 02:02:25,966 --> 02:02:27,633 major war with North Korea. 1126 02:02:27,633 --> 02:02:28,833 JUDY WOODRUFF: Ah. 1127 02:02:28,833 --> 02:02:30,933 LISA DESJARDINS: And there was some applause. 1128 02:02:30,933 --> 02:02:34,633 I saw Speaker Pelosi look over askance and try to see who was clapping at that line about 1129 02:02:35,933 --> 02:02:37,266 major war. 1130 02:02:37,266 --> 02:02:39,400 I missed any other moment like that. 1131 02:02:39,400 --> 02:02:40,900 So, I don't know if that is the same one. 1132 02:02:40,900 --> 02:02:42,366 (CROSSTALK) 1133 02:02:42,366 --> 02:02:43,800 JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, that line certainly got a reaction. 1134 02:02:43,800 --> 02:02:46,733 I want to turn to Yamiche at the White House. 1135 02:02:46,733 --> 02:02:51,733 Yamiche, they had to take into consideration that this is a very different Congress the 1136 02:02:53,666 --> 02:02:55,866 president was talking to tonight than the one he has been dealing with for the last 1137 02:02:55,866 --> 02:02:57,566 two years. 1138 02:02:57,566 --> 02:02:59,966 YAMICHE ALCINDOR: I think the president took that into consideration. 1139 02:02:59,966 --> 02:03:03,900 And that is why you saw the president do that shout-out and say there are a record number 1140 02:03:03,900 --> 02:03:05,966 of women serving in Congress. 1141 02:03:05,966 --> 02:03:09,133 He didn't talk about the fact that the record number of women are serving on the Democratic 1142 02:03:09,133 --> 02:03:14,133 side, and wearing all white to make sure that that is visually very shown. 1143 02:03:16,633 --> 02:03:19,100 But the president here was in some ways still having -- trying to have this tone of unification, 1144 02:03:19,100 --> 02:03:21,533 while I still think not compromising. 1145 02:03:21,533 --> 02:03:23,966 The president wanted to make it clear that he wants his wall. 1146 02:03:23,966 --> 02:03:25,566 He said, walls save lives. 1147 02:03:25,566 --> 02:03:27,266 But he did talk about health care. 1148 02:03:27,266 --> 02:03:31,133 And he talked about it in a long way, much like he did with immigration. 1149 02:03:31,133 --> 02:03:35,933 He spent some time really talking about the cost of health care and how he wanted to eliminate 1150 02:03:35,933 --> 02:03:37,600 the transmission of HIV/AIDS. 1151 02:03:37,600 --> 02:03:40,766 I also want to point out something that he said about cancer research. 1152 02:03:40,766 --> 02:03:45,533 He said: "My budget will ask Congress for $500 million over the next 10 years to fund 1153 02:03:45,533 --> 02:03:47,633 this critical lifesaving research." 1154 02:03:47,633 --> 02:03:50,433 Now, it is important to point out that, while the president -- that is going to be about 1155 02:03:50,433 --> 02:03:55,233 $50 million a year if it is spread out evenly over 10 years -- that is a fraction of the 1156 02:03:55,233 --> 02:03:56,233 total budget. 1157 02:03:56,233 --> 02:03:58,333 It is about 0.001 percent. 1158 02:03:58,333 --> 02:04:02,933 And in -- now, in President Obama's last State of the Union, he talked about cancer research 1159 02:04:02,933 --> 02:04:04,866 funds as well. 1160 02:04:04,866 --> 02:04:08,766 By 2023, the budget estimate for the program that was started by President Obama would 1161 02:04:08,766 --> 02:04:10,800 be $1.8 billion. 1162 02:04:10,800 --> 02:04:15,500 So, what you have there is just really a comparison of President Trump and President Obama. 1163 02:04:18,000 --> 02:04:19,200 But I think there are a lot of Democrats who stood up and clapped when they heard the president 1164 02:04:19,200 --> 02:04:21,233 talk about health care. 1165 02:04:21,233 --> 02:04:24,100 But, of course, they also were I think very - - were very dismayed when he pointed out 1166 02:04:24,100 --> 02:04:29,100 the idea that immigrants and people -- and people that come to this country and are undocumented 1167 02:04:30,533 --> 02:04:32,833 are somehow adding to the criminalization of America. 1168 02:04:32,833 --> 02:04:37,800 JUDY WOODRUFF: It is so important to get this context and to get these comparative numbers, 1169 02:04:37,800 --> 02:04:38,966 Yamiche. 1170 02:04:38,966 --> 02:04:40,966 I mean, I certainly appreciate it. 1171 02:04:40,966 --> 02:04:45,466 I know our audience appreciates the fact that you and our crack team of researchers here 1172 02:04:47,400 --> 02:04:49,766 have been looking at this, looking at what the president is saying, trying to understand 1173 02:04:49,766 --> 02:04:54,766 what the context is, because it may be that a number is accurate, but when you put it 1174 02:04:56,766 --> 02:05:00,133 in context and you compare it with what has been done in the past, it can take on a different 1175 02:05:01,100 --> 02:05:03,200 - - a different cast. 1176 02:05:03,200 --> 02:05:07,233 I want to also bring in Robert Costa, moderator of PBS' "Washington Week" and, of course, 1177 02:05:08,400 --> 02:05:10,466 a reporter at The Washington Post. 1178 02:05:10,466 --> 02:05:15,033 Robert, you had been telling us earlier in the hour that this is President Trump going 1179 02:05:17,300 --> 02:05:21,266 back to who he is and what he fundamentally believes. 1180 02:05:21,266 --> 02:05:26,266 But there was this reaching out to Democrats tonight to say, you have a choice, you can 1181 02:05:27,766 --> 02:05:29,533 work with me or not. 1182 02:05:29,533 --> 02:05:32,366 You know, it is a chance to make a difference. 1183 02:05:32,366 --> 02:05:34,433 Why do you think they did that? 1184 02:05:34,433 --> 02:05:38,200 ROBERT COSTA: The president believes that he can try to maybe work with Democrats down 1185 02:05:38,200 --> 02:05:42,933 the line, but more important to him, based on my conversations with White House officials, 1186 02:05:42,933 --> 02:05:47,933 is solidifying that Republican base, reassuring them on immigration, that that signature campaign 1187 02:05:49,933 --> 02:05:54,200 promise, the border wall, in some way is going to be pursued. 1188 02:05:54,200 --> 02:05:56,266 That is the president's aim. 1189 02:05:56,266 --> 02:05:59,666 He believes that base will sustain him through all the political winds that are likely to 1190 02:05:59,666 --> 02:06:01,800 come this year. 1191 02:06:01,800 --> 02:06:05,033 Is there a chance the Democrats could work with the president on something like prescription 1192 02:06:05,033 --> 02:06:06,966 drugs or infrastructure? 1193 02:06:06,966 --> 02:06:08,900 Sure. 1194 02:06:08,900 --> 02:06:11,700 But this is a White House, from acting Chief of Staff Mulvaney, to the Cabinet, to the 1195 02:06:11,700 --> 02:06:16,666 president himself, who are not pursuing those things, those bipartisan aims in the same 1196 02:06:16,666 --> 02:06:18,733 aggressive way. 1197 02:06:18,733 --> 02:06:22,166 JUDY WOODRUFF: But those numbers, we know, the base numbers, don't add up to 51 percent. 1198 02:06:22,166 --> 02:06:24,466 So that has to be a part of the calculus as well. 1199 02:06:24,466 --> 02:06:26,600 ROBERT COSTA: Well, that is exactly right. 1200 02:06:26,600 --> 02:06:31,266 But this is a White House right now that is looking more at Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland, 1201 02:06:32,533 --> 02:06:34,500 looking at former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld. 1202 02:06:34,500 --> 02:06:39,433 And they see a possible primary challenge on the horizon, if those Republican numbers 1203 02:06:40,300 --> 02:06:42,033 in various polls start to slip. 1204 02:06:42,033 --> 02:06:44,066 And they want to prevent that from happening. 1205 02:06:44,066 --> 02:06:48,266 The White House has urged its political allies to take action at the party level to try to 1206 02:06:48,266 --> 02:06:50,033 stave off a primary challenge. 1207 02:06:50,033 --> 02:06:51,600 You are right. 1208 02:06:51,600 --> 02:06:54,833 In the general election, his numbers are weak among every poll. 1209 02:06:54,833 --> 02:06:58,766 At the same time, this is a White House that says, we have to stop a primary first. 1210 02:06:58,766 --> 02:07:00,300 JUDY WOODRUFF: Yes, fascinating. 1211 02:07:00,300 --> 02:07:02,400 We are all thinking ahead. 1212 02:07:02,400 --> 02:07:06,366 We're trying not to think ahead to 2020, but we are thinking ahead to 2020. 1213 02:07:06,366 --> 02:07:08,933 But you are absolutely right, Robert, in that the White House has been to be focused on 1214 02:07:08,933 --> 02:07:10,966 the next contest. 1215 02:07:10,966 --> 02:07:14,500 And if there is a primary challenge, that's what they have to deal with first. 1216 02:07:14,500 --> 02:07:16,966 Robert Costa, thank you very much. 1217 02:07:16,966 --> 02:07:21,966 Still with us at the table, the "NewsHour" table, Mark Shields, Amy Walter, Peter Wehner, 1218 02:07:23,133 --> 02:07:25,100 Karine Jean-Pierre, and Chris Buskirk. 1219 02:07:25,100 --> 02:07:29,333 I want to take you back to one of the president's comments tonight. 1220 02:07:31,000 --> 02:07:33,466 We have been talking about rejecting the politics of revenge. 1221 02:07:33,466 --> 02:07:35,300 But this is -- I believe this is right. 1222 02:07:35,300 --> 02:07:38,200 Am I hearing you correctly, those of you who are talking in my ear? 1223 02:07:38,200 --> 02:07:40,200 (LAUGHTER) 1224 02:07:40,200 --> 02:07:44,200 JUDY WOODRUFF: The chunk of sound that we want to play, this is when the president spoke 1225 02:07:45,800 --> 02:07:50,100 about the constitutional amendment that gave women the right to vote. 1226 02:07:50,100 --> 02:07:52,200 Let's listen. 1227 02:07:52,200 --> 02:07:56,100 DONALD TRUMP: And exactly one century after Congress passed the constitutional amendment 1228 02:07:58,533 --> 02:08:03,533 giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in Congress than at any 1229 02:08:07,333 --> 02:08:09,933 time before. 1230 02:08:09,933 --> 02:08:14,933 (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) 1231 02:08:17,000 --> 02:08:22,000 JUDY WOODRUFF: Dressed in white, in honor of women's suffrage. 1232 02:08:24,366 --> 02:08:28,800 Mark Shields, that was a striking moment, because the president is celebrating the fact 1233 02:08:28,800 --> 02:08:32,366 that women, more women are working than ever before, more women elected to Congress. 1234 02:08:32,366 --> 02:08:34,933 Of course, most of those women are Democrats. 1235 02:08:34,933 --> 02:08:37,500 Republicans lost numbers of women in the House of Representatives. 1236 02:08:37,500 --> 02:08:39,566 MARK SHIELDS: That's right. 1237 02:08:39,566 --> 02:08:43,600 We are now talking about 80 percent of the women in Congress are Democrats. 1238 02:08:45,000 --> 02:08:48,766 The 35 elected in 2018, all but one was a Democrat. 1239 02:08:50,766 --> 02:08:55,100 And I think, even beyond that, as you look at the diversity, I mean, the religious diversity, 1240 02:08:57,500 --> 02:09:02,500 all the Hindus, the Muslims, the Buddhists, I mean, are Democrats. 1241 02:09:03,900 --> 02:09:06,066 I mean, all but two of the Jewish members are Democrats. 1242 02:09:06,066 --> 02:09:10,966 I mean, it is just -- it is a -- it's fascinating that the Republicans have become narrow. 1243 02:09:10,966 --> 02:09:13,600 And I will just say this about Donald Trump. 1244 02:09:13,600 --> 02:09:18,600 He is -- his strategy, as Robert Costa was talking about it, is totally alien and contradictory 1245 02:09:20,566 --> 02:09:24,766 to that of George W. Bush, who added 11.5 million votes from 2000 to 2004. 1246 02:09:26,200 --> 02:09:28,800 It's totally alien to that of Ronald Reagan, who went from... 1247 02:09:28,800 --> 02:09:30,866 JUDY WOODRUFF: You mean relying on the base, trying to rely on the base. 1248 02:09:30,866 --> 02:09:32,866 MARK SHIELDS: Relying on the base. 1249 02:09:32,866 --> 02:09:35,433 The point is to enlarge it, Bill Clinton -- or anybody who won a second term. 1250 02:09:35,433 --> 02:09:40,433 I mean, it is just that tending the base and holding the base and courting the base and 1251 02:09:42,333 --> 02:09:46,800 wooing the base and making sure -- I mean, I just think it is a very finite and limited 1252 02:09:47,533 --> 02:09:49,633 political strategy. 1253 02:09:49,633 --> 02:09:51,266 JUDY WOODRUFF: But we heard Robert say -- Peter Wehner, we heard Robert say what they are 1254 02:09:51,266 --> 02:09:53,466 focused on right now is a potential Republican challenge. 1255 02:09:53,466 --> 02:09:54,966 PETER WEHNER: I think that's right. 1256 02:09:54,966 --> 02:09:56,933 And they're also, frankly, focused on impeachment. 1257 02:09:56,933 --> 02:09:58,600 They have to. 1258 02:09:58,600 --> 02:10:03,033 With the specter of impeachment, he has got to keep his base there. 1259 02:10:03,033 --> 02:10:08,033 I want to say one thing Mark said with the contrast with Reagan, which is true in many 1260 02:10:08,500 --> 02:10:10,533 ways. 1261 02:10:10,533 --> 02:10:12,633 One of the things I was struck by -- and I wonder if people really fully realize -- is 1262 02:10:12,633 --> 02:10:17,466 the degree to which Donald Trump has transformed the Republican Party on a whole set of issues. 1263 02:10:19,366 --> 02:10:23,700 There was not a word about spending or deficits or limited government or liberty. 1264 02:10:26,066 --> 02:10:29,766 Illegal immigration, Ronald Reagan gave amnesty to three million. 1265 02:10:29,766 --> 02:10:33,066 And Trump devoted so much of his attention there. 1266 02:10:33,066 --> 02:10:36,266 Protectionism, Ronald Reagan was a free trader. 1267 02:10:36,266 --> 02:10:38,233 Donald Trump is a protectionist. 1268 02:10:38,233 --> 02:10:40,266 He was critical of NATO. 1269 02:10:40,266 --> 02:10:43,333 He had more critical words to say about NATO than he did with North Korea. 1270 02:10:43,333 --> 02:10:47,866 And one of the things that a lot of us during the primary season said, that Donald Trump 1271 02:10:47,866 --> 02:10:52,000 could do to the Republican Party that Hillary Clinton never could do, is to transform it, 1272 02:10:52,000 --> 02:10:54,166 because he could do it from within. 1273 02:10:54,166 --> 02:10:58,933 And I do think, if people went back and read the speeches of Reagan or Bush, and contrasted 1274 02:11:01,000 --> 02:11:05,100 that with Trump, they would see a very dramatic change in the tone and policy and the heart 1275 02:11:07,033 --> 02:11:09,566 and the spirit of the GOP. 1276 02:11:09,566 --> 02:11:12,966 JUDY WOODRUFF: Chris Buskirk, how do you read that contrast between this president and another 1277 02:11:12,966 --> 02:11:15,000 Republican president, Ronald Reagan? 1278 02:11:15,000 --> 02:11:17,533 CHRIS BUSKIRK: You know, I am glad you asked me that question, because when I was listening 1279 02:11:17,533 --> 02:11:18,933 to Stacey Abrams. 1280 02:11:18,933 --> 02:11:21,166 I was -- and her talking about Ronald Reagan. 1281 02:11:21,166 --> 02:11:25,800 The 1986 immigration bill, Ronald Reagan said afterwards that he got rolled, and that it 1282 02:11:25,800 --> 02:11:28,500 was a huge mistake that he signed it. 1283 02:11:28,500 --> 02:11:31,700 So that is a bit of revisionist history there. 1284 02:11:31,700 --> 02:11:33,766 He did it. 1285 02:11:33,766 --> 02:11:37,600 He regretted it later, and he thought that it was something that he could have done better. 1286 02:11:37,600 --> 02:11:42,600 I think that -- I think that Reagan and Trump actually stand in a long line of intellectual 1287 02:11:44,366 --> 02:11:47,533 continuity within the American Republican Party. 1288 02:11:47,533 --> 02:11:52,533 Reagan's policies were appropriate and salutary for the country in the 1970s, '80s, into the 1289 02:11:54,133 --> 02:11:56,233 '90s. 1290 02:11:56,233 --> 02:12:00,166 But our biggest problem right now is not the taxes, marginal taxes need to go down, or 1291 02:12:01,333 --> 02:12:03,733 that we need to defeat international communism. 1292 02:12:03,733 --> 02:12:06,900 It is about -- statesmanship is about applying the same principles to different circumstances. 1293 02:12:06,900 --> 02:12:11,333 And that's why I think that Donald Trump's stance on things like immigration or on trade, 1294 02:12:11,333 --> 02:12:16,333 on China and so on, or what he calls principled realism in foreign policy, I think those are 1295 02:12:18,100 --> 02:12:20,933 consistent with the Republican Party's principles for a very long time. 1296 02:12:20,933 --> 02:12:24,166 JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Pete's point, that the fact he didn't talk about the debt, didn't 1297 02:12:24,166 --> 02:12:25,566 talk about spending is, I mean... 1298 02:12:25,566 --> 02:12:27,266 (CROSSTALK) 1299 02:12:27,266 --> 02:12:29,200 CHRIS BUSKIRK: This is -- I will tell you, this is the strangest thing. 1300 02:12:29,200 --> 02:12:31,966 There is a bipartisan consensus right now to totally ignore the debt, until it blows 1301 02:12:31,966 --> 02:12:33,600 up in somebody's face. 1302 02:12:33,600 --> 02:12:35,533 And then I think the plan is just blame it on who is in office then. 1303 02:12:35,533 --> 02:12:37,033 And it is a huge mistake. 1304 02:12:37,033 --> 02:12:40,433 JUDY WOODRUFF: Amy Walter, do you want to pursue that? 1305 02:12:40,433 --> 02:12:41,866 (LAUGHTER) 1306 02:12:41,866 --> 02:12:44,466 AMY WALTER: On what happens when we get there? 1307 02:12:44,466 --> 02:12:49,100 Listen, the two parties are now really reflective of their constituencies and of who their bases 1308 02:12:51,133 --> 02:12:53,166 are. 1309 02:12:53,166 --> 02:12:57,133 And we got a very strong example of that in Virginia this week, and the blowback to Governor 1310 02:12:58,866 --> 02:13:01,966 Northam and the blackface incident. 1311 02:13:01,966 --> 02:13:06,966 And now, of course, we have his -- the lieutenant governor of the state with sexual assault 1312 02:13:09,033 --> 02:13:11,100 allegations. 1313 02:13:11,100 --> 02:13:15,433 It is a Democratic Party now that is reliant on voters of color and women to deliver the 1314 02:13:16,200 --> 02:13:18,133 votes. 1315 02:13:18,133 --> 02:13:22,200 The Republican Party is reliant on older white voters to deliver their votes. 1316 02:13:23,600 --> 02:13:26,800 And so they are reflecting their constituencies. 1317 02:13:26,800 --> 02:13:31,333 And the constituency that made up the Republican Party in the 1980s, many of those folks now 1318 02:13:31,333 --> 02:13:33,766 are Democrats. 1319 02:13:33,766 --> 02:13:37,666 We saw that transition and the realignment in the 2018 election. 1320 02:13:37,666 --> 02:13:42,066 Those suburban voters who had been voting on fiscal issues for all those years and stuck 1321 02:13:42,066 --> 02:13:47,066 by Republicans, saying, I am fiscally conservative and I want government to spend my money smartly, 1322 02:13:49,100 --> 02:13:52,700 maybe they were a little more socially moderate, they definitely were not happy in 2016 with 1323 02:13:54,500 --> 02:13:56,466 their choices between Trump and Clinton. 1324 02:13:56,466 --> 02:13:59,266 Many of them didn't vote for Donald Trump. 1325 02:13:59,266 --> 02:14:04,266 And two years later, this is a constituency that, I would argue many of them a Reagan 1326 02:14:05,900 --> 02:14:09,333 constituency, that has absolutely abandoned the Republican Party. 1327 02:14:09,333 --> 02:14:14,333 And now it is small-town rural America, many of which had been the Democrats' base, that 1328 02:14:16,133 --> 02:14:18,733 make up what the Democratic Party is. 1329 02:14:18,733 --> 02:14:23,200 JUDY WOODRUFF: So with -- Karine Jean-Pierre, with the two parties headed in opposite directions, 1330 02:14:25,200 --> 02:14:28,733 is it smart for the president to do as he did tonight, to say, you know, to say to Democrats, 1331 02:14:30,733 --> 02:14:33,133 let's work together on a few things, but still to hold -- you know, to stick to his guns 1332 02:14:33,133 --> 02:14:38,133 on the things that he thinks he needs to -- you know, to not move on? 1333 02:14:40,100 --> 02:14:42,066 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: There was no surprises in the president's speech tonight. 1334 02:14:42,066 --> 02:14:46,633 He basically spoke to his base, which is a small and shrinking base, which is something 1335 02:14:47,500 --> 02:14:49,600 that he does all the time. 1336 02:14:49,600 --> 02:14:53,333 To me, there was no difference from what he did at the State of the Union address tonight 1337 02:14:53,333 --> 02:14:56,033 with what he does in front of a rally. 1338 02:14:56,033 --> 02:15:01,033 It was -- he gave maybe two minutes or so of bipartisanship, but everything else was 1339 02:15:03,033 --> 02:15:06,400 a doubling down on divisiveness, hateful rhetoric, and this is just the way Donald Trump is. 1340 02:15:08,466 --> 02:15:12,800 He believes that, in order -- if he is looking towards 2020, which it seems to be, that he 1341 02:15:14,200 --> 02:15:17,366 needs to double out and continue to shore up his small base. 1342 02:15:17,366 --> 02:15:19,466 He has never been a president for everyone. 1343 02:15:19,466 --> 02:15:24,300 He has never -- from the moment that he stepped in -- into the office, the day of inauguration, 1344 02:15:25,700 --> 02:15:27,800 it has been about carnage, it's been about divisiveness. 1345 02:15:27,800 --> 02:15:31,700 So, there's -- so there's no surprises at all, and this is what he is doing, but it 1346 02:15:32,866 --> 02:15:34,866 is going to hurt the Republican Party. 1347 02:15:34,866 --> 02:15:38,400 We saw that in November with suburban voters, in particular women in suburban areas. 1348 02:15:40,000 --> 02:15:43,866 They are sprinting away from the president and the Republican Party. 1349 02:15:45,766 --> 02:15:47,833 And also independent voters are sprinting away from the Republican Party. 1350 02:15:47,833 --> 02:15:49,833 So they are going to be in a tough spot in 2020. 1351 02:15:49,833 --> 02:15:53,066 JUDY WOODRUFF: I want to come back to you, Robert Costa, because you started all of this 1352 02:15:53,066 --> 02:15:58,066 by pointing out that the president at this point, despite the -- some talk about reaching 1353 02:15:59,500 --> 02:16:03,200 across the aisle, is very -- is hyper-focused on his base. 1354 02:16:03,200 --> 02:16:08,200 ROBERT COSTA: And it is, Judy, perhaps historically notable in the way the president disavowed 1355 02:16:09,966 --> 02:16:12,000 socialism. 1356 02:16:12,000 --> 02:16:15,966 He addressed the rise of a vigorous new left in this country, a movement that was stoked 1357 02:16:18,433 --> 02:16:21,100 by Senator Bernie Sanders in his 2016 campaign, was then championed in 2018 by new Democrats 1358 02:16:23,100 --> 02:16:27,200 like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the new member from New York. 1359 02:16:27,200 --> 02:16:31,533 And he is saying to the Republican Party, there will never be a socialist government 1360 02:16:31,533 --> 02:16:33,533 in this country. 1361 02:16:33,533 --> 02:16:37,533 That is a rally cry for a right wing in this country that is nervous about this vigorous 1362 02:16:38,333 --> 02:16:40,400 left. 1363 02:16:40,400 --> 02:16:43,433 And he is saying that there is a line in the sand between that vision that is emerging 1364 02:16:43,433 --> 02:16:46,933 on the left and his own that he has cultivated on the right. 1365 02:16:46,933 --> 02:16:50,966 JUDY WOODRUFF: Robert Costa reporting for us from The Washington Post. 1366 02:16:50,966 --> 02:16:55,966 I want to spend the remaining time we have here, Mark, looking at how the president has 1367 02:16:57,866 --> 02:17:01,133 set the table for this coming year, whether it is immigration, whether it is -- whether 1368 02:17:03,133 --> 02:17:07,800 they do something together on infrastructure, but trying to shore up his base and, frankly, 1369 02:17:10,700 --> 02:17:15,700 making sure he is in as strong a possible position, given that there may be a Mueller 1370 02:17:17,733 --> 02:17:21,833 investigation result that is not favorable to him -- we don't know -- and any number 1371 02:17:21,833 --> 02:17:25,233 of other things that could go wrong, other investigations that are leading somewhere. 1372 02:17:25,233 --> 02:17:27,300 MARK SHIELDS: No. 1373 02:17:27,300 --> 02:17:31,233 I mean, I thought if, in fact, he was secure with his base and not worried about losing 1374 02:17:33,533 --> 02:17:37,533 support with any kind of impeachment effort, which I don't see immediately on the horizon, 1375 02:17:39,600 --> 02:17:43,600 then doing the infrastructure, and particularly drug prices, in a bipartisan way, I think, 1376 02:17:46,500 --> 02:17:49,133 is just a political winner for the president. 1377 02:17:49,133 --> 02:17:52,966 But it was almost cursory, it was almost pro forma, the way he did that. 1378 02:17:52,966 --> 02:17:56,600 I mean, you know, infrastructure has become a throwaway line. 1379 02:17:56,600 --> 02:17:59,366 It is like the balanced budget constitutional amendment. 1380 02:17:59,366 --> 02:18:00,400 I mean... 1381 02:18:00,400 --> 02:18:02,433 (CROSSTALK) 1382 02:18:02,433 --> 02:18:03,366 JUDY WOODRUFF: But a lot of people would agree the country is in desperate need of getting 1383 02:18:03,366 --> 02:18:04,166 its infrastructure fixed. 1384 02:18:04,166 --> 02:18:05,700 MARK SHIELDS: I agree. 1385 02:18:05,700 --> 02:18:06,500 Everybody talks about it, but nobody does anybody about it. 1386 02:18:06,500 --> 02:18:09,033 JUDY WOODRUFF: Well... 1387 02:18:09,033 --> 02:18:10,466 MARK SHIELDS: I mean, he asked for $1.5 trillion, and the Congress appointed $21 billion, and, 1388 02:18:10,466 --> 02:18:14,433 you know, which was, what, one-half a percent. 1389 02:18:14,433 --> 02:18:18,733 You know, it was just the last year. 1390 02:18:18,733 --> 02:18:23,700 I mean, but he is asking the Congress for a plan, instead of coming in with a plan. 1391 02:18:23,700 --> 02:18:28,700 I mean, and on the prescription drugs, I mean, I think it is a winner for him. 1392 02:18:30,700 --> 02:18:34,933 But I saw tonight more word paid to it, and not sort of that sense of passionate commitment. 1393 02:18:40,400 --> 02:18:42,066 That's where you get the coalition. 1394 02:18:42,066 --> 02:18:44,600 That's where you get the bipartisanship, if he really wants it. 1395 02:18:44,600 --> 02:18:47,100 JUDY WOODRUFF: And that's something the Democrats have said they would like to work with the 1396 02:18:47,100 --> 02:18:48,100 president on. 1397 02:18:48,100 --> 02:18:50,100 MARK SHIELDS: Sure they would. 1398 02:18:50,100 --> 02:18:51,766 JUDY WOODRUFF: Pete Wehner, how has he set the table, do you think, for this coming year? 1399 02:18:51,766 --> 02:18:54,566 PETER WEHNER: Well, I don't think the speech will have set the table. 1400 02:18:54,566 --> 02:18:57,433 I think it was primarily a political speech, as opposed to a policy speech. 1401 02:18:57,433 --> 02:19:00,133 State of the Unions are always a mix. 1402 02:19:00,133 --> 02:19:04,066 But this is a White House, if you talk to Republicans on Capitol Hill, which I have 1403 02:19:04,066 --> 02:19:07,000 done, where the policy process is broken. 1404 02:19:07,000 --> 02:19:12,000 So I think you have to view most of these initiatives that he mentioned as basically 1405 02:19:12,733 --> 02:19:14,733 public relations. 1406 02:19:14,733 --> 02:19:17,800 Look, the country, unfortunately, is going to be more divided at the end of this year 1407 02:19:17,800 --> 02:19:22,800 than it is right now, because you have several things that are going to happen. 1408 02:19:25,233 --> 02:19:28,100 You have a president whose natural instinct is toward the inflammation of the body politic, 1409 02:19:29,400 --> 02:19:30,933 who seeks to divide. 1410 02:19:30,933 --> 02:19:33,500 That is what gives him energy. 1411 02:19:33,500 --> 02:19:37,200 And, secondly, he believes that it is in his political interest to do it, for the reasons 1412 02:19:37,200 --> 02:19:38,700 that we have discussed. 1413 02:19:38,700 --> 02:19:41,366 And, third, you are going to have the Mueller report. 1414 02:19:41,366 --> 02:19:43,466 It was very interesting. 1415 02:19:43,466 --> 02:19:47,033 At the beginning of the speech, he -- his tone and his countenance struck me. 1416 02:19:47,033 --> 02:19:49,766 It was like he was hit by a tranquilizer dart. 1417 02:19:49,766 --> 02:19:52,033 And when did he begin to become animated? 1418 02:19:52,033 --> 02:19:57,033 It was when he went after this illegal, partisan investigation. 1419 02:19:58,466 --> 02:20:00,366 And that is the thing that is closest to his heart. 1420 02:20:00,366 --> 02:20:02,633 That's what he tweets about. 1421 02:20:02,633 --> 02:20:05,700 And that is what draws his energy. 1422 02:20:05,700 --> 02:20:10,700 So, you know, I wish it were something else, but I don't think that this speech will have 1423 02:20:11,900 --> 02:20:14,266 been a foreshadowing of the year to come. 1424 02:20:14,266 --> 02:20:16,233 I think that it will be viewed as a parenthesis. 1425 02:20:16,233 --> 02:20:18,733 JUDY WOODRUFF: So, do we just go back to the way things were after the speech... 1426 02:20:18,733 --> 02:20:19,733 AMY WALTER: Yes. 1427 02:20:19,733 --> 02:20:21,433 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Pretty much. 1428 02:20:21,433 --> 02:20:22,400 JUDY WOODRUFF: ... as if the State of the Union never happened? 1429 02:20:22,400 --> 02:20:24,433 Amy Walter. 1430 02:20:24,433 --> 02:20:28,166 AMY WALTER: I was reading this line where he said, we can build new coalitions, forge 1431 02:20:28,166 --> 02:20:32,133 new solutions, break decades of political stalemate. 1432 02:20:32,133 --> 02:20:35,433 A lot of people voted for Donald Trump thinking that is exactly what he would do. 1433 02:20:35,433 --> 02:20:39,033 I don't think they were -- they weren't totally naive, but they did think, here is somebody 1434 02:20:39,033 --> 02:20:43,700 who is going to come into this process who is not attached to the party. 1435 02:20:43,700 --> 02:20:45,433 He has no ideological moorings. 1436 02:20:45,433 --> 02:20:48,200 He can kind of go wherever he needs to go. 1437 02:20:48,200 --> 02:20:52,700 And I was wondering that, too, that, in that moment of time between the election and his 1438 02:20:52,700 --> 02:20:57,666 inauguration, was there going to be this moment where the president could reach out and create 1439 02:20:58,433 --> 02:21:00,433 these new coalitions? 1440 02:21:00,433 --> 02:21:03,566 We knew these new coalitions had formed in the 2016 election, especially in the Upper 1441 02:21:03,566 --> 02:21:08,566 Midwest that had for years gone Democratic and went to the GOP. 1442 02:21:10,733 --> 02:21:12,733 So there was this chance, whether it was with infrastructure, prescription drugs, certainly 1443 02:21:12,733 --> 02:21:14,200 the opioid crisis. 1444 02:21:14,200 --> 02:21:16,233 That could have been the first thing out of the gate. 1445 02:21:16,233 --> 02:21:20,900 It would have absolutely put Democrats back on their heels, because they wouldn't be feeling 1446 02:21:22,100 --> 02:21:24,733 very sure of what to do with this, right? 1447 02:21:24,733 --> 02:21:26,733 Well, we have got to work out with the president. 1448 02:21:26,733 --> 02:21:28,233 He's saying things... 1449 02:21:28,233 --> 02:21:30,333 JUDY WOODRUFF: Rather than trying to kill health care. 1450 02:21:30,333 --> 02:21:31,800 AMY WALTER: Right, absolutely, not only kill health care, but the very first thing he did 1451 02:21:31,800 --> 02:21:35,633 was the -- was calling for the travel ban, right? 1452 02:21:35,633 --> 02:21:37,433 That was the first thing out of the box. 1453 02:21:37,433 --> 02:21:38,433 JUDY WOODRUFF: That was the very first... 1454 02:21:38,433 --> 02:21:40,400 (CROSSTALK) 1455 02:21:40,400 --> 02:21:42,433 AMY WALTER: And, at that moment in time, you could see that potential going away. 1456 02:21:42,433 --> 02:21:45,233 And the other issue, the other reason we are not going to see bipartisanship, there is 1457 02:21:45,233 --> 02:21:48,133 just an absolute lack of trust there. 1458 02:21:48,133 --> 02:21:50,466 There was always wariness with the president. 1459 02:21:50,466 --> 02:21:55,433 But after the debacle over the wall funding, there is not one Democrat right now who I 1460 02:21:57,433 --> 02:22:01,766 talk to who thinks it is worth putting any stock in anything that the president says 1461 02:22:03,800 --> 02:22:07,600 to you in private or in public about -- whether it is about infrastructure or other things 1462 02:22:08,333 --> 02:22:10,333 that they can agree on. 1463 02:22:10,333 --> 02:22:14,166 JUDY WOODRUFF: And, given that, Chris Buskirk, how does this president get anything done 1464 02:22:15,366 --> 02:22:17,366 that he wants done going forward in this climate? 1465 02:22:17,366 --> 02:22:20,800 CHRIS BUSKIRK: Yes, I think there is always the opportunity for a president to reset the 1466 02:22:20,800 --> 02:22:22,033 table and take action. 1467 02:22:22,033 --> 02:22:24,733 The question will be, will this one do it? 1468 02:22:24,733 --> 02:22:26,733 And I, for one, would like to see it. 1469 02:22:26,733 --> 02:22:30,266 I think I have heard other people who are on the left say, in some instances, narrow 1470 02:22:30,266 --> 02:22:32,566 instances, they would like to see that too. 1471 02:22:32,566 --> 02:22:34,900 Infrastructure is, again, one of these things that has been in every speech. 1472 02:22:34,900 --> 02:22:37,033 Where is the legislation? 1473 02:22:37,033 --> 02:22:40,433 Preexisting conditions, those are things that could be done, or at least solutions offered. 1474 02:22:40,433 --> 02:22:41,933 Drug prices, these are things. 1475 02:22:41,933 --> 02:22:45,300 But you really have to push a legislative agenda hard. 1476 02:22:45,300 --> 02:22:48,300 And that requires working with Republicans and Democrats. 1477 02:22:48,300 --> 02:22:49,566 I don't expect bipartisanship. 1478 02:22:49,566 --> 02:22:52,000 People like to say that to kind of win the day. 1479 02:22:52,000 --> 02:22:53,000 Politics are real. 1480 02:22:53,000 --> 02:22:55,033 The disagreements are real. 1481 02:22:55,033 --> 02:22:57,866 But there are places where people can find common interests, political interests, and 1482 02:22:57,866 --> 02:22:59,033 pass some of these things. 1483 02:22:59,033 --> 02:22:59,866 JUDY WOODRUFF: Criminal justice reform. 1484 02:22:59,866 --> 02:23:01,533 CHRIS BUSKIRK: Sure. 1485 02:23:01,533 --> 02:23:03,066 JUDY WOODRUFF: And then the president keeps coming back to that. 1486 02:23:03,066 --> 02:23:04,400 And the Democrats, Karine, come back to that as well. 1487 02:23:04,400 --> 02:23:05,900 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Right, right. 1488 02:23:05,900 --> 02:23:10,400 It was a -- it is a first step, hence the name of the now law. 1489 02:23:12,366 --> 02:23:16,000 And if some -- that would be something that Democrats would work on to make it better, 1490 02:23:17,333 --> 02:23:19,433 along with infrastructure and other things. 1491 02:23:19,433 --> 02:23:22,333 But it is just -- it is just not going to happen because of just the speech that we 1492 02:23:22,333 --> 02:23:24,466 saw tonight. 1493 02:23:24,466 --> 02:23:26,633 But there were a couple of differences tonight, something that Donald Trump surely has never 1494 02:23:26,633 --> 02:23:31,633 seen before, is, it is probably the first time in his career as a politico that he spoke 1495 02:23:33,033 --> 02:23:36,133 in front, an audience that was majority Democrats, right? 1496 02:23:36,133 --> 02:23:38,200 It is a divided government. 1497 02:23:38,200 --> 02:23:41,933 And that is something, that does sit in his craw, because he knows the Mueller investigation, 1498 02:23:41,933 --> 02:23:43,733 the question of impeachment. 1499 02:23:43,733 --> 02:23:47,033 Now there's the SDNY that he can't even control. 1500 02:23:47,033 --> 02:23:48,833 There is no one he can fire there. 1501 02:23:48,833 --> 02:23:50,900 JUDY WOODRUFF: Southern District of New York. 1502 02:23:50,900 --> 02:23:53,133 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Yes, right, Southern District of New York that is now looking at -- now 1503 02:23:53,133 --> 02:23:57,333 looking at the inaugural committee and sent out subpoenas a couple of days ago. 1504 02:23:57,333 --> 02:24:00,766 So, we are living in a new world for Donald Trump. 1505 02:24:00,766 --> 02:24:04,800 The one thing I want to say that was kind of comical, when he talks about women, and 1506 02:24:04,800 --> 02:24:08,966 everybody stands up and clapping, and he is acknowledging them, the funny thing about 1507 02:24:08,966 --> 02:24:13,966 it is, he is one of the reasons why many women decided to run in 2018 and take it on, because 1508 02:24:17,500 --> 02:24:18,500 they wanted to... 1509 02:24:18,500 --> 02:24:20,566 JUDY WOODRUFF: That's right. 1510 02:24:20,566 --> 02:24:23,033 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: ... to be a part of Congress, to stop the madness that they were seeing. 1511 02:24:23,033 --> 02:24:27,766 So it is kind of comical that he was, you know, acknowledging it, but he is kind of 1512 02:24:27,766 --> 02:24:29,700 the catalyst for it too. 1513 02:24:29,700 --> 02:24:31,933 JUDY WOODRUFF: It was striking, because a lot of these women to decided to get in and 1514 02:24:31,933 --> 02:24:33,566 jump in and run because they were... 1515 02:24:33,566 --> 02:24:34,500 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Right, because of what they were seeing. 1516 02:24:34,500 --> 02:24:35,700 JUDY WOODRUFF: Opposed him. 1517 02:24:35,700 --> 02:24:37,200 Well, our time is just about at an end. 1518 02:24:37,200 --> 02:24:39,233 I have to say, some news is apparently being made tonight. 1519 02:24:39,233 --> 02:24:43,466 Amy Klobuchar, the senator from Minnesota, has tweeted that she will have an announcement 1520 02:24:43,466 --> 02:24:45,700 to make, I think, in a few days. 1521 02:24:45,700 --> 02:24:50,500 So it sounds like maybe she will be, what, the fourth woman to announce that she's running 1522 02:24:50,500 --> 02:24:51,500 for president... 1523 02:24:51,500 --> 02:24:52,966 (CROSSTALK) 1524 02:24:52,966 --> 02:24:54,200 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Fourth woman, crowded field. 1525 02:24:54,200 --> 02:24:55,366 JUDY WOODRUFF: ... on the Democratic side. 1526 02:24:55,366 --> 02:24:56,033 MARK SHIELDS: Everybody satisfied? 1527 02:24:56,033 --> 02:24:57,266 (LAUGHTER) 1528 02:24:57,266 --> 02:24:58,066 JUDY WOODRUFF: Hey, we will talk about it. 1529 02:24:58,066 --> 02:24:59,300 We will talk about it. 1530 02:24:59,300 --> 02:25:00,166 KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: It is historical. 1531 02:25:00,166 --> 02:25:02,233 It is historical. 1532 02:25:02,233 --> 02:25:03,766 JUDY WOODRUFF: I just have to thank these wonderful people for sticking with us through 1533 02:25:03,766 --> 02:25:06,400 this -- this extraordinary State of the Union night. 1534 02:25:06,400 --> 02:25:08,933 Thank you for joining us. 1535 02:25:08,933 --> 02:25:12,600 I want to thank again all of our guests, Mark Shields, Pete Wehner, Amy Walter, Karine Jean-Pierre, 1536 02:25:13,300 --> 02:25:15,700 Chris Buskirk. 1537 02:25:15,700 --> 02:25:19,300 Thank you all, and, of course, to our correspondents at the Capitol, Lisa Desjardins, Yamiche Alcindor 1538 02:25:20,733 --> 02:25:23,133 at the White House, Robert Costa there at The Washington Post. 1539 02:25:23,133 --> 02:25:24,133 Thank you, all. 1540 02:25:24,133 --> 02:25:25,133 And thank you for watching. 1541 02:25:25,133 --> 02:25:26,366 Stay with us. 1542 02:25:26,366 --> 02:25:28,533 Our coverage will continue online. 1543 02:25:28,533 --> 02:25:32,600 Tomorrow, we will have our podcast State of the Union after-show, available at 6:00 a.m. 1544 02:25:33,066 --> 02:25:34,066 Eastern. 1545 02:25:34,066 --> 02:25:35,233 Get up early and watch that. 1546 02:25:35,233 --> 02:25:37,333 Listen to that. 1547 02:25:37,333 --> 02:25:39,833 And be sure to tune in to the "NewsHour" tomorrow for a full report and analysis. 1548 02:25:41,800 --> 02:25:44,133 For all of us at the "PBS NewsHour," thank you, and we'll see you soon.