Trump speech leaves out 'I' word as he claims victory on all fronts

State of the divide

President Donald Trump on Tuesday basked in the privilege of state pomp and cheers from members of his political party in the very chamber where the Democratic House majority sent articles of impeachment against him to the Senate on Jan. 15.

That tension was reflected in his awkward refusal to shake hands — a tradition before the annual speech — with the host, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Later, she briefly applauded parts of his address, yet tore up a copy of his prepared remarks when it was over.

Trump's State of the Union address, titled "The Great American Comeback," painted a triumphant picture of America under his stewardship, a contrast to his grim portrayal of the nation upon his inauguration. (Watch a video of the entire speech or read a transcript.)

The rival chamber became his echo chamber, rally-style, with chants of "four more years" while Democrats either registered disapproval or didn't react. "The state of our union is stronger than ever before," he said. "We are advancing with unbridled optimism."

The president underscored the nation's economic strength and touted legitimately record-low unemployment in several categories. Sticking mostly to the scripted words on the monitor, stumbling only a couple of times, Trump did not mention "impeachment." In the world he evoked, failure preceded him and success followed, accustomed themes of his.

Trump caricatured Democratic policies, including proposals for "socialist" health care programs, tolerance of "criminal aliens" in "sanctuary cities" and those who put the right to carry weapons "under siege." Those themes were familiar. One unexpected twist came when he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who has advanced lung cancer.

Distortions and exaggerations were typically Trumpian. One bipartisan accomplishment, enacted earlier in his term, was a criminal-justice reform law. "Everyone said ... it couldn't be done," he asserted. "I got it done and the people in this room got it done." Actually, nobody said it couldn't be done — an agreement in Congress was near on such a bill before he took office. See 10 quotes that stood out, from Newsday.com's Edward B. Colby.

Another side

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered the customary rebuttal on behalf of the Democrats. "It’s pretty simple," she said. "Democrats are trying to make your health care better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away."

"American workers are hurting. In my own state. Our neighbors in Wisconsin. And Ohio. And Pennsylvania. All over the country. Wages have stagnated, while CEO pay has skyrocketed," she added.

That was the crux of her English-language response. The Spanish-language rebuttal was delivered by Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas).

L.I. in the House

Long Islanders were among those due to watch Trump's speech as specially invited guests. Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) invited Linda Beigel Schulman, who lives in Dix Hills and whose son Scott Beigel was killed in the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school shooting. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) invited William Schlosser of East Patchogue, a 95-year-old veteran of World War II, Newsday's Matthew Chayes reports.

Trump's own guests also were brought to make a point, including a fourth-grader from Philadelphia whose mother was denied tuition tax credits; the widow of an Army staff sergeant killed by a roadside bomb attributed to the forces of now-assassinated Iran's military leader Qassem Soleimani; and the brother of a man shot and killed in Tulare County, California, by a man who'd been deported twice. These are their names and stories, as released by the White House.

Iowa liked Pete & Bernie

The awkward and chaotic counting process in the Democratic Iowa caucus had yet to finish playing itself out as officials released only partial results by the end of the business day Tuesday.

In terms of delegates, with 62% of precincts reporting, the totals were Pete Buttigieg, 26.9%; Bernie Sanders, 25.1%; Elizabeth Warren, 18.3%; Joe Biden, 15.6%; and Amy Klobuchar, 12.6%.

The popular vote broke down differently: Sanders, 26.3%; Buttigieg, 25.1%; Warren, 20.7%; Biden, 13.2%; and Klobuchar, 12.4%.

There is a difference between vote totals and delegates because certain rural counties in the state are weighted more heavily than others.

What it all means forward as new numbers come in remains to be seen. For perspective: At stake in Iowa are a total 41 delegates; a candidate needs 1,991 nationwide to win the Democratic presidential nomination.

Curb your paranoia

The seismic tally breakdown in Iowa Monday night gave way to serious questions. State Democrats blamed counting delays on problems with a new smartphone app that kindled worries well before the event. A backup phone system showed signs of trouble, too.

Assurances by party officials that the cybersecurity of the balloting wasn't compromised didn't keep some social-media warriors from speculating. With cynical reliability, Trump's campaign manager Brad Parscale tweeted without evidence that the process was “rigged,” reflecting the president's pattern of undermining confidence in elections.

Bye-bye Hawkeye

Ironically, Iowa's Republican leaders defended the Democratic caucus, saying the process "is not suffering because of a short delay in knowing the final results." Troy Price, the state's Democratic chairman, noted backup paper trails this year that "hadn't existed before."

Meanwhile the Des Moines Register described how the app was issued by Shadow Inc. Gerard Niemira and Krista Davis, who both worked for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, co-founded Shadow and apologized for the screw-up. 

There are other implications. Iowa's traditional role as first-in-the-nation primary harbinger was already in question. "I think the Iowa caucuses are dead, dead, dead. I don't even think that's a discussion anymore," said David Axelrod, who was President Barack Obama's political guru when he won that caucus 12 years ago.

Mostly, the snafus broke the usual narrative in which candidate momentum is identified heading into next week's New Hampshire primary.

Getting Trump off the hook

The preordained acquittal of Trump is slated for 4 p.m. Wednesday. Senators took turns speaking for the record on Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) differed from the president's defense lawyers, who said a statutory crime is required for impeachment.

But McConnell condemned House Democrats all the same for sailing into “new and dangerous waters" and hewed to the administration's line that the process was initiated to nullify the results of the 2016 election.

In brief remarks, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attacked last week's party-line vote to refuse to hear from witnesses and admit new evidence. “It makes people believe, correctly in my judgment, that the administration, its top people, and Senate Republicans are all hiding the truth,” Schumer said. “They’re afraid of the truth.”

Newsday's Tom Brune describes how those considered moderates in both parties are expected to vote.

Another little 'outing'

Last Thursday, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts refused to read aloud a question submitted by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that cited the name of the alleged Ukraine scheme's whistleblower.

On Tuesday, Paul stood to explain his acquittal-vote-to-be in the same chamber — and used the name, as he has repeatedly, again defying concerns about the legal and security implications of doing so. Paul called it a "big mistake" for Roberts to disallow the question in the first place.

More money talks more

Seeking to capitalize on the party chaos in Iowa, a contest he chose to skip, Democratic candidate Mike Bloomberg's campaign announced he will be doubling his already sizable spending on advertisements.

“After more than a year of this primary, the field is as unsettled as ever. No one has made the sale or even come close to it,” Bloomberg spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. “Meanwhile, Mike is taking the fight to Trump every day, doubling down on the national campaign strategy we’ve been running from the beginning.”

What else is happening:

• One Iowan seemed to withdraw her support for Buttigieg upon being told he's gay.
• Trump's job approval rating hit 49%, according to the Gallup Poll.
• Long Island Republican leaders on Tuesday announced they are backing Assemb. Andrew Garbarino of Sayville for the seat of Rep. Peter King, a key local ally of Trump, Newsday's Yancey Roy reports.
• An Arizona man indicted in October on charges of threatening to kill Rep. Adam Schiff told police he likely was reacting to a Fox News segment when he left the alcohol-fueled voicemail, new court filings show.
• A cannabis investor tied to Rudy Giuliani's ex-associates was about to partner with the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center on a research and development study before his indictment on campaign donation charges, Politico reports.
• Backers of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have grown frustrated at White House pushback over their plans to immediately annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

By Dan Janison

dan.janison@newsday.comDanJanison

Dan Janison is a member of the Newsday editorial board.