Democrats' Reaction to Trump's Second Annual Address to Congress

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has delivered his second annual address known as the "State of the Union" to Congress. A significant part of this speech was related to domestic policies in the United States. Stacey Abrams, a Democrat from Georgia, has reacted to this speech on behalf of the Democratic Party. Abrams stated, "We will not succeed alone" and added, "In this United States, when times are tough, we can show resilience because friends and neighbors will come to our aid." Abrams criticized Trump for what she called the "architecture of the 35-day government shutdown," stating that the shutdown was a "politically engineered trick by the President of the United States." This Democratic politician referred to the deadlock in budget approval that led to the 35-day shutdown of parts of the federal government, which recently ended, allowing Trump's speech to take place. Trump had called for a budget of $5.7 billion for building a wall on the Mexican border, which faced opposition from Democrats and ultimately led to the government shutdown. In his speech, Trump emphasized the necessity of building a wall or physical barrier at the Mexican border. The U.S. government is currently temporarily reopened. Abrams mentioned that American citizens ultimately do not care about the political origins of individuals, stating, "They are concerned about their own lives"; thus, when it comes to judicial system reforms or improving transportation and other issues, leaders do not lead the government to shutdown. Abrams said, "Although I am deeply disappointed with the President's approach to issues, I still do not wish for him to fail. However, he needs to tell the truth and respect his duties and the unique diversity that defines America." The main part of Trump's annual address was related to domestic issues in the United States. Abrams' reaction specifically addressed the divisions and internal issues. The President of the United States called for bipartisan cooperation in his annual address and stated that the agenda of his government does not belong to Republicans or Democrats but includes issues that concern all Americans: "Victory does not mean victory for our party, but rather victory for our country." Trump also described the economic situation of his country as "miraculous" but stated that the only thing that could prevent it is "stupid wars" or "ridiculous partisan investigations." Abrams, an African American woman, narrowly lost the gubernatorial election in Georgia to a Republican representative. If she had won, she would have become the first African American woman governor in U.S. history. She was chosen by Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader in the Senate, as the face of the party to respond to Trump's speech. This is the first time an African American woman has been responsible for responding to the President's annual address.