What Happened?

On Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump gave his first State of the Union Address.

Just over a year into his presidency, Trump addressed the nation focusing on several areas in his speech focused on immigration, opioid addictions, tax reform and foreign relations.

Trump urged Republicans and Democrats to unite and agree on an immigration reform policy. “Americans are dreamers too,” Trump said during his State of the Union Address on Tuesday night.

Democrats in attendance didn’t applaud and even hissed and booed several times during the speech, especially when Trump addressed immigration issues. Before he started on immigration he introduced the parents of two teenage girls that were allegedly murdered by MS-13 gang members who used loopholes in the United States immigration policy to come to the United States.

Trump seemed to avoid his normal confrontational style the nation has become accustomed to in his year as president. Instead, the theme of unity was peppered throughout his speech.

“Tonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people,” Trump said during the address.

Trump chose not to talk specifically about new policies but instead focused on goals and how the government needed to “come together” in order to makes these things a reality.

He said he would bring Republicans and Democrats together in order to support his $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan that will, “give us the safe, fast, reliable and modern infrastructure our economy needs and our people deserve.”

He told Democrats not to reject what he called a “down-the-middle compromise” on immigration where, “nobody gets everything they want, but where our country gets the critical reforms it needs.”

Trump told the nation, “For over 30 years, Washington has tried and failed to solve this problem. This Congress can be the one that finally makes it happen.”

Trump also avoided two of the most controversial items of his brief tenure, the investigation about Russia interfering in the 2016 presidential election and the “Me Too” movement, which resulted in nationwide marches all over the world the past two years.

Several publications and critics slammed Republicans for not applauding and showing no emotion during his speech. There were loud audible hisses, groans and booing when Trump mentioned how immigrants in this country are using loopholes in immigration laws to bring in family members who should not be here.

The address was marred by the news that broke last week about Trump trying to fire Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel leading the Russia investigation and the departure of F.B.I. Deputy Director Andrew G. McCabe. The speech lasted over 80 minutes and was the longest recorded address since Bill Clinton in 2000.