Even members of the mainstream media were taking notice Tuesday night as President Donald Trump delivered what CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil described as an “extraordinary” State of the Union address.
“The first State of the Union address of Donald J. Trump’s second term is in the books,” Dokoupil said at the outset of CBS’s post-speech coverage.
“It was an extraordinary speech — the longest to a joint session in history, the longest State of the Union in history,” he added. Dokoupil noted that the address was “in some ways, vintage Trump: combative, populist,” while also calling it historic for a number of reasons.
According to Dokoupil, the speech opened with a heavy focus on the economy — an issue he acknowledged many Americans are deeply concerned about. The president touted his economic record even as, Dokoupil pointed out, public opinion polls show negative sentiment on the issue.
From there, Dokoupil said, the energy and emotional core of the speech shifted squarely to cultural issues that have become central to the national debate. Immigration, gender, and voter I.D. were all front and center, forming what he described as the heart of the address.
One moment in particular stood out: a line that Dokoupil said was not in the prepared script but delivered off the cuff by the president. “The first duty of elected officials is to protect Americans, not illegal aliens,” Trump said — a statement that immediately sharpened the contrast between his agenda and that of his critics.
Dokoupil observed that at several points, the president appeared to be goading Democrats into reacting, and at times they did just that, creating visible tension in the chamber.
Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett weighed in on that pivotal line about protecting American citizens. Whether ad-libbed or not, Garrett said, it was clearly designed to create what he called a “visual moment of perpetual contrast” between American citizens and those in the country illegally.
Garrett argued that the statement “over simplifies the issue dramatically,” but acknowledged that if anyone has mastered the art of creating such stark political contrasts, it is Donald Trump. “Some call it a dark art,” Garrett said of the tactic, noting that it was on full display throughout the evening.
Chief Washington Analyst Robert Costa offered a broader take, saying the speech was entirely consistent with who Trump has been since he first launched his presidential campaign in 2016. Costa described the president as “totally defiant” and “blunt force politically” on the issues he addressed.
Rather than a traditional policy-heavy address, Costa suggested Trump delivered more of a presentation — one that sought to redefine political reality on his terms. The speech, in Costa’s words, appeared aimed at stamping the president’s “fingerprints” on the national debate ahead of the midterm elections.
Taken together, the reactions from CBS’s panel underscored a common theme: whether praised or critiqued, the speech was unmistakably Trump. Combative, unapologetic, and sharply focused on the cultural and political divides shaping the country, the president’s address made clear that he intends to drive the conversation — and the contrast — as the nation moves forward.
[READ MORE: Vance Says America Hopes To Avoid War]
