The infamous moment from Pres. Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech, Feb. 4, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty)
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign is now underway, judging by the way he turned much of his State of the Union into a campaign pitch.
“We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!” he said on Tuesday night, Feb. 4.
There were rehearsed surprises redolent of the reality TV that earned Trump much of his fame, moments of real drama and no discussion of Trump’s impeachment trial.
There were also a few moments of Jewish significance, from the Middle East peace plan the president unveiled last week to an unusual disruption to what went unsaid.
One sentence about Israel:
“Last week, I announced a groundbreaking plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians,” Trump said. “Recognizing that all past attempts have failed, we must be determined and creative in order to stabilize the region and give millions of young people the chance to realize a better future.”
Bipartisan applause for Iran intervention:
Trump celebrated the assassination in December of Qassem Soleimani, the top Iranian general. That brought one of the rare moments of applause from both sides of the aisle.
Trump also extended the possibility of peace with Iran if the country halts its nuclear program entirely and ceases its adventurism.
“The Iranian regime must abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, stop spreading terror, death and destruction, and start working for the good of its own people,” Trump said. “Because of our powerful sanctions, the Iranian economy is doing very poorly. We can help them make it very good in a short period of time, but perhaps they are too proud or too foolish to ask for that help.”
The overture to Iran fit into an overarching theme of the foreign policy portion of Trump’s speech: the need to end US involvement in overseas conflicts.
“It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency,” Trump said. “These are war fighters, the best in the world, and they either want to fight to win or not fight at all.”
Support for private schools:
Trump announced that Janiyah Davis, a fourth-grader from Philadelphia who was present, would receive an “opportunity scholarship” — money to attend whichever schools she prefers, public or private.
Trump used the moment to tout his administration’s signature education legislation, a bill that would expand the scholarships.
That was music to the ears of many Orthodox Jews who favor increased public funding of Jewish day schools. The legislation, which Congress has not advanced despite Trump’s urging, would create a national version of programs that exist in 18 states.
Trump also declared that he would protect “the constitutional right to pray in public schools,” but mentioned only Christian symbols, such as crosses. A Jewish parent in the 1960s spearheaded the case that led the Supreme Court to restrict organized school prayer.
Renewed attacks on undocumented immigrants:
Trump’s depicted illegal migrants as criminal threats. He was touting a Republican bill that would allow victims to sue cities that had offered sanctuary to migrants who go on to commit crimes.
“The United States of America should be a sanctuary for law-abiding Americans — not criminal aliens!” Trump said.
Disruption by a grieving Jewish father:
When Trump spoke about protecting the Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to bear arms, one person in attendance shouted out in protest and was quickly escorted from the room.
That person was Fred Guttenberg, the father of Jaime Guttenberg, one of 17 students and teachers murdered during the school shooting two years ago in Parkland, Fla.
Guttenberg, who has dedicated himself to protesting for gun safety, had been present as a guest of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
“Tonight was a rough night. I disrupted the State Of The Union and was detained because I let my emotions get the best of me. I simply want to be able to deal with the reality of gun violence and not have to listen to the lies about the 2A as happened tonight,” Guttenberg later wrote on Twitter.
“That said, I should not have yelled out. I am thankful for the overwhelming support that I am receiving. However, I do owe my family and friends an apology. I have tried to conduct myself with dignity throughout this process and I will do better as I pursue gun safety.”
What went unmentioned:
Jewish defense groups say anti-Semitic expression has spiked, including two violent attacks in New Jersey and New York in the final weeks of 2019. Yet anti-Semitism went unmentioned.
“We were disappointed that the president did not acknowledge the alarming rise of anti-Semitism in the US,” B’nai B’rith International said in a statement that praised Trump’s foreign policy initiatives.
“With Jews under attack — physically as well as through relentless social media assaults — a plan to combat anti-Semitism would have fit in well with his overall themes of security and equality.”
