Whatever else I think of President Trump, and almost none of it is favorable, I know this much is true: He is an incredibly gifted entertainer. And his skills have almost never been more effective than during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, when Trump’s flair for reality television met up with his penchant for stories of bloody violence, sentimental anecdotes and bromides. You don’t have to like it to acknowledge that it’s a powerful thing for a president to function as a one-man television network.
As was the case with “The Apprentice” and its various spinoffs, Trump got as much as he gave out in these exchanges. On “The Apprentice," the real prize was Trump’s ability to promote his reputation as an authoritative executive. During the State of the Union, Trump won himself the ability to use school choice as a wedge issue; the opportunity to burnish the Space Force and his meager anti-racist credentials; the loyalty of Limbaugh’s loyal dittoheads; and a chance to bind himself even more tightly to the military.
The speech was full of cuts to adorable toddlers and schmaltzy, Disney-esque lists of American heroes. Trump exhorted the audience to remember that “We are Americans. We are the pioneers. We are the pathfinders. We settled the New World, we built the modern world, and we changed history forever by embracing the eternal truth that everyone is made equal by the hand of Almighty God.” And the Limbaugh bit, which presented a vicious cultural warrior as a cuddly old man, was the ultimate in sentimentality — vulgar and dishonest, but probably very effective for its intended audience.
The most revealing line in Trump’s State of the Union address came near the close, when he declared that “this nation is our canvas, and this country is our masterpiece.” When Trump says “our,” he frequently means “my,” and that substitution has never been more apt than here. If the president gets those four more years Republicans cheered for, it will be because he is unusually deft at seizing control of that canvas and filling it up with vivid images and moments. Americans may not be able to agree on whether that work is a masterpiece or a moral disaster. But either way, we won’t be able to look away.
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