We know very little about what to expect in President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night. That was obvious from the Democratic “prebuttal” that House minority leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer delivered on Monday, which volleyed between standard anti-Republican talking points to over-the-top chest-beating. (Read more about the Monday press conference from my colleague Jim Swift.)
As for the president’s speech, the guidance from the administration has been pretty vague. According to a set of White House talking points being passed around by Republicans in Washington, Trump will deliver an “optimistic vision” for the country, speaking to “ALL Americans AS Americans” (that capitalization is from the source material) about tax reform, Obamacare replacement, rebuilding the military, and a few other boilerplate policy items. Oh, and President Trump will recount all the accomplishments he’s already made in his 30-plus days in office.
There won’t be much in the way of policy detail, but there’s a high potential for a spectacle to break out in the House chamber. Democrats will be itching to show their opposition to President Trump in the most attention-grabbing way. Republicans will find themselves applauding for the parts of Trump’s agenda and rhetoric they like while awkwardly trying to be unseen during the parts they don’t. And who knows how much Trump himself will go off-script. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.
What Did We Get From China?
At Monday’s White House press briefing, NPR correspondent Mara Liasson took advantage of the news of a Washington visit by a high-ranking official in the Chinese government to ask press secretary Sean Spicer a question about China. During the transition, Trump had said, “I don’t know why we have to be bound by a ‘One China’ policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade.” In December, President-elect Trump took a call from the Taiwanese president, Tsai Ing-wen, further suggesting the anti-Taiwan One China stance could be toast. But by the time Chinese president Xi Jinping spoke with President Trump on the phone earlier this month, the diplomatic faux-pas had been corrected. The Trump administration conceded to Xi’s request and restated the U.S. commitment to One China.
Here was Liasson’s question, in light of President-elect Trump’s earlier statement about making a “deal” with Beijing: “So what did he get from China for doing that?”
“Well, he had a conversation with President Xi,” Spicer responded. “I’m not going to get into the details of it. But at President Xi’s request, and after the discussion, the president reaffirmed the One China Policy. The president is not one to discuss his negotiating tactics.”
“But can he assure the American people he got something?” Liasson followed up. “The president always gets something,” Spicer responded with a smile, before moving on.
The Cabinet Slowly Grows
The Senate voted without much controversy Monday night to confirm Wilbur Ross as Trump’s secretary of Commerce. Ross will be formally sworn in on Tuesday.
Up next for confirmation is Ryan Zinke, the Montana congressman who has been nominated to head the Interior Department. Zinke will likely receive a vote on Wednesday. Next on the list for confirmation are Ben Carson for Housing and Urban Development and Rick Perry for Energy, both of whom could receive votes this week.
Monday’s was also the first White House press briefing in recent days where Spicer did not make an explicit complaint about Senate Democrats slowing down the confirmation process, which they most certainly have done during Trump’s first weeks in office.
How the Obama Media Echo Chamber Persists
My colleague Lee Smith has a good overview of how the close relationship between Obama administration officials and segments of the Washington media continues even into the Trump administration—and, in demonstrable ways, seeks to undermine the new White House.
Lee highlights two recent stories, from the Washington Post and the Atlantic, that feature seemingly principled national-security officials who are sharply critical of the Trump administration. But both articles ignored the subjects’ partisan affiliation, as well as their curious connection to a certain high-ranking Obama-era official. Here’s an excerpt from Lee’s piece:
Song of the Day
“Texas Flood,” Stevie Ray Vaughan
