Republican senators hedged their responses to President Donald Trump’s inaugural address Friday, pairing praise of the speech with an acknowledgment that Trump could not touch on every topic in just 17 minutes.
The remarks focused on American unity and rule by the people, but remained quiet on some key policy issues and scarcely mentioned freedom or liberty. In a bustling Capitol Hill hallway after the ceremony, GOP lawmakers excused those deficiencies, instead offering concise praise and characterizing the speech as a reflection of Trump’s campaign talking points.
“Today’s the first day of the administration. The president has the right to write his speech, and he did, and I thought it was well done,” Florida senator Marco Rubio told THE WEEKLY STANDARD.
“It was very consistent with the campaign that he ran.”
Asked about the scarce mention of the term “liberty” in the address, South Carolina senator Tim Scott said that the speech was short but comprehensive.
“If you’ve got a 17-minute speech, I’m celebrating a 17-minute speech,” he said. “I think he mentioned unity in the American people. I think a synonym to freedom is the way of life that we experience as Americans. I think his response to draining the swamp, i.e., returning power back to the American people, is his definition of freedom.”
“I think what we do is far more important than what we say,” he said.
Arizona senator Jeff Flake, a vocal critic of Trump during the presidential campaign, offered curt praise of the remarks.
“Great. Great day all the way around,” he said.
Arkansas senator Tom Cotton complimented the address and said it was a reflection of Trump’s remarks on the campaign trail.
“I thought it was a good speech,” he said. “It was a good appeal to unity.”
South Dakota senator John Thune said the speech delivered a “strong message” of rule by the people.
“It touched all the right themes, and in terms of an agenda-driven message, some of that included, as well,” he said. “It was an appropriate length.”
