In concluding his widely-acclaimed speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, President Trump declared, “The time for trivial fights is behind us.”
The line wasn’t accusatory and it wasn’t self-excluding either.
Now, closing in on two years of Trump and his opponents both engaging in an endless string of inconsequential battles over crowd sizes, hair and skin, television ratings, and so much more, the line signaled to the country a new effort to pivot from the petty and prioritize the pressing problems impacting people’s everyday lives.
It was a welcome departure from the exhaustingly banal business as usual.
But is that time really over for Trump?
Any return to triviality on the president’s part in the near future could undermine entirely the positive impression his speech made on Americans. Even after taking oath, Trump has bickered with reporters and picked on specific news outlets, taunted Arnold Schwarzenegger, and refused to give up his personal Twitter account, the medium through which Trump engages in so many petty fights. It is difficult to imagine the temptation to return to triviality will be anything but strong.
Commentators from across the political spectrum commended the president’s performance. Chris Wallace heralded it as, “one of the best speeches in that setting I’ve ever heard any president give.”
Viewers seemed to agree.
A CNN survey found roughly 7-in-10 Americans “said the speech made them feel more optimistic about the direction of the country.”
If Trump engages in more “trivial fights” in the immediate future, breaking a memorable and standout pledge from his most well-received speech to date, it’s probably the best way for him to damage that impression, leaving viewers to question the sincerity of his entire address.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
