Journalists applauded President Trump’s first joint session address on Tuesday, calling it presidential and predicting that it will be popular beyond his core base of supporters.
“This will be, I think, a very well-received speech for Donald Trump,” said liberal MSNBC host Rachel Maddow after the speech. She said part of the reason was “because of expectations” for Trump are lower, since he is not a typical politician.
In his speech, Trump maintained his campaign message to push for American interests on international trade and foreign policy, while calling on unity between Republicans and Democrats.
He acknowledged recent crimes that targeted Americans Jews and other minorities and said they “remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms.”
Trump also reiterated some of his campaign things, like insisting that his administration will operate on “two core principles: Buy American and hire American.”
Chris Matthews said that Trump’s message of “economic nationalism” was likely to resonate. “I think left, right and center, people have a sense of righteous indignation,” he said. “It’s probably the reason [Trump] was elected in [swing states] Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio.”
“This is Trump at his most presidential — his most effective speech yet,” said ABC White House correspondent Jonathan Karl on Twitter.
Los Angeles Times White House Correspondent Mike Memoli said on Twitter that Trump’s speech was “playing out well” for Trump.
And Fox News anchor Chris Wallace described the speech was the moment that Trump “became president of the United States.”
“It was one of the best speeches in that setting I’ve ever heard any president give,” said Wallace.
One of the most remarked upon moments during Trump’s speech was when he acknowledged Carryn Owens, a widow of slain Navy Seal William “Ryan” Owens, who was killed in the recent raid in Yemen.
Owens, seated in the first lady’s box, received a two-minute standing ovation.
Van Jones, a CNN contributor and former Obama administration official, said Trump “became president of the United States in that moment, period.”
He continued, “There are a lot of people who have a lot of reason to be frustrated with [Trump], to be fearful of him, to be mad at him. But that was one of the most extraordinary moments you have ever seen in American politics, period.”
