Trump's Address: To respond, Democrats must get serious about law and order
Takeaway: every time the Democrats look like they have an opportunity to challenge Trump they trip over themselves
The Democrats began President Donald Trump's address to the joint Houses of Congress in a spirit of defiance. It was the longest address of its type, and perhaps the Democrat members interjections added to that length. It was what their voters had been waiting for. Especially after the blowup with Vice President Vance and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Democratic Party members have been waiting for the leadership to show some backbone. Alas, the Democrats have a problem, and President Trump exposed it. They have no answer for the consequences of their sanctuary city policies and the border turmoil. The stereotype of the bleeding-heart liberal is a gift to the Trump administration. You see, there is no system on earth where lawlessness has benefitted the poor; it only benefits those who can get security by other means. Lawlessness only serves the criminals and the elites.
President Trump highlighted the brutal murders and assaults of Laken Riley in Georgia and Jocelyn Nungaray in Texas. The Democrats could have no answer; the families suffering cannot be alleviated by platitudes that “no person is illegal.” They could not challenge Trump, could not boo, not walkout, it would have been heartless in the presence of the grieving families. Nor could the Democrats really applaud the Laken Riley Act, as most Democrats voted against it. The Act mandates the detention of undocumented individuals based solely on arrests or charges for theft-related offenses, without requiring a conviction. Critics argue this undermines the presumption of innocence and could lead to prolonged detention of individuals who may ultimately be found innocent. But to most Americans, detaining someone who is in the country illegally seems like something that should happen anyway. The idea that the Democrats think that it is a problem to detain people who are, by their presence, violating the law is an oddity that Trump can exploit to devastating effect. He took the fight out of the Democrats, who only manage tepid objections compared to their earlier energy that saw one member of Congress ejected by Speaker Mike Johnson.
The Democrats’ indulgent behavior on immigration means they cannot shake the appearance that they do not care about the victims of related crimes. This is dangerous for the working class. As long as the Democrats tie themselves in knots on this issue and similar ones, attacks on GOP policies favoring the wealthy can be batted away by reminding the American people that the Democrats cannot be trusted to do the basic normal thing of keeping them safe or, at the least, recognizing that immigration laws are laws and should be enforced.
President Trump recognizes that while his opponents cannot restrain their desire to be defiant on this issue, he will be given the benefit of the doubt on many of his other policies. Many Americans have been affected by illegal immigration; Americans of all ethnic backgrounds have been harmed, especially in the Latino community. This, in part, explains Trump’s increased support in the 2024 election with non-White voters, especially men. But it does not have to be this way.
The Democrats do not need to embrace any form of xenophobia, but they have to stop treating objections to illegal border crossing and other unlawful migration as racism. Doing so only obscures real racism, as the enforcement of the law - equally and on everyone - should be a basic principle of liberalism. As long as it is plausible for any American to think that the Democratic policies are to blame for Laken and Jocelyn’s murders, the Democrats will be vulnerable. It should not be a question. You cannot claim to represent regular Americans, but you do not prioritize keeping them safe from criminals who should not be here in the first place. The Democrats can make the case for mercy and compassion while also making the case for justice and punishment. But that means they will first have to get serious about enforcement and end sanctuary city policies. Immigration is a clear federal responsibility according to the Constitution, and there is no authority granted to any state or locality to impede the enforcement of legitimate federal law. President Trump knows this is a winning issue, and the Democrats need to accept that he is correct about the public mood and adjust accordingly.
Well said and well written