It was a typical Trump address. Nice parts were written for him to read. The rest continued with his same divisive positions on issues, often with a threatening tone. In the end, nothing changed.
It’s clear that we still have a president who double-speaks most of the time, and continues to shamelessly make false and exaggerated claims. Simply put, the state of the union remains unstable and frightening.
So what should people of good will do now? Here are my thoughts:
- Support candidates in 2020 who honestly champion liberty, justice, and equal opportunity for everyone, no matter their political affiliation. And don’t be fooled by false claims and olive branches.
- Support and get involved with institutions that relate to your expertise, experience, and values. Strong institutions are the foundation of American democracy, and we must rescue them from daily abuse.
- Speak out when people around you appear to be supporting leaders with autocratic tendencies. That is what the American Revolution was all about.
- Never forgive lies, vulgarity, bully tactics, self-admiration, cruelty, friendships with dictators, angry rants, name calling, and preoccupation with building personal wealth... just because you may like some of his policies. Bury your head in the sand, and our democratic republic will be lost.
The situation we face now is dire. It’s not a matter of examining each presidential action to see if it possibly makes sense. Rather, it’s about what the sum total of the president’s daily contradictory pronouncements tells us about the true state of our union.
When it is all said and done, nothing has changed. Chaos continues. National security is at risk. And character matters now more than ever.
Larry D. Lauer 
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