Trump State of the Union ‘Play by Play’ Presages a Return to Snark for Tweeter-in-Chief

President Trump’s live-truthed “Play by Play” of President Biden’s State of the Union address previews the sort of energy and bombast that the current Republican frontrunner’s return to Twitter and Facebook could bring to the platforms and the 2024 presidential race.Although the governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, delivered the official Republican response to Mr. Biden’s speech, Mr. Trump did deliver his own, via Truth Social.While most Americans have grown accustomed to Mr. Trump’s being confined to his own social media platform, the Twitter CEO, Elon Musk, has reinstated the former president’s account and Meta has announced that he will be allowed to return to Facebook.Even though Mr. Trump has said that his Truth Social platform feels “like home,” Mr. Trump’s campaign has signaled that he plans to return to mainstream platforms as he ramps up his presidential run.While some have speculated that Mr. Trump could return with more discipline than he has displayed in the past, the former president’s “play by play” analysis of last night’s State of the Union provides a taste of what his return might look like.Over the course of about three hours, Mr. Trump posted 49 times on Truth Social, attacking Mr. Biden, slamming “RINOs,” making observations about the appearances of politicians and their spouses, and, at times, commenting on specific issues.One of Mr. Trump’s favorite tactics appeared to be attacking Mr. Biden’s manner of speaking, and in particular his stutter, which he has struggled with since childhood and which has not improved in old age.“Having a hard time getting the words out, even though the Fake News will credit him with one of the Great Speeches of all time,” Mr Trump said. “I really want to see him improve. Come one Joe, you can do it,” he added.He also concluded his commentary with cracks about the president’s manner of speaking, saying “he worked hard tonight, it’s not a natural thing for him, it never was, and never will be, but you’ve got to give him credit for trying.”During the speech, he also directed his ire at so-called RINOs or “Republicans in name only,” for applauding at the wrong time. “I notice Mitt Romney and some of the RINOs jumping up and down with applause for the wrong reasons,” Mr. Trump said.The Republican who drew the most criticism from Mr. Trump was the Senate minority leader, who has been a favorite target of Mr. Trump’s in recent months.Instead of talking about Senator McConnell’s role within the party, however, Mr. Trump mainly focused on his appearance. “Mitch McConnell looks like Hell, so bad for the Republican Party,” Mr. Trump said.On the other hand, Mr. Trump complimented those who have been loyal to him, like Speaker McCarthy and Senator Vance, both of whom he lavished with praise.“Kevin McCarthy is really looking good,” Mr. Trump said. “His demeanor is perfect, he’s not a crazed lunatic like Nancy Pelosi that illegally rips up State of the Union speeches.”These personal jeers were not only directed at elected officials themselves but also at their spouses, something that Mr. Trump has begun to do more frequently.“He forgot to thank Mitch McConnell and his lovely wife, Coco Chow, for giving him all of these Trillions of Dollars to waste,” Mr. Trump said.“Coco Chow” refers to Elaine Chao, who served as secretary of transportation under Mr. Trump for nearly four years and under President Bush for eight years. Ms. Chao is married to Mr. McConnell.He commented on the first lady’s appearance during the speech, as well as on Speaker Pelosi and her husband, who was recently attacked with a hammer at their San Francisco home. “Nice to see Nancy Pelosi not sitting in the background. Hopefully she’s spending more time with her husband,” Mr. Trump said.The last couple Mr. Trump mocked was the current secretary of transportation, Pete Buttigieg, who has been a frequent subject of his attacks since the 2020 presidential campaign, and his husband. “There’s Secretary of Transportation Pete ‘But-edge-edge,’ who’s done an absolutely terrific job with our Airports,” Mr. Trump said. “He’s being groomed by the Party for President, but his husband is not happy about it,” Mr. Trump added.Between all of this, Mr. Trump also found time to mention at least a few specific issues or policies, including inflation, unemployment, and the war in Ukraine. On inflation, he responded to Mr. Biden’s claim that it is declining, saying “was 1.2 percent under ‘Trump,’ so he must mean coming down from 9.1 percent.”He also attacked the president’s record on jobs and unemployment, gesturing toward the decline in work force participation that occurred during the pandemic.“On Unemployment, far fewer people are working now—a false figure, because the workforce is smaller, at 3.4 percent, is virtually meaningless,” Mr. Trump said.Finally, he also attacked the president’s handling of the war in Ukraine, which Mr. Trump says he would have prevented.“We wouldn’t have had the War with Russia and Ukraine if I were President. I could also end it in 24 hours—which is what should happen,” Mr. Trump said.

Trump State of the Union ‘Play by Play’ Presages a Return to Snark for Tweeter-in-Chief

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