The omissions from Trump’s primetime address tell their own story
The White House billed President Donald Trump’s address to the nation Thursday night as presenting new information on the nation’s election security, but there was almost nothing the public had not heard or seen before. Instead, the rambling and disjointed speech from an aging president was best summarized by a Trump line from his only debate with Joe Biden in 2024: “I really don’t know what he said … and I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
After speeding through his stump speech, Trump dove deep into gutter politics. He claimed China engaged in a yearslong effort to meddle in U.S. elections, including the 2020 election. He also alleged a Deep State conspiracy involving intelligence agencies to conceal Beijing’s interference.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that the speech would be shocking. True, but not in the way she meant.
A seemingly tired president appeared to struggle to read the speech, which aides had previewed as a “potpourri” of topics, but was more accurately a mishmash of MAGA buzzwords. He managed to name-check Biden, Barack Obama, Venezuela and the Los Angeles mayoral election. He spotlighted a fraudulent effort to register voters in Michigan — without mentioning that effort was caught before the election. He made hysterical claims about foreigners and dead people voting. And for good measure, he threw in a preposterous claim that the free press was paid to malign him.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that the speech would be shocking. True, but not in the way she meant. While the president’s goal may have been to destroy faith in our elections, it may have succeeded in destroying whatever faith is in the president.
Nowhere did the president address the war he started, is unable to win and unable to end.
Nowhere did the president mention the economic pain that most Americans feel living each day, going to work and raising a family.
Nowhere did the president mention ICE’s aggressive enforcement that has seen horrific killings, most recently in Maine and Texas.
Nowhere did he mention the corruption that continues to plague his administration and enrich his advisers and his family.
Matthew Bartlett is an MS NOW political analyst. He served as a Trump appointee at the State Department in the first administration.
