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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WVU chapter.

Trump delivered his first State of the Union Address last week. A State of the Union Address is a speech given by the president on how our economy, international affairs, and social issues are progressing. It is delivered annually to The United States Congress. President Trump focused on jobs and the economy, infrastructure, immigration, trade and national security. For those who find all these things confusing, here is a rundown on what Trump said about the state of our country in the new year, 2018.  

 

The main takeaway from Trump’s speech was some of the new policies he plans on proposing. Trump addressed some issues such as Guantanamo Bay and how it should remain open and functional, he wants to lower prescription drug costs, reinvent America’s nuclear arsenal, start bigger finances to our military and even stop foreign aid. Although not surprising, Trump was again very controversial with his presentation. He did not go into detail on all the action he plans on taking but did weigh in heavy on how important it is to fix America and boost national morale.

 

Trump also highlighted everything he did to reverse what Barack Obama did while he was in office. Given the majority Republican Congress, they loved it. Obama was everything Republicans hated in big-government liberals and Trump is the opposite. He is abandoning DACA, pledging to keep Guantanamo Bay open, (Obama worked the majority of his presidency to close the prison), and reversing and erasing major regulations put in place by Obama.

 

Another main idea Trump promoted was Americans will always come first. Immigration, foreign aid, and DACA will not continue progressing until Americans are taken care of. He explained that “Americans are dreamers too”. Dreamers are what we call the unauthorized immigrants brought into this country as children (DACA recipients). This upset a lot of Democrats who are fighting for DACA. He mentioned how open borders only bring in drugs and gangs into our communities, and not the immense amount of immigrants seeking citizenship. He made it very clear in his address that there will be a small chance for bipartisanship (Which is the agreement between the two parties).

 

Trump did not mention anything about the Russia Investigation, which is one of the major controversies in the United States today.

 

Overall, the majority of Trump’s speech was a celebration of everything he has accomplished, and of patriotism, and not of what his plans are to progress with the problems in our country whether it be social, economic, or foreign. He highlighted a lot about patriotism in the first hour of his speech, using this rhetoric he failed to use this time to talk about immigration, the economy or trade, which upset a lot of congressional members.

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Hi ladies and gents, my name is Mel, Melanie if you're feelin' fancy. I'm a senior studying advertising, political science and fashion at West Virginia University. In addition to my studies, I am the Campus Correspondent for the WVU HC Chapter! You can hear me on the radio at U92 FM reporting the news and hosting morning shows. If I'm not there, I'm most likely at the local Panera eating my body weight in broccoli cheddar soup or writing about the daily, awkward encounters I experience. I represenative of the college of media as an ambassador and the prez of the magazine club. Oversized sweatshirts and jean on jean are my aesthetics. Lover, not a fighter unless you tell me Joe Jonas wasn't the best Jonas. Laters, baby.