State of the union: Peril and opportunity of this moment

Perhaps the only surprise at the Tuesday evening spectacle in the US House of Representatives chamber was that our president did not lambaste the Supreme Court justices personally, as widely expected.

Since the court ruled 6-3 that the administration’s tariffs were unconstitutional, he has cast aspersions on the patriotism, integrity and legal reasoning of the six. Tuesday, he had handshakes for the four justices in attendance, according to the Tribune News Service.

Nevertheless, his 108-minute speech was dripping with contempt, and not only for the justices and their ruling. He baited Democrats with a trick statement and then scolded them for not standing up: “These people are crazy. ... You should be ashamed of yourselves.” He showed contempt for the American people by lying repeatedly about his successes and exaggerating returns on his policies. He did not even mention the killings of two American citizens in Minneapolis at the hands of his masked federal agents. And though 16 victims of the late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein were present, he did not deign to address his Justice Department’s controversial slow-walking release and excessive redactions of the Epstein files.

If President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was not edifying, it should be clarifying for Americans paying attention. There is opportunity in this moment. The nation is at a crossroads that has little to do with the price of eggs or how well the stock market performs. Rather, it has to do with standing up for American values that have been so callously abused by this administration.

Voters must look beyond partisan politics and consider the future of their families, the nation and the world.

With congressional midterm elections this fall and Trump’s approval ratings sinking, he squandered the opportunity to make the case for his presidency and for the Republicans whose seats are threatened. He offered little new but showed us all, again, who he is.

Also on display was the giddy obsequiousness of the Republican senators and House members, who have abrogated their duty to serve as a check on the president. The majority party stood by and watched the Trump administration dismantle federal agencies and disable them with profound layoffs.

Back to those tariffs. Ruling Republicans did not exert their authority over a president imposing exorbitant duties on friends and foes alike, wielding them like a bully to induce obedience. And they were all but unmoved by the U.S. industries affected, even in red-state farm country, and ultimately, consumers’ wallets.

When Trump did address the high court’s “very unfortunate ruling,” he shrugged it off and said he did not need to go to Congress to impose new tariffs, even though the court affirmed Congress has the ultimate authority over them.

At that assertion, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, without compunction, leapt to his feet to applaud. Acting more like a henchman than a powerful American leader, the man who could push back instead held open the door.

That isn’t going to change. But Americans can make a change. The decisions voters make this fall and in 2028 will reverberate for decades.

Pay attention. Stay engaged. Make the change.