In the last 24 hours, President Trump has blamed former President Obama for the White House leaks, graded himself on his work as president thus far and addressed the joint session of Congress for the first time. Here’s a rundown of what happened and why it matters.
Trump addressed Congress
Trump addressed the joint session of Congress for the first time Tuesday evening.
He called on Congress to cross party lines to work together to pass school choice legislation and expand access to healthcare and lower costs with an Obamacare replacement.
About 94 million Americans are out of the labor force and 43 million are living in poverty, he said. However, he believes these numbers are salvageable.
“Everything that is broken in our country can be fixed and every problem can be solved,” Trump said.
Allowing Americans to buy health insurance across state lines will promote competition and save citizens money, he said.
He added he will also work to save Americans money by lowering the cost of medication.
Trump also discussed the realization of his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” This will be achieved by buying American and hiring American, he said, and he ensured the people that the planned Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines will be made with American steel.
The president called to tighten the country’s borders. Most of the terrorist attacks were committed by foreigners, he said, including the attacks in San Bernadino, California, Boston and “even 9/11.”
“We cannot allow our country to become a sanctuary for extremists,” Trump said as he vowed to stop “radical Islamic terrorism.”
Trump also touched on illegal aliens in the United States who are keeping jobs
However, none of this can happen if the U.S.‘s economy is not a success.
“To accomplish our goals, we must restart the engine of the American economy,” he said. “We must create a level playing field for American companies.”
Trump emphasized an America-first, isolationist policy to create a freer world.
“We know America is better off with less conflict, not more,” he said. “I am asking all citizens to embrace this renewal of the American spirit.”
Trump grades himself on his presidential performance so far
Though Trump’s approval ratings are at 44 percent, according to NBC News, the president believes he is doing the job well.
Trump graded his job performance in categories such as messaging and achievement in an interview on Fox and Friends on Tuesday.
“In terms of achievement, I think I’d give myself an A because I think I’ve done great things,” he said.
However, Trump gave himself a C in messaging.
“I don’t think we’ve explained it well enough to the American public,” Trump said on his accomplishments as president.
Nevertheless, Trump gave himself an A+ in effort.
Obama is to blame for White House leaks, Trump claims
In the same Fox and Friends interview Tuesday, Trump also said Obama is behind the White House leaks.
“He is behind it,” Trump said. “I also think it is politics. That’s the way it is.”
The president told Fox News earlier this month that Obama was behind the leaked phone calls with Mexican and Australian leaders.
However, Trump specified that he does not mean Obama is personally behind the leaks but said “his people are certainly.”
Trump did not offer any evidence for this claim.
