President Trump Invokes Race, Gender and Socialism in 2019 State of the Union

President Donald Trump shakes hands with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Vice President Mike Pence looks on, as he arrives in the House chamber before giving his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 at the Capitol in Washington.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Vice President Mike Pence looks on, as he arrives in the House chamber before giving his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 at the Capitol in Washington. Doug Mills / AP Photo
President Donald Trump shakes hands with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Vice President Mike Pence looks on, as he arrives in the House chamber before giving his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 at the Capitol in Washington.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Vice President Mike Pence looks on, as he arrives in the House chamber before giving his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 at the Capitol in Washington. Doug Mills / AP Photo

President Trump Invokes Race, Gender and Socialism in 2019 State of the Union

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After delays from a contentious political battle with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over border wall funding, President Donald Trump gave his second State of the Union (SOTU) address last night. As he spoke, President Trump called for unity, but also suggested that Democrats have obstructed progress on the border wall. He continued to criticize his opposition when he remarked that “partisan investigations” are an impediment to “peace and legislation.” Meanwhile, the record number of Democratic women in Congress wore white outfits to the State of the Union in a nod to the suffragette movement, and the president highlighted their numbers, as well as women in the workforce generally, when speaking about his economic successes. Throughout his SOTU address, President Trump also made a number of remarks that were misleading or false, including about healthcare and Iran. Today, we’re recapping the address and getting analysis from Steve Clemons, Washington editor-at-large for The Atlantic and editor-in-chief of Atlantic LIVE. Clemons also authors the blog Washington Note and is an MSNBC national security contributor.