America has always been a country of extremes, and 2020 is no different. Current political divides cut to the core of American society, and that’s the America that Donald Trump will be addressing tonight during his State of the Union address.
This is the third time Trump is issuing the address since taking office in 2017. It comes the evening before the Senate will likely acquit him after the impeachment trial.
Some publications have rushed to portray Trump as scoring victory after victory. The State of the Union is his moment to tie it all together.
Supporters of the president suspect he’ll point to the Iowa Caucus delays as evidence that Democrats are disorganized. They also think his likely Senate acquittal is proof enough that he did nothing wrong.
The president’s detractors, however, beg to differ. Trump’s approval ratings are historically low for a first-term president, and voter turnout for the Democratic caucuses in Iowa were close to 2008 levels, among the highest the state has ever seen.
Many don’t see Trump’s acquittal as proof of innocence; Republicans simply command a majority in the Senate.
Five democratic lawmakers will not be in attendance, protesting against the Trump presidency on principal. Al Green, Hank Johnson, Frederica Wilson, Steve Cohen and Earl Blumenauer are all boycotting the State of the Union. Notably, Al Green was one of the first lawmakers to call for Trump’s impeachment.
“Because of an impeached, reckless, ruthless, lawless, shameless, corrupt, & unapologetically bigoted president – who is still engaging in a coverup, the state of the House, the state of the Senate, and the #StateOfTheUnion are divided,” Green’s official account tweeted, “I will NOT attend #SOTU2020.”
Last year, six lawmakers declined to attend the SOTU: The five who are skipping the event this year, as well as John Lewis, a representative from Georgia. Lewis has not stated whether or not he will be attending the address this year.
