Most viewers described [Trump’s speech] as "presidential, "inspiring" and more "unifying" than "divisive".  Democrats who watch[ed] mostly [said] it made them "worried," and for 4 in 10, "angry."

            -CBS News-YouGov poll, March 5, 2025

Although I had sincerely hoped that Michigan Democrat Senator Elissa Slotkin’s response to Trump’s 2025 joint address to Congress would signal a departure from the standard Democrat strategy of meaningless abstractions, slogans and smears and instead endorse a more common-sense problem-solving approach, I was sadly disappointed.  

Slotkin admits that the election “made clear that prices are too high” and that “government needs to be more responsive to [people’s] needs”, but added that Trump’s methods are “reckless” because we cannot “forget who we are as a country and as a democracy” and because our “strong national security protects us from harm”.

Slotkin’s meaningless abstractions about “who we are” as a country and a democracy are nice pablum but, unfortunately, the Biden-Harris administration forgot who we are as a country and forgot about our national security when they stoked inflation with reckless spending, opened our borders and lied about it for four years, and ignored the rise in crime. That’s why Democrats were decimated in the 2024 election.

Slotkin warned that “We need to bring down the price of Groceries, Housing, Healthcare, cars.”  Unfortunately, that is precisely what the Biden-Harris administration did not do for four years.  And we thought that Obamacare was supposed to bring down the price of health care.  In fact, it doubled it.  That is why Kamala, comically, had to campaign on bringing down the price of healthcare.

Slotkin said that we need to start “mak[ing] more things in America with good-paying, union jobs and bring our supply chains back home from places like China” and “give American businesses the certainty they need to invest and create the jobs of the future.”

Slotkin does not appear to have noticed that Trump won 2024 by promising to do precisely that but that Harris lost that election because the Biden-Harris administration had not done that.  

Slotkin claimed that “we need a tax system that’s fair for people who don’t happen to make a billion dollars.”

That is a typical cheap Democrat smear against billionaire Trump, but even Newsweek in 2023 pointed out that “Democrats Being Party of the Rich Could Cost Them 2024 Election.”  It is Trump who has been winning working class and even union support.  Nice try, but you obviously haven’t been paying attention.

Slotkin accused Trump of “talk[ing] a big game on the economy, but” is only “trying to deliver an unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends.”  Does she mean his billionaire friends like Democrat-and-Obama supporter Tim Cook (Apple) who has just announced a $500 billion investment and 20,000 new jobs in America or giant Taiwan chipmaker TSMC CEO who has just announced 100 billion investment in plants in Arizona.  Slotkin does not appear to grasp how the economy works, specifically, that one does not create jobs by sending checks to illegal aliens but by stimulating the business environment so that those evil billionaires can open new factories around the country.  

Comically, Slotkin criticized Trump because: “Grocery and home prices are going up, not down and he hasn’t laid out a credible plan to deal with either.”  

Similarly, Slotkin complained that: “for those keeping score, the national debt is going up, not down.”  

It’s just a shame that the Democrats had four years with the incompetent Biden-Harris administration that created those disasters.  It’s been 40 days and Trump has not solved the problems created by the Biden-Harris administration! 

Comical!

Slotkin claimed that Trump’s “tariffs on allies like Canada will raise prices on energy, lumber, cars and start a trade war that will hurt manufacturing and farmers.”

Unfortunately, Slotkin did not let us peep into her crystal ball to spy the future with her.  

In fact, in his first administration, Trump imposed tariffs on China and other nations and, after a bit of bluster, China made trade concessions to the U.S. 

In 2018 former Mexican ambassador to China, Jorge Guajardo, said: “[This] wasn't a Trump issue; it was a world issue. Everybody's tired of the way China games the trading system and makes promises that never amount to anything."  

Many countries have already caved to Trump’s tariff threats. Are we allowed to try to solve problems?

Slotkin now admits that: “You want to cut waste, I’ll help you do it. But change doesn’t need to be chaotic or make us less safe.”  

It’s just too bad the Democrats showed no interest at all in this in the last 4 years and show no real interest in it now.

Slotkin suddenly realizes that “every country deserves to know who and what is coming across its border. Democrats and Republicans should all be for that.”  

Unfortunately, the Democrats continue to show little interest in meaningful border control and many are actively protecting illegal aliens, even criminals.

Slotkin brings up the usual Democrat dodge and slogans, saying that “securing the border without actually fixing our broken immigration system is dealing with the symptom not the disease. America is a nation of immigrants.”

First, we don’t have time to fix” the “broken immigration system” because Biden-Harris let around 10 million illegals into the country and shamelessly lied about it.  Second, no, my father’s parents were immigrants but he was not and neither are most Americans.  We had hoped that the 2024 election would have ended the “baby talk” once and for all.

Slotkin deplores the fact that “a president ignores court orders or the Constitution [and] when [he] demonizes those who are different.”

Slotkin must be talking about Biden bragging about ignoring SCOTUS decisions on his illegal “student loan forgiveness” vote-buying scheme.  And she must have forgotten Biden’s demonising of MAGA, e.g., calling them “garbage” … and much else besides.

Slotkin warns that under Trump one cannot criticize “the guys in charge without getting a knock at the door in the middle of the night.”  She appears to have forgotten that this is precisely what happened to 74-year-old Roger Stone in his slippers and bathrobe, Peter Navarro at the airport, and the FBI at Trump’s own Mar-a-Lago with drawn weapons under Biden’s ruthless regime.  Slotkin would be wise to shut up on this one.  

Finally, Slotkin accuses Trump of “stealing” the slogan “peace through strength” from Ronald Reagan and states that strength is exactly what one did not see from Trump in his Oval Office dust-up with President Zelensky.  

Slotkin’s respect for Reagan is touching. However, the expression “peace through strength” traces to the 2nd century Roman Emperor Hadrian. She’s only 2,300 years off. And, as an expression that has moved into the public parlance, it cannot to “stolen” from anybody.  Duh!

As for strength, Trump reports that Zelensky has miraculously had second thoughts and now is eager for peace and Trump’s deal on mineral rights.  Are we allowed to end to mass killings now?  Slotkin complains about Trump’s “moral clarity”?  

What Slotkin’s weak deceptive reply actually shows is that Democrats are not yet serious about solving American’s problems.  It’s still just fluff, deflection, word games, smears and infantile theater.
 

Image: Screen shot from 6abc Philadelphia video, via YouTube