POWERFUL: One of Army Staff Sgt. Christopher M. Hake's last messages to his son was to take care of his mother.
Watch this video and tell me 13-year-old Gage isn't doing just that.#SOTU #SOTU202 #StateOfTheUnion pic.twitter.com/qphDmUZ02U
— Austin Kellerman (@AustinKellerman) February 5, 2020
In the writing world, we have a saying: Show, don’t tell. The idea is that conveying something through stories and action is more convincing than merely stating something. President Trump’s State of the Union address is a great example of this principle put into practice. It celebrated many of his administration’s signature accomplishments: economic prosperity, criminal justice reform, and renewed military strength. And it did so by pointing to the people these policies have benefited.
Trump began by pointing out the economic growth that has occurred under his administration. Jobs have returned to stagnate local economies, and investors are slowly making their way into low-income communities. Trump has the statistics to back these claims, but he did more than throw around numbers: He brought in Army veteran Tony Rankins, a former drug addict who has personally benefited from Trump’s tax cuts.
Trump then moved to foreign policy, touting the new NAFTA trade deal, his negotiations with China, and U.S. pro-democracy efforts in Central America. This last subject earned bipartisan applause, and with good reason: Trump had invited Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan leader who challenged Nicolas Maduro’s totalitarian grip on the country, to attend the State of the Union as a living and breathing reminder that the U.S. fight against tyranny is important and worthwhile.
In regard to the military, Trump’s signature accomplishment has been the Space Force. So he brought in 13-year-old Iain Lanphier, who dreams of “going to space.” Next to Lanphier was his great-grandfather, Charles McGee, one of the first black fighter pilots.