Everything about a presidential address to a joint session of Congress is staged to make a president look powerful. From the arrival of the dignitaries, announced by the Sergeant At Arms, to the "Mr. Speaker, the president of the United States!" to almost-always-awkward "response" from the opposition. It's all part of a grand, political tradition that puts as much attention possible on the power of the presidency.So is the immediate aftermath of the speech, when members of Congress fill Statuary Hall just off the House floor in the Capitol to talk to reporters and establish the various partisan narratives of what just occurred. On Tuesday, after President Trump's first speech to a joint session of Congress, Republicans called the address great. This is the Trump they want; a president focused on policy instead of unending feuds with an unending list of enemies waged from the Oval Office one tweet at a time.Democrats seemed a little caught off guard that Trump, a president they have very little political or personal respect for, could deliver a speech that surprised a lot of people by…sounding like a political speech. Indeed, anyone hoping for another clownish or un-presidential public performance seemed a little disappointed.Continue reading on VICE News
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