SiriusXM host Stephen A. Smith said President Donald Trump successfully manipulated Democrats at his State of the Union address during a Wednesday episode of “Straight Shooter with Stephen A.”
During Smith’s show, he played a clip of Democrats remaining seated when Trump asked members of Congress to rise if they agreed that the primary “duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens” during his Tuesday address. Smith said that the Democrats declining to stand was “a reminder of what lost them the election in 2024.”
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“Trump played the Democrats, pulled the okey-doke on them, played them like a fiddle, and the Democrats fell for it hook, line, and sinker,” Smith said before playing the clip.
“Everybody on the right stood up. None of the Democrats stood up. Zero. Knowing the cameras are rolling, knowing that the optics would be what they are,” he said afterward. “Because again, if you consider the question that he asked about putting America first and American citizens first, he didn’t sit up there and say white Americans or black Americans. He said Americans. Meaning that if you’re an American citizen, no matter what — you could be of African-American descent, you could be of Hispanic descent, you could be of white descent — it doesn’t matter.”
NewsNation contributor Chris Cillizza said on his YouTube channel Wednesday that Democrats staying in their seats was their “worst moment” during Trump’s address.
“I think that’s a bad moment for Democrats … I think for the average person … ‘Yes, we need to protect American citizens’ rights over people who are here illegally’ is probably something that you should clap for,” Cillizza said.
A video caller who said she leaned slightly liberal also expressed a desire for Democrats to “oust” party members who didn’t put Americans first during Wednesday’s edition of “The Morning Meeting with Mark Halperin.”
“A lot of Democrats, absolutely, they love this country, they like the United States and they prioritize us,” the caller said. “But particularly in the progressive wing, there’s a lot where you go, do you even like this country? What are you fighting for? Are you just fighting to fight?”
While Trump chided lawmakers who did not rise in support of putting Americans first, Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan shouted at him.
“[Democrats] are blocking the removal of these people out of our country and you should be ashamed of yourself,” the president said while they yelled.
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