During CNN’s State of the Union coverage on Tuesday, CNN host Abby Phillip argued that President Donald Trump’s non-economic message “is highly divisive. You’re talking about culture war stuff, trans children and what he claims to be forced sex changes in schools.”
Phillip began by saying, “I thought President Trump actually delivered a higher energy speech than, I think, even his speech last year. He was much more engaged. And I think part of that was because they had planned this speech to be an interactive experience between him and the audience. There were things for him to announce, surprises, there were big moments, emotional moments, and that helps him tremendously. But I also think that the contrast between, obviously, the Democratic message and the President’s message was on display tonight. You have a President who thinks that everything is going well on the economy.”
She continued, “But the other part of his message, I think, is highly divisive. You’re talking about culture war stuff, trans children and what he claims to be forced sex changes in schools. He’s villainizing Somali immigrants. The message from the President on the non-economic things was pretty harsh. And I think Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) was trying to make a contrast tonight on those very fronts. She was talking about schoolchildren doing walkouts and protests because they don’t like the direction that the country is going.”
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