Early excerpts from President Trump’s 2020 State of the Union speech

“We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare!”

The White House released excerpts from President Trump’s Tuesday evening State of the Union address this afternoon. The excerpts highlight familiar Trump administration themes, such as border security and the perceived threat of socialized health care, while also touting a strong economy that has continued to grow under Trump at roughly the same pace that it grew under President Obama.

The annual release of selected State of the Union quotes is as much an exercise of spin as anything else the White House releases to the press. And they often say more about which narrative the White House wants the media to push than they do about the president’s true priorities or the speech’s overall content.

In 2019, for example, the Trump White House released excerpts suggesting that the president would strike a unifying tone during his address — “together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of America’s future,” was one of the featured quotes.

The actual address did include these words, but it also dwelled on Trumpy themes such as border security, harsh immigration policy, and a partisan swipe against “new calls to adopt socialism in our country.” “Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate,” Trump said at one point, “it is actually very cruel.”

In any event, the newly released excerpts are the first official window into how this White House intends to represent the state of the union. You can read them below:

In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American Decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America’s destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!

From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the U.S. economy—slashing a record number of job killing-regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements.

The vision I will lay out this evening demonstrates how we are building the world’s most prosperous and inclusive society – one where every citizen can join in America’s unparalleled success, and where every community can take part in America’s extraordinary rise.”

Thanks to our bold regulatory reduction campaign, the United States has become the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world, by far.

Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace NAFTA – only to do absolutely nothing. But unlike so many who came before me, I KEEP MY PROMISES. Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement into law.

Days ago, we signed the groundbreaking new agreement with China that will defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions of dollars into our treasury, and open vast new markets for products made and grown right here in the USA.

NO PARENT should be forced to send their child to a failing government school.

We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare!