President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech will be pure fiction and extremely un-Trump. The president, according to multiple reports, will announce a call for bipartisanship, and a focus on ending HIV transmission.
The White House has officially announced the theme of Trump's 2019 SOTU will be, "Choosing Greatness." What "greatness" looks like to President Trump is likely vastly different than what it looks like to most Americans. But that said, Trump is expected to make several big announcements.
“I’m saying listen closely to the State of the Union,” Trump told reporters Friday, as The Hill noted. “I think you’ll find it very exciting.”
That tease was related to the expectation Trump will announce he is going to sign an executive order to build his unpopular wall on the Southern border. The White House has not confirmed Trump will sign that order.
Despite just coming off a historic shutdown of the federal government, one which Trump started, the President will present a “unifying, bipartisan, and optimistic tone,” CNBC reports.
“Together we can break decades of political stalemates, bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of America’s future," Trump will say. "The decision is ours to make.”
Trump's previous attempts at bipartisanship have ended in temper tantrums and failed promises. For example, his claim that he would sign any legislation on DACA and Dreamers Congress put before him, regardless of whether or not he like the details was just a lie.
And in yet another entirely un-Trumpian move, the President will issue a call to end HIV transmission by 2030.
"Under Trump’s 10-year strategy, health officials would target the U.S. communities with the most HIV infections and work to reduce transmissions by 2030." Politico reports. "The strategy has been championed by top health officials, including HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield."
Politico notes Trump has had a "fraught relationship withthe HIV/AIDS community. The president in January 2018 fired his HIV/AIDS advisory panel with no explanation, and the panel’s new members weren’t sworn in until last week."
Trump also had "sought to cut the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, better known as PEPFAR — a multibillion-dollar initiative launched by former President George W. Bush, which has been credited with saving more than 17 million lives around the world." His since signed an extension.
And "advocates have raised concerns that the Trump administration is rolling back key protections for LGBTQ patients, who are disproportionately prone to HIV infections. About two-thirds of new HIV infections are in gay or bisexual men."
"Meanwhile, advocates have raised concerns that the Trump administration is rolling backkey protections for LGBTQ patients, who are disproportionately prone to HIV infections. About two-thirds of new HIV infections are in gay or bisexual men."