President Donald Trump's record-breaking 108-minute State of the Union extravaganza dazzled Republicans, but veteran GOP strategist Karl Rove said the MAGA leader committed a "key mistake."
Trump's lengthy speech honored Olympic hockey heroes and Medal of Freedom recipients, electrifying the chamber by awarding goalie Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom as Democrats chanted "USA! USA!" To boot, Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, including a wounded helicopter pilot and a 100-year-old Korean War hero, brought the House to its feet.
But in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Rove said Wednesday Trump squandered the goodwill by going nuclear on Democrats, savaging them as "sick people" and "crazy" who "are destroying our country." He attacked his predecessor by name and demanded Democrats stand and applaud him.
"Almost everything the president said energized his MAGA hard core. But they aren’t enough to stave off a shellacking this fall," Rove warned, lamenting Trump "should have fixated more on those of his 2024 voters who have since become disenchanted."
Rove noted Trump's approval rating has tanked nearly 8 points since taking office, and those defectors hold the keys to Congress.
"For them, the president’s speech almost certainly didn’t sound based in reality," he said.
After walking through alarming economic indicators on stubborn inflation and growth, Rove shredded Trump's speech, which felt more like a "political convention speech" than a State of the Union.
"Even by the former’s standards, it was angry, pugnacious, and hence less effective," he chided.
All told, Trump sounded out of touch on the economy and angry.
"Mr. Trump offered elements of a credible, effective case for Republicans in the midterm campaign. But if they’re to defend their majority successfully, congressional Republicans must offer more substance, be more forward-looking, display more empathy, and focus much more on the economy than what Americans heard Tuesday. They better get cracking. Time’s a-wasting," he warned.