The 2020 State of the Union in a Snap

Maggie O'Connor, Staff Reporter

Photo by: Doug Mills // The New York Times

Tuesday evening, President Trump delivered his 2020 State of the Union address to the American people regarding the current status of the country. Most of the address was in regards to the strong state of the U.S. economy. The president stated “the unemployment rate for African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Asian-Americans have reached the lowest levels in history,” which has been confirmed by CNN, Washington Post and Fox News fact-checkers. 

President Trump also presented some unforgettable moments. Following his recent diagnosis with advanced lung cancer, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh was in attendance for the address. President Trump honored Limbaugh with the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This honor is typically awarded at the White House, so it was an unexpected surprise at the address. 

Another memorable moment was President Trump awarded a young student from Philadelphia with a full school choice scholarship so she is able to attend any college of her choice. President Trump also honored Charles McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African-American pilot fighters from World War II. McGee’s grandson Ian was also recognized for wanting to go to space and join the new branch of the armed forces, the Space Force. 

Finally, after the president had delivered his speech, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stood in the background and tore up a copy of the speech President Trump had just delivered. Pelosi and other Democrats in attendance can be seen sitting on their hands during the speech, a sign of disrespect. Many Democratic members of Congress, including Representative Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Representative Green of Texas, elected not to attend the State of the Union address surrounding the impeachment of President Trump. President Trump was acquitted from all impeachment articles Wednesday evening.