THE STATE OF THE PRESIDENCY
THE STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH IS ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAVAGANT PORTRAITS OF AMERICAN POWER. REPLETE WITH PAGEANTRY, TENS OF MILLIONS OF TELEVISION VIEWERS, A CHAMBER CRAMMED WITH DIGNITARIES and Donald Trump at the center of the shot—is it any wonder the annual address is one of the few Washington rituals the President relishes?
But there was a new face in the frame when Trump stepped onto the rostrum on Feb. 5. Just over his left shoulder sat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has outmaneuvered Trump since she retook the gavel in January. On the House floor in front of him sat dozens of female legislators dressed in white, a suffragist homage and a stark reminder of both the drubbing he took in the November midterms and the investigations those Democrats will pursue over the next two years.
That power shift, visible to all, is particularly dangerous for Trump. His political brand is built on dominance and rooted in the strength he projects to his supporters. The
