President Trump's State Of The Union Address Ended Up Being Another Partisan Theatrical

President Trump gave the annual State of the Union Address in the United States House of Representatives chamber on Tuesday.

What Happened

The President, who was delivering the address in the same room where he was impeached less than two months ago, highlighted what he said were the achievements of his government.

"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 President said.

According to a fact check by the New York Times, the $2 trillion revenue effect estimated over ten years from Trump's policies falls rather short of record-setting. In fact, matching with the U.S. Department of the Treasury data, the 2017 act would have about the eighth largest impact of all tax cuts, the Times noted.

The President mentioned other achievements of his administration, some true, others inflated. "Our economy is the best it has ever been," Trump claimed, pointing out the lowest average unemployment rate under any president.

The 73-year old, who is seeking presidential reelection in 2020, said that his administration has been taking on the big pharmaceutical companies, a claim that elicited a shot of "HR3," in reference to the healthcare bill, from the Democratic members of the Congress.

The President also said that the prices of prescription drugs went down "for the first time in 51 years" in 2019, a claim only partially true, according to CNN.

Trump also said that the stock market under his presidency had performed better than "anyone believed was possible."

"Since my election, U.S. stock markets have soared 70%, adding more than $12 trillion to our nation's wealth...this is a record," the President said. The numbers are somewhat inflated as both the Dow Jones and S&P 500 index are up about 60% since Trump took charge at the White House.

Democrats Protest

Trump, who is widely expected to be acquitted from his impeachment trial on Wednesday by the Republican-controlled Senate, didn't bring up the matter during his speech.

However, the tension between him and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who led the impeachment process, was on full display. The President refused a handshake from Pelosi at the start of the address as he handed out his written remarks to her. Pelosi could be later seen tearing apart the speech document behind the President's back at the end of the address.

At least eight Democrats, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, were boycotting the speech.

Another three Democratic lawmakers walked out in the middle of the speech, including Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan.

"I just walked out of the [State Of The Union.] I've had enough. It's like watching professional wrestling. It's all fake," Ryan announced on Twitter.

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