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Trump opponents in Congress did not applaud for parts of the president's State of the Union address last week, leading President Trump to call them "treasonous" and "un-American." (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
In 'Dictator Move,' Trump Accuses Democrats of Treason for Not Applauding at SOTU
The president casually told an Ohio audience that lawmakers' lack of enthusiam was "un-American"
Feb 05, 2018
President Donald Trump drew harsh criticism during a speech he gave at a factory near Cincinnati, Ohio on Monday, in which he casually accused Democrats of "treason" for not expressing enthusiasm for his agenda during the State of the Union address last week.
The president told his audience that during his speech before a joint session of Congress, he noticed many Democrats were not clapping "even on positive news." He called the lack of applause "un-American," before taking a cue from someone in the audience who apparently called out, "treason."
Watch:
\u201cTrump says Democrats who didn't clap for him at the State of the Union are "un-American" and "treasonous."\u201d— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeed News) 1517861131
Critics pointed out that his remarks carried racial implications as well as disturbing overtones of authoritarianism. The members of the Congressional Black Caucus notably did not applaud when Trump heralded his often-repeated point that "African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded."
\u201cTrump just said Dem lawmakers (presumably the Black Caucus) who didn't clap at SOTU when he talked lower black unemployment rates "were like death," un-American" and "treasonous" for not applauding him.\u201d— Jennifer Bendery (@Jennifer Bendery) 1517860803
Trump's comment about unemployment among black Americans is technically correct, but the number has been declining steadily since 2010, when President Barack Obama was still in his first term--leading many to take issue with the fact that Trump has repeatedly taken credit for low unemployment numbers.
During Obama's presidency, Republican lawmakers routinely refrained from applauding as he discussed expanding health insurance coverage via the Affordable Care Act and enacting other policies to which Republicans were opposed.
On Twitter, critics slammed the president for suggesting that a lack of enthusiasm for his agenda is "treasonous"--especially as Trump himself is being investigated for his ties to Russia amid concerns over its interference with the 2016 election.
\u201cHere we go again. Writes @jonathanchait, \u201cIt is the logic and rhetoric of authoritarianism in its purest form. But if Trump does it in the middle of a Don Rickles\u2013style riff, does that make it better? Worse? Just weirder?\u201d Last two out of three, I\u2019d say. https://t.co/DCZdUcT4fx\u201d— Jamil Smith \u062c\u0645\u064a\u0644 \u0643\u0631\u064a\u0645 (@Jamil Smith \u062c\u0645\u064a\u0644 \u0643\u0631\u064a\u0645) 1517864432
\u201c@jonathanchait When dissent is treason, we\u2019re no longer in a representative democracy. The fact that this @POTUS is a clown doesn\u2019t change that. It should actually increase the alarm.\u201d— Jamil Smith \u062c\u0645\u064a\u0644 \u0643\u0631\u064a\u0645 (@Jamil Smith \u062c\u0645\u064a\u0644 \u0643\u0631\u064a\u0645) 1517864432
\u201cA scary statement, even by Trump standards. https://t.co/20Cuj83tkW\u201d— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPost Politics) 1517862037
\u201cTrump at #SOTU on Jan. 30: \u201cTonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people\u201d\n\nTrump today: Democrats who didn\u2019t clap for him are \u201ctreasonous\u201d\u201d— Chris Lu (@Chris Lu) 1517864795
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President Donald Trump drew harsh criticism during a speech he gave at a factory near Cincinnati, Ohio on Monday, in which he casually accused Democrats of "treason" for not expressing enthusiasm for his agenda during the State of the Union address last week.
The president told his audience that during his speech before a joint session of Congress, he noticed many Democrats were not clapping "even on positive news." He called the lack of applause "un-American," before taking a cue from someone in the audience who apparently called out, "treason."
Watch:
\u201cTrump says Democrats who didn't clap for him at the State of the Union are "un-American" and "treasonous."\u201d— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeed News) 1517861131
Critics pointed out that his remarks carried racial implications as well as disturbing overtones of authoritarianism. The members of the Congressional Black Caucus notably did not applaud when Trump heralded his often-repeated point that "African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded."
\u201cTrump just said Dem lawmakers (presumably the Black Caucus) who didn't clap at SOTU when he talked lower black unemployment rates "were like death," un-American" and "treasonous" for not applauding him.\u201d— Jennifer Bendery (@Jennifer Bendery) 1517860803
Trump's comment about unemployment among black Americans is technically correct, but the number has been declining steadily since 2010, when President Barack Obama was still in his first term--leading many to take issue with the fact that Trump has repeatedly taken credit for low unemployment numbers.
During Obama's presidency, Republican lawmakers routinely refrained from applauding as he discussed expanding health insurance coverage via the Affordable Care Act and enacting other policies to which Republicans were opposed.
On Twitter, critics slammed the president for suggesting that a lack of enthusiasm for his agenda is "treasonous"--especially as Trump himself is being investigated for his ties to Russia amid concerns over its interference with the 2016 election.
\u201cHere we go again. Writes @jonathanchait, \u201cIt is the logic and rhetoric of authoritarianism in its purest form. But if Trump does it in the middle of a Don Rickles\u2013style riff, does that make it better? Worse? Just weirder?\u201d Last two out of three, I\u2019d say. https://t.co/DCZdUcT4fx\u201d— Jamil Smith \u062c\u0645\u064a\u0644 \u0643\u0631\u064a\u0645 (@Jamil Smith \u062c\u0645\u064a\u0644 \u0643\u0631\u064a\u0645) 1517864432
\u201c@jonathanchait When dissent is treason, we\u2019re no longer in a representative democracy. The fact that this @POTUS is a clown doesn\u2019t change that. It should actually increase the alarm.\u201d— Jamil Smith \u062c\u0645\u064a\u0644 \u0643\u0631\u064a\u0645 (@Jamil Smith \u062c\u0645\u064a\u0644 \u0643\u0631\u064a\u0645) 1517864432
\u201cA scary statement, even by Trump standards. https://t.co/20Cuj83tkW\u201d— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPost Politics) 1517862037
\u201cTrump at #SOTU on Jan. 30: \u201cTonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people\u201d\n\nTrump today: Democrats who didn\u2019t clap for him are \u201ctreasonous\u201d\u201d— Chris Lu (@Chris Lu) 1517864795
President Donald Trump drew harsh criticism during a speech he gave at a factory near Cincinnati, Ohio on Monday, in which he casually accused Democrats of "treason" for not expressing enthusiasm for his agenda during the State of the Union address last week.
The president told his audience that during his speech before a joint session of Congress, he noticed many Democrats were not clapping "even on positive news." He called the lack of applause "un-American," before taking a cue from someone in the audience who apparently called out, "treason."
Watch:
\u201cTrump says Democrats who didn't clap for him at the State of the Union are "un-American" and "treasonous."\u201d— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeed News) 1517861131
Critics pointed out that his remarks carried racial implications as well as disturbing overtones of authoritarianism. The members of the Congressional Black Caucus notably did not applaud when Trump heralded his often-repeated point that "African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded."
\u201cTrump just said Dem lawmakers (presumably the Black Caucus) who didn't clap at SOTU when he talked lower black unemployment rates "were like death," un-American" and "treasonous" for not applauding him.\u201d— Jennifer Bendery (@Jennifer Bendery) 1517860803
Trump's comment about unemployment among black Americans is technically correct, but the number has been declining steadily since 2010, when President Barack Obama was still in his first term--leading many to take issue with the fact that Trump has repeatedly taken credit for low unemployment numbers.
During Obama's presidency, Republican lawmakers routinely refrained from applauding as he discussed expanding health insurance coverage via the Affordable Care Act and enacting other policies to which Republicans were opposed.
On Twitter, critics slammed the president for suggesting that a lack of enthusiasm for his agenda is "treasonous"--especially as Trump himself is being investigated for his ties to Russia amid concerns over its interference with the 2016 election.
\u201cHere we go again. Writes @jonathanchait, \u201cIt is the logic and rhetoric of authoritarianism in its purest form. But if Trump does it in the middle of a Don Rickles\u2013style riff, does that make it better? Worse? Just weirder?\u201d Last two out of three, I\u2019d say. https://t.co/DCZdUcT4fx\u201d— Jamil Smith \u062c\u0645\u064a\u0644 \u0643\u0631\u064a\u0645 (@Jamil Smith \u062c\u0645\u064a\u0644 \u0643\u0631\u064a\u0645) 1517864432
\u201c@jonathanchait When dissent is treason, we\u2019re no longer in a representative democracy. The fact that this @POTUS is a clown doesn\u2019t change that. It should actually increase the alarm.\u201d— Jamil Smith \u062c\u0645\u064a\u0644 \u0643\u0631\u064a\u0645 (@Jamil Smith \u062c\u0645\u064a\u0644 \u0643\u0631\u064a\u0645) 1517864432
\u201cA scary statement, even by Trump standards. https://t.co/20Cuj83tkW\u201d— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPost Politics) 1517862037
\u201cTrump at #SOTU on Jan. 30: \u201cTonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people\u201d\n\nTrump today: Democrats who didn\u2019t clap for him are \u201ctreasonous\u201d\u201d— Chris Lu (@Chris Lu) 1517864795
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