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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has delivered the Democrat’s response to the State of the Union, following President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress. Whose speech did you like better, hers or Trump’s? After you read this story, let us know in a poll at the end of the article.
Whitmer spoke from East Lansing High school, which is the school where her children are enrolled. Whitmer was elected governor in 2018. Whitmer’s will be the only official speech from the Democratic party, but others may also deliver speeches of their own, like Bernie Sanders who will be delivering one at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.
Whitmer was elected as Michigan’s governor just 13 months ago, The New York Times reported. She’s relatively new on the political scene. Democrats often choose someone to deliver the response who is less in the spotlight, and they rarely choose a candidate who is currently running for President. Whitmer, 48, is more traditional in her beliefs and quite different from Trump. She supports gun control, abortion rights, but also advocates for bipartisan work. She was the first governor to ban flavored vaping products through an executive action, so she’s also viewed as controversial by some. Vox reported that Whitmer won the election with a popular slogan: “Fix the damn roads.” Her winning a Midwest state makes her a popular choice for Democrats, who are hoping to make more inroads in those states for the 2020 general election.
Meanwhile, many Republicans were excited about Trump’s speech to Congress and the nation. The White House said the SOTU will be optimistic. Trump’s theme is “The Great American Comeback,” ABC 12 reported. Officials have said that Trump planned to keep the speech optimistic, talking about topics such as a “Blue Collar Boom” from a trade deal with China, along with deals with Canada and Mexico. Trump was also expected to talk about working families, school choice, and paid family leave, along with discussing national security, immigration, sanctuary cities, and healthcare. The White House indicated that he would talk about prescription drug prices and compare his plan to those championed by Democrats.
You can watch both speeches before taking the poll in the video below. The video will first have Trump’s speech, followed by Whitmer’s.
So who do you think did the better job, Trump or Whitmer? Let us know in the poll below.
This is a developing story.
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