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President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address garnered mixed reviews from voters, but there were some moments that showed clear signs of unity.
A focus group of Democrats, Republicans and Independents reacted to the speech in real time using voter dials. The dial test, which was administered by Lee Carter, the president of maslansky+partners, showed that voters in all three categories reacted positively when Trump awarded National Guardsman Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe a Purple Heart and gave one to the family of deceased Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom in her honor.
Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, were both shot by a gunman just blocks from the White House last November, in what federal authorities are investigating as a terror attack. The alleged shooter is an Afghan refugee who came to the U.S. as part of Operation Allies Welcome during the military’s withdrawal from Kabul in 2021.
Trump addressed Beckstrom’s parents, saying their daughter was “a true American patriot” and that “she will be greatly missed.” He also spoke about Wolfe, recalling how the National Guard member’s mother was sure that her son was going to make it, despite the severity of his injuries.
Wolfe and Beckstrom receiving Purple Hearts marked one of the few moments of bipartisan approval during the speech. Other symbolic moments also received praise, such as the president’s recognition of the U.S. men’s hockey team, which made history with its overtime win against Canada. Carter noted that even critics praised the moment honoring the Olympians. Another moment of bipartisan agreement came when Trump bashed insider trading among lawmakers, with both supporters and critics slamming the practice.
Overall, Carter found that the speech reinforced what voters already thought, rather than persuaded critics to change their tune on the president.
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Carter also noted that the dial tests showed almost no evidence of movement and voters expressed strong affirmation or rejection. Supporters of the president said things like, “Exactly! The first duty of any government is its own citizens,” “He’s speaking the truth” and “Americans come first in America.” Meanwhile, critics of the president said things like, “He is such a LIAR,” “He rambled on and on and said NOTHING” and “This country is in turmoil.” One opponent said it was “divisive and dangerous.”
The line in the president’s speech that got the most positive reaction was when he said, “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” Some respondents cheered on the idea, with many framing their support around it when discussing immigration, fentanyl, election integrity or insider trading, Carter said.
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The most controversial parts of the speech, according to Carter, were the president’s tone and the issue of gender policy. Some supporters, Carter noted, criticized the president for cracking jokes, appearing to “talk down to the Supreme Court” and for mentioning former President Joe Biden. Meanwhile, critics of the president slammed the tone as “embarrassing,” “divisive” and even “selfish.”
Additionally, the president’s gender policy remarks garnered positive reactions from his supporters, while critics accused him of lying and trying to take “every opportunity to divide the country.”
Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind, Andrew Mark Miller and Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
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