US President Donald Trump sounded upbeat as he addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time. He condemned the murder of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was shot dead in Kansas by a white veteran, just as he deplored the vandalism of a Jewish cemetery. He spoke of a “new chapter of American greatness”, and said the country was seeing a “renewal of the American spirit”. In short, he sounded presidential-something not quite seen since he took over as the 45th President.

Many of the campaign promises were, predictably, repeated. The rhetoric, too, was familiar. The speech was woefully devoid of specifics, but he did spell out his agenda in a gaffe-less and measured manner, without the shrillness that has often dominated his pronouncements. He managed to reassure NATO, even as he asked the member-countries to “meet financial obligations”. He promised a strengthened military. He spoke of his replacement for Obamacare and addressed concerns about coverage of pre-existing health conditions. Trump outlined a huge $1 trillion infrastructure package, and said that he would give “massive” tax relief to the middle class. As expected, he was tough on immigration, and promised to “demolish and destroy” the ISIS.

It is clear that Trump’s mindset remains intact. Some details were fleshed out in the address; there was a wisp of nuance, on the immigration issue for instance; he refrained from attacking the Press this one time. However, what was most notable about President Trump’s address was not its content, but the moderate tone he adopted. It may be tempting to believe that the change in tone could be a case of the office asserting itself on the individual. Even if this is reading too much, in one performance, Trump’s address did manage to reassure the American people and the world at large that he was not a loony. A moment of relief.

(Tribune, India)