Democratic US Senator Elissa Slotkin, from the state of Michigan, was the main opponent of Donald Trump's speech to the US Congress.
She spoke of bipartisan values and recalled former Republican President Ronald Reagan as a leader Republicans could look up to. Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, moved away from inflammatory rhetoric and sought to connect with Americans on both sides of the political aisle by claiming "shared values" such as strengthening national security and fighting for democracy, A2 writes.
She also touched on Trump's recent decision to lay off workers: "America wants change, but there is a responsible way to make change and a reckless way. And we can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country and as a democracy. We need a more efficient government. Do you want to cut waste? I will help you do that. But change should not be chaotic or make us less safe. Mindlessly laying off people who work to protect our nuclear weapons, keep our planes from crashing, and conduct research that finds the cure for cancer is just not right."
In her critique of Trump’s handling of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Slotkin recalled one of the most popular Republican presidents of the last generation — Ronald Reagan — to argue that Trump has abandoned the values that yesterday’s Republicans would have championed: “President Trump likes to say peace through strength. That’s actually a line he stole from Ronald Reagan. But let me tell you, after the spectacle that just unfolded in the Oval Office last week, Reagan must be spinning in his grave. We all want an end to the war in Ukraine, but Reagan understood that real strength required America to combine our military and economic prowess with a bad prowess in the Oval Office.”
Slotkin argued that Trump's policies are driving up prices and hurting the middle class, a group that switched from supporting Democrats to supporting Trump in the November election.
"Do his plans actually help Americans move forward?" she asked.
She sympathized with voters concerned about immigration and healthcare, areas where Trump boasted in his speech that he had brought needed reform. But she argued that his approach to both was flawed. She concluded by urging voters to reconsider their party's trust in Trump's Republicans. (A2 Televizion)
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