Gloves Off: NH GOP Cheers As Trump's SOTU Turns Into A Political Hockey Fight

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

Granite Staters tuned in for the State of the Union address Tuesday night — and a hockey fight broke out.

Amid praise for the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team — Trump announced he is giving goaltender Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the president fired slap shots at Democrats, often calling them out by name.

Democrats were ready to throw off the gloves, too. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) shouted at the president, accusing him of “killing Americans” and reportedly calling him a “sick f***” for mentioning rampant welfare fraud in Minnesota’s Somali community. Several lawmakers walked out during the speech, and another, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), was escorted out of the chamber after attempting to disrupt the event.

And just like a good hockey match, the home team crowd appeared to enjoy the action.

At a Manchester, N.H., watch party hosted by Americans for Prosperity, a packed house laughed and applauded President Trump’s quips and catcalls.

“I really enjoyed his humor,” said Russann Chester of Bedford.

The AFP crowd hooted when, after touting his support for the Stop Insider Trading Act, Trump asked, “Did Nancy Pelosi stand up?”

He also drew laughs and applause when he commented on Democrats refusing to support ending children undergoing sex-change procedures, sometimes over the objections of their parents.

“Look, nobody (Democrats) stands up. These people are crazy. I’m telling you — they are crazy!”

Pundits like Mark Halperin said the most politically potent moment was when Trump laid out a challenge to everyone in the chamber.

“One of the great things about the State of the Union is how it gives Americans the chance to see clearly what their representatives really believe. So tonight, I’m inviting every legislator to join with my administration in reaffirming a fundamental principle.

“If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: ‘The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.’”

Democrats, including all four members of the New Hampshire delegation, remained seated as Trump stared them down.

“This is the moment that is designed to be the takeaway,” said veteran political observer Jeff Greenfield.

Republicans were quick to point it out.

“Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander are so out of touch that they couldn’t even applaud the simple idea that American citizens come before illegal aliens,” RNC spokesperson Kristen Cianci said after the speech. “President Trump is putting Americans first while Democrats are putting illegal immigrants first.”

But the most memorable moments, Granite State Republicans told NHJournal, were when Trump celebrated heroes and survivors. He announced Olympic hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Two people in the chamber were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on the spot.

“Anytime you’re awarding Congressional Medals of Honor is big time. It’s huge,” said AFP’s Greg Moore. “These are moments that cut through the politic;, they cut through the noise.”

At the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women (NHFRW) watch party in Bedford, Danielle Evansic said they “were really enjoying the speech. We had the most cheers when he called Democrats’ crazy.’”

Like Moore, she was moved by some of the personal stories the president highlighted.

“There were some real emotions when we heard the president talk about Charlie Kirk and Iryna Zarutska.” Zarutska was the Ukrainian woman murdered on a commuter train in Charlotte, N.C., by a violent offender who was repeatedly released from custody without bail.’

Christine Peters is NHFRW president, and she told NHJournal the president “achieved unity” in his speech, while also “exposing the hypocrisy of elected officials on the left who cannot decide who they serve without looking around at their peers. Wrapping it up with two Congressional Medals of Honor and one last 100-year-old war hero was the chef’s kiss of circling back to unity that even the left could not deny.”

Bill O’Brien, Republican National Committeeman for New Hampshire, said he believes the speech will play well in the Granite State.

“President Trump’s State of the Union highlighted real results that are being felt here in New Hampshire and across the country. His achievements, particularly in the face of reflexive and too often thoughtless Democratic opposition, are significant and undeniable.”

GOP strategist Periklis Karoutas said simply, “It was Trump’s best State of the Union speech ever.”

Democrats, as expected, disagree.

“Americans are tired of President Trump’s empty words, broken promises, and the ways in which his reckless actions are costing them every day,” said U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan. “Despite the president’s misleading and out-of-touch claims tonight, hardworking people across our country know the reality: They are worse off than they were a year ago. And the president and his billionaire allies either don’t know it, or don’t care.”

Retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, attending her last State of the Union, added, “President Trump promised the American people that he would bring down the cost of living and bring order to an unsettled world. More than a year into office, it is abundantly clear that he has failed to deliver on both counts.”

But Democratic activist Jay Surdukowski told NHJournal he thinks his party may be missing the big picture.

“This was a surprisingly unifying speech for the first 43 minutes or so, and the last 10 — hockey Olympians, children’s savings accounts, numerous war heroes, everything but the apple pie. If the president could be like this all the time, it would be something else.”

Surdukowski also praised the president’s comments on celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary and the patriotism it inspires.

“His closing meditation on America’s 250 years was shockingly poetic and moving, even to a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat.”

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.