State of the Union 2020

By Meg Wagner

Updated 2:25 p.m. ET, February 5, 2020
28 Posts
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10:52 p.m. ET, February 4, 2020

The Democrats are giving their State of the Union rebuttal

Pool
Pool

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is now delivering the Democrats' response to President Trump's State of the Union address.

She started her speech by saying she'd focus of what her party is doing — not what President Trump is saying.

"Instead of talking about what he is saying, I'm going to highlight what Democrats are doing. After all, you can listen to what someone says but to know the truth, watch what they do," she said.

Watch here:

10:33 p.m. ET, February 4, 2020

Fact check: Trump says he's built more than 100 miles of border wall. Here's what we know.

Daniel Dale and Priscilla Alvarez

Trump claimed to have built "over 100 miles" of a "long, tall and very powerful" border wall. 

Facts First: US Customs and Border Protection said that, as of January 31, 115 miles of “new border wall system” had been built. The overwhelming majority has replaced dilapidated barriers with a new, enhanced wall system. Around one mile has been built where there was no previous barrier. 

The Trump administration calls all miles “new,” arguing that it is all a major improvement on what was there before. Critics scoff at the inclusion of replacement and reinforcement barriers in the “new” category, yet administration officials have stood by their classification. 

"One thing I want to emphasize is that every inch of the 100 miles that we have constructed is new border wall system," acting DHS chief Chad Wolf said in January. "It's not so-called replacement wall, as some of our critics claimed. It is new wall."  

10:31 p.m. ET, February 4, 2020

Pelosi ripped up her copy of Trump's State of the Union speech

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ripped up her printed copy of President Trump's State of the Union address as lawmakers applauded the end of his speech.

Earlier, when Trump first walked in, Pelosi extended her hand, but Trump did not take it.

Watch moment here:

10:31 p.m. ET, February 4, 2020

A military family was reunited during the State of the Union

Pool
Pool

President Trump reunited a military family during his State of the Union address.

Trump mentioned that Amy Williams and her 2 children — 6-year-old Elliana and 3-year-old Rowan — were in the audience. They were attending the State of the Union while Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams served his fourth deployment to the Middle East.

"But Amy, there's one more thing: Tonight we have a very special surprise," Trump said. "I am thrilled to inform you that your husband is back from deployment. He is here with us tonight. And we couldn't keep him waiting any longer."

That's when Townsend Williams walked in to greet his family.

Watch the surprise reunion here:

10:22 p.m. ET, February 4, 2020

Trump brings up killing of top Iranian general

President Trump mentioned the death of Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian commander killed by a US air strike in Baghdad last month.

Soleimani's death heightened tensions between Iran and the US.

"Soleimani was the Iranian regime's most ruthless butcher, a monster who murdered or wounded thousands of American service members in Iraq," Trump said.

"Last month, at my direction, the US military executed a flawless precision strike that killed Soleimani and terminated his evil reign of terror forever," Trump said as the audience applauded.

"Our message to the terrorists is clear: You will never escape American justice. If you attack our citizens, you forfeit your life," Trump added.
10:19 p.m. ET, February 4, 2020

Protester ejected for yelling while Trump talked about protecting the Second Amendment

From CNN's Manu Raju

A protester was ejected from the House of Representatives for yelling something during President Trump's State of the Union address, as Trump was talking about protecting the Second Amendment. 

We couldn’t hear what he said. And from our vantage point, it was impossible to tell who he was. He was wearing an orange tie and dark suit.

10:17 p.m. ET, February 4, 2020

Democrats yell "you" when Trump says some are trying to destroy health care

From CNN's Manu Raju and Paul LeBlanc

A chorus of Democrats yelled out “you” when President Trump said during his address that some are trying to destroy health care.

Democrats could be heard laughing when the President said he was taking on big pharmaceutical companies. As Trump riffed on the subject, a crowd of Democrats also started chanting “HR3," referencing the Democratic health care bill to lower drug prices. 

A number of Democrats also appeared aghast when Trump said, “We will protect patients with pre-existing conditions.” Rep. Norma Torres, a Democrat from California, threw up her hands in the air after the remark.    

Democrats also groaned loudly when Trump mentioned illegal aliens.

Watch moment here:

10:13 p.m. ET, February 4, 2020

Fact check: Trump promises to protect those with pre-existing conditions while taking steps to undo protections

From CNN's Tami Luhby

Leah Millis/Pool/Getty Images
Leah Millis/Pool/Getty Images

President Trump has repeatedly promised to protect those with pre-existing conditions, even as he has sought to kill the Affordable Care Act, which greatly expanded those safeguards.  

“I’ve also made an ironclad pledge to American families. We will also protect patients with pre-existing conditions,” he said during his State of the Union address.  

Facts First: Trump's claim about protecting those with pre-existing conditions is false. Though Trump says he would do this, his administration has consistently taken steps to undermine the Affordable Care Act — including joining a lawsuit aimed at striking down the law — without presenting alternative plans that would offer similar benefits.  

The Affordable Care Act barred insurers in the individual market from denying people coverage or charging them higher premiums because of their health histories. Also, carriers had to provide comprehensive coverage -- offering 10 essential health benefits, including maternity, mental health and prescription drugs.  

Trump has worked to undermine the Affordable Care Act from his first day in office, when he issued an executive order directing agencies to interpret its regulations as loosely as possible. He championed congressional Republicans' bills in 2017 that would have weakened the law's protections. 

And his Justice Department is siding with a coalition of Republican states that are fighting in federal court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act. An appellate panel in December upheld a lower court ruling that found Obamacare's individual mandate unconstitutional but sent the case back to the lower court to decide whether the entire law must fall.  

The President has said repeatedly that he would roll out a new health care plan that would protect those with pre-existing conditions, but he has yet to do so. Last April, he backed away from pushing for a vote on a replacement plan until after the 2020 election.  

Meanwhile, he issued another executive order in late 2017 that would make it easier for Americans to buy alternatives to the Affordable Care Act that are cheaper, but offer fewer protections, such as short-term health plans. The law's defenders, however, fear that such plans could siphon off younger and healthier people, which could cause premiums to rise for those left buying policies in the Obamacare exchanges.  

Trump's administration is also allowing states to make major changes to their Obamacare markets, which could also leave low-income, older or sicker residents with few choices and higher costs. Few states have taken the federal government up on this offer so far. 

2:25 p.m. ET, February 5, 2020

Why Democratic lawmakers raised three fingers during this moment of Trump's speech

From CNN's Tami Luhby

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump urged lawmakers to come up with legislation to lower prescription drug prices — a demand that prompted some Democratic lawmakers to stand up with three fingers in the air.

The three fingers were for HR 3. That bill — now titled the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, in memory of the Maryland congressman who passed away last year — would empower the Health & Human Services secretary to negotiate annually for the best prices on at least 50 costly brand-name drugs and up to 250 medications, including insulin. Prices would be capped at 1.2 times their cost in certain other developed countries.

And it would require drug companies to pay a rebate to the federal government if their prices increase faster than inflation. The plan would impact drug prices for all Americans, not just Medicare enrollees.

Watch the moment:

CORRECTION: This post has been updated to reflect when Elijah Cummings died. It was October 2019.