Michael Reagan: Trump’s fighting words rattle Washington

Who did you expect?

Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg? Barack Obama, the sequel? Mister Rogers?

President Donald Trump’s inaugural address wasn’t great oratory. It wasn’t packed with grand phrases about freedom, equality, and hope. It contained not a whiff of humility or introspection.

But it was pure Donald Trump—and didn’t surprise me a bit.

Our new president came out of his corner swinging—and he was still wearing his “Make America Great Again” fighting trunks.

Throwing sharp left jabs and right hooks, playing to the millions of voters from Flyover Country who elected him, he spared no one in his bipartisan assault on the enemies of American greatness.

His first fighting words as Commander-in-Chief were aimed at everyone connected with the fat and happy Washington establishment.

The feelings of his fellow Republicans were not spared—especially the ones in Congress who’ve spent the last 20 years imitating liberal Democrats.

It’s no surprise Trump’s speech didn’t go over well with most of the people in power in Washington.

Conservatives expecting to hear echoes of my father Ronald Reagan were disappointed by the absence of words like “liberty” and “freedom.”

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and the congressional Democrats who showed up—despite their phony smiles—clearly hated everything Trump said. Michelle Obama likely gave her husband an angry critique of Trump’s address during their long airplane ride out of town.

The liberal media reacted to Trump’s address with its predictable bias.

They were shocked—shocked—that Trump’s core message was unchanged. They picked his speech apart for its content, its negative tone, its shameless patriotism, and the nervous indigestion it’ll cause our allies and enemies around the world.

The only people who really loved Trump’s speech were his supporters. They expected to hear the same man they elected and he didn’t let them down.

No wonder. Their hero’s inaugural address could have been a campaign stump speech from late October.

He promised he’d make America strong, safe, and great again. And he’d put America’s interests first for a change.

He promised to return a lot of the power and wealth that has flowed to Washington back to the forgotten Americans who live between the states of New York and California.

He also promised to fix America’s inner cities, repair its roads and bridges, and get its people back to work.

Trump has gotten really good at making those kinds of big promises. Starting next week, we’ll find out how good he is at putting his words into deeds.

Michael Reagan, author of Lessons My Father Taught Me: The Strength, Integrity, and Faith of Ronald Reagan, is president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation. He is the son of former President Ronald Reagan and Academy Award-winning actress Jane Wyman. Follow him on Twitter @ReaganWorld.

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