Donald Trump's first union address to congress on Tuesday was praised by his supporters.
Many commentators in the media wondered if this was the president entering a new more settled phase of his presidency perhaps, one where his insulting remarks about women, Mexicans and other minorities don't become the status quo. It was noted in the press that he sounded more presidential, but many wondered if it was yet another change in temperament in his highly charged and, to some, baffling first few weeks at the White House.
Trump spoke to the country for 60 minutes on Tuesday night delivering around 5000 words and giving the US a vision that seemed very different to whoever was listening.
The country's reaction to the speech, on the left and the right, underscores the country's aching political gap, its social chasm between those who agree with the blooming sentiment for nationalism on the Republican side and those who want a different focus for their nation, one that is more tolerant, inclusive and pluralistic.
Trump reached for poetry and stirring moments, and garnered his comments with calls for national unity, shifting his tenor from the bellicose methodology of his previous national speeches.
Adopting a statesmanlike intonation, he hit notes of inspiration and called for the American people to come together. He denounced the recent threats against the Jewish community, and also the shooting of the Indian men in Kansas.
Many thought he was seeking to stabilize his administration after a turbulent five weeks in the new White House office which left many shocked and confused.
The actual shape and substance of his policies mentioned – from issues such as #immigration trade, defense, and counterterrorism – lacked clarity and methodology and gave his speech a broad, populist tone that appealed to the right but had many in the left speculating about his motives.
"From now on, #America will be empowered by our aspirations, not burdened by our fears, inspired by the future, not bound by failures of the past, and guided by a vision, not blinded by our doubts," Trump said magnanimously from the podium in the House of Representatives.
In many ways Trump has waged a war not only against the press but also against the elites he called out in the #Democratic Party, in Washington and in big cities like New York during his campaign.
Thus far he has done little to bridge the gap between his followers and those who feel alienated by him.
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But with the #lowest approval ratings of any new president in contemporary times, Trump offered to lay down those battles of the past (seen in his tenacious campaign and his first few days), and sought unity and togetherness. It was noted that his speech ticked the many boxes that traditional State of the Union speeches feature.
His brazen Twitter-fueled approach to taking office, his #combative stance on those who disagree with him and his shocking changes to the fabric of the country's tone, changes instigated during the first few weeks of office, has altered the landscape of the nation's political life.
Many asked if this is the President moving into a more sober Statesmen like persona or whether this is merely a passing mood.
