Marc Thiessen: President Trump’s Inaugural Speech Laid Out His Vision In A Negative Way

“I thought it was mixed. I thought there some elements that were good and some elements that were not so good. I would have preferred to see him lay out a positive uplifting vison of what America looks like when America is great again. I think that would have been a speech that would have united the country enormously. If he laid out his vision of a country where factories are teaming with workers, inner cities where the crime is reduced and the kids have a choice of where to go to school. An America with this, that and the other thing, all of his agenda and lay it out in a very positive way. Instead he delivered the same message but in a much more negative way.”

—Marc Thiessen on President Trump’s inaugural speech

Marc Thiessen, speechwriter for President George W. Bush and columnist for the Washington Post, spoke with Kilmeade & Friends about the mixed reaction to President Donald Trump’s inauguration speech, how it would be possible for Pres. Trump to live up to his campaign pledge to have Mexico pay for building a border wall, finding common ground with democrats over repealing and replacing Obamacare, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer making a mistake by taking a combative posture against President Trump.

Plus, Thiessen shares his thoughts on the pending confirmations of Rex Tillerson & Rep. Mike Pompeo

Listen here:

Thiessen on President Trump’s inaugural speech

(THIESSEN) I thought it was mixed. I thought there some elements that were good and some elements that were not so good. I would have preferred to see him lay out a positive uplifting vison of what America looks like when America is great again. I think that would have been a speech that would have united the country enormously. If he laid out his vision of having a country with factories are teaming with workers, inner cities where the crime is reduced and the kids have a choice of where to go to school. An America with this, that and the other thing, all of his agenda and lay it out in a positive way. Instead he delivered the same message but in a much more negative way. At the same time I think people are being unfair to him and my new Washington Post column is going up today about this in saying that it was divisive speech that was targeted just to his base. He delivered the speech and directed toward the forgotten Americans, the people who no one is listening to. He defined two groups of forgotten Americans. One was the white working class that voted for him and the second is the impoverished, largely African American community in the inner cities that did not vote for him and he pledged in that speech to fight for both of them whether they voted for him or not.

Thiessen on Rex Tillerson

(Kilmeade) From what you know of Tillerson and from (Bob) Gates & Condoleezza Rice saying this guy is the perfect guy for you Donald Trump, do you feel good about the nomination?

(THIESSEN) For that reason I don’t.

(Kilmeade) You don’t like Gates or Condi Rice?

(THIESSEN) I like them but they are sort of moderate internationalists. I guess it’s, look, I don’t know. We don’t know much about Tillerson, he is an empty slate to us. He was careful in his nomination hearings not to be clear or take any tough stance on anything. We don’t know what Tillerson is going to be like as Secretary of State but the reality is look, Donald Trump is the President of the United States, he gets to choose his cabinet.