Rick Green [00:00:07] Welcome to intersection of Faith and culture. It's the Wallbuilders show, and we're taking on the hot topics of the day from a biblical, historical, and constitutional perspective. No hotter topic than Donald Trump's address to Congress, state of the Union, whatever the right way to call it is. I just got to say, amazing. Maybe my favorite speech to Congress ever in history. Maybe my favorite speech. I don't know, guys. I haven't laughed and cheered and all of that so much I don't know and how long. And we had a whole group watching it together on the big screen. 

David Barton [00:00:35] I'm going to add cried. Did that, cried because I shed tears. And part of. 

Rick Green [00:00:39] This I did too. And that, oh, especially that little kid. They got that right. Oh. So powerful. Yeah. Well, anyway, Rick Green here with David and Tim Barton and help me understand this first, because I thought the state of the Union was only once a year and usually earlier in the year. And then I saw some headlines saying it's just an address to Congress. So what's officially what is a state of the Union versus not? 

David Barton [00:00:59] Here's a little bit of history on it. Go back to article two, section three. The Constitution says the president of shall, from time to time give Congress information on the state of the Union. So this is an executive duty by the Constitution from time to time. How often is that? How often is from time to time. So what happened is George Washington would give an annual address on the state of the Union. So he would say, here's what's happened in the last year. Here's where we are. Here's what we need to do. And so that kind of started it out. But because it says you're giving information on the state of the Union, it was called the state of the Union address, but not too much later. They they called it an address to the president. So in in Washington's term in Washington is eight years, two terms in John Adams term. They were oral addresses to Congress. He would tell Congress what's going on. Here's what's happened in the Barbary Powers War. Here's what's happening with Navy. Here's what we need the military. Here's what we got with all these issues. So he's given the address orally. 

Tim Barton [00:01:54] It's also super interesting that he's telling them things that are going on like that. I mean, he meaning Washington or maybe some cases Adams. Because back then there was no internet, right? There was no social media. There's there's no news outlets. So he's probably literally telling them things they don't know as opposed to like with President Trump's State of the Union where he's going through what DOGE is finding and exposing. Well, all of us are seeing that all over social media. We're seeing that in news outlets. So President Trump really isn't saying hardly anything that the people don't know, but he's able to frame it in a certain way. He's able to promote an agenda, but it certainly has evolved over time. Whereas again, looking back, probably part of what Washington or even Adams in this case is telling Congress are things that maybe not all of them are aware of. So it might be far more informative to them than what the current state of the Union address would be. 

David Barton [00:02:50] So that address to Congress that they gave orally for George Washington, John Adams Thomas Jefferson is not a public speaker. There's only his two terms for president, only a record of him one time speaking publicly to a group. Wow. So, John, if so, Jefferson said, hey, it's an address to Congress. I'll write it out. And so he wrote out all his address to Congress, and he's giving the state of the Union. But it's a written address to Congress. 

Rick Green [00:03:14] Well, that's funny you say that, because as soon as you said he doesn't like to speak, I thought, well, he was only the greatest writer in American history to do the declaration. But I didn't know he wrote out that speech. So, you know, I wrote out of state of the Union.

David Barton [00:03:25] He's a great writer, you know, look at the Virginia Bill of rights and his bill for religious liberty. So he's a great writer. He doesn't like speaking. He doesn't much. So he started the tradition of presidents give written addresses. They don't give a public speech. They don't give an oral address, as Adams and Washington did when is the next time that we got into a president giving a public speech as a state of the Union. Any idea? 

Tim Barton [00:03:49] Are you saying in the sense of speaking to Congress yesterday. 

David Barton [00:03:53] What we saw today in the sense of talking to a session of Congress saying, here's what's going on. 

Rick Green [00:03:58] And they have to invite if it's not. 

David Barton [00:03:59] Congress has to invite the president to speak to the joint session. Okay. 

Tim Barton [00:04:02] Now. Now that's very different, because certainly there were moments that Lincoln did address things in Congress, but maybe not a joint session where he was talking to members of the House 

David Barton [00:04:13] And he wasn't a given. He wasn't updating the state of the Union. And that's what I'm saying. 

Tim Barton [00:04:17] During the Civil War, he definitely went to Congress in meetings of Congress. And so he's he is giving a state of the Union to some extent, but not in a joint session like you're referring to, which would certainly be different, obviously, the modern era. You also the Supreme Court cabinet members. So it's a lot different now as well. It's interesting question. I think I know the answer only because I think I've researched this with you before. What do you think? But I think it was far more in the Progressive ERA when it makes a comeback. I think it was during World War one, I think. 

Rick Green [00:04:54] So just to make sure I understood, you're saying there wasn't one between all that time? 

Tim Barton [00:04:58]  an oral address. We're presidents. 

Rick Green [00:05:01] Everybody was writing it out. 

Tim Barton [00:05:02] Now, dad obviously you've done the research on this. That's why you're bringing it up. You're giving us trivia that you already about the answer. 

Rick Green [00:05:07] It's always so unfair. Just so the audience knows. Yes. 

Tim Barton [00:05:10] But since we had equal opportunity to do research on our own, I do think my recollection, I think it was Woodrow Wilson, and I think it was around World War One, when it was an oral address. 

David Barton [00:05:21] Really good. It was it was Woodrow Wilson in 1913, and then Calvin Coolidge in 1923 has his broadcast on radio. So that's the first time the public starts hearing it is in 1923. And then you have FDR in 1934, had his broadcast nationally. And so it went all over the nation. And that's the first time it's called the state of the Union address is under FDR in 1934.  So before it was an annual address to Congress on the state of the Union, and then Harry Truman was the first to be broadcast on national television, 1947. So we're looking at what we saw last night with President Trump. This is really And the last generation, or our parents or grandparents generation that we're seeing, we see now, but it's still a lot different now, starting with LBJ in 1966, the other party started giving an opposition response. So when Trump gave his the Democrats also delivered to the media their response, and they wrote their response before they ever heard his address or what's in it. And this is the way this is what's so, so strange about the oppositions response for the last 30 and 40 years is they give it before they know what the president is and talk about. So the criticize them and go after them and whatever. 

Tim Barton [00:06:31] Well, I would say maybe one caveat with that is, again, because the state of the Union is not turned into something where the president is giving brand new information to Congress or the Senate or the American people, generally speaking. Again, like the state of the Union, we heard last night from President Trump, or at this point, as we're recording in the wee hours of the morning. So for us was a couple hours ago, we finished listening to it. It there was not really anything he said that Democrats weren't already aware of. And so I would think that by and large they would be able to write a response, knowing already what the policies are he's promoting now, maybe not some of the nuance of what he's going to say and how he's going to say it, and maybe some of the agenda he's going to specifically target and highlight and promote. But generally speaking, and this might be something else that, for us research nerds might be fun to look into is when, maybe when did some of the state of the Union be a repeat of the already established agenda, as opposed to I'm rolling out some new things, and maybe this is a way for me to announce to the public some of the new policies, because I certainly President Trump, there was a little bit he was announcing, but there weren't many surprises in my estimation. And so all that to say, I think doing that the other side opposition could come up with a response based on what they already know of the policy, since they say the union has really come, come into maybe more of a public appeal speech than it is a brand new information speech. 

David Barton [00:08:02] That's been going on since 1966. And today it's it's just I mean, the ratings under sustained can low. About all you can do is if you're a supporter, you'll take clips from it and make social media out of it to get soundbites out for your party. So that's 66 of the first time that happened. Now here's the next thing. We have the state of the Union, right. It usually in this era of February early March. So that's when the state of the Union address occurs. When did we go to having the state of Union at the beginning of the year. 

Rick Green [00:08:33] So normally they would do a win. Well, they. 

David Barton [00:08:34] Always did at the end of the year. Because we're telling you what, here's what happened. 

Rick Green [00:08:37] The state of the Union is this way because these things happened over the last year. And then they started doing it in early in the next year. 

David Barton [00:08:42] And by the way, nearly a traditional phrase is nearly always was. Here's the address on the state of the Union. The state of the Union is strong. And they would say the state of Union strong. And then they'd go through why the president who deviated from that was Gerald Ford. He said the state of the Union is not good. You know, he came in where he did in the situation with with the corruption, with Nixon. Nixon resigned from office. And that's the only one where he said the state of the Union is not good. But but that wasn't said. And then we'll get to that in a minute. Why would not said so? Back to the thing. 

Rick Green [00:09:17] Yeah, because all I could think is you're saying this, David, is it didn't take Trump a year to kill a month, and he was ready to give a report on  I'm sorry. Go ahead. That's right. Give back to the history. 

David Barton [00:09:25] So when did when did you give the state of the Union? At the end of the year. When did that change? It changed with Ronald Reagan. And when Jimmy Carter got beat by Ronald Reagan, he refused to give the state of the Union address at the end of the year because the election is in November. He's got the state of the Union address come up, and he's really depressed. He gets the whip as though he doesn't give the state of the Union address that year. So Reagan comes and gives his speech to start the year. And that's kind of the tradition we have. Now is the start of the year that starts with Ronald Reagan. 

Tim Barton [00:09:55] I feel like maybe Jimmy Carter should have actually done something in January before the inauguration and said, hey guys, it's about to get really good. You're welcome. Right. Maybe he could have given a positive state of what's. 

Rick Green [00:10:06] I took a dive for you guys. I threw the election so you could get a better president. That. 

David Barton [00:10:10] That is kind of like the Biden Biden won. Is that what we're calling Biden? Yes. So Jimmy Carter is the one who gave the last one. So Reagan comes in and with Reagan, how can you call? I mean, he's been in six weeks. How can you call it a state of the Union address if you're a first time president and you've only been there a few weeks? So that's where they started calling it the address to a joint session of Congress. Or it didn't even call it annual address because you been there weeks. And so technically, what Trump did did last night is not called a state of the Union. They'll do that after you've been there a year. Then I'll call the state of the Union. 

Rick Green [00:10:47] So what do you call this then? You just an address? 

David Barton [00:10:49] Well, it doesn't matter because the Constitution says you give an address from time to time. Don't say, guys, be annual. It could be every two weeks if you want to, you give an address from time to time on this state of the Union. 

Tim Barton [00:11:01] So this would still be considered a state of the Union address. 

David Barton [00:11:04] It would be. 

Tim Barton [00:11:04] Even though it's early on. And in fairness, what he's done in the last month, as he's pointed out now, it might have been bold in the mission to say more than what presidents do in eight years. Maybe, however, it's valid, they are moving at a record breaking pace in so many areas. 

Rick Green [00:11:22] And he might need to give one a month. Man. 

Tim Barton [00:11:24] All right. I mean, we've talked about it's hard to keep up. Yeah. Even on a daily basis with all that is happening. So it doesn't seem far fetched that he would give it this early. Considering how much they've already done. 

David Barton [00:11:36] So what you have with with what Trump did, kind of a state of the Union address is what he gave. Now, how long was Trump's address? 

Tim Barton [00:11:46] Oh, it was really long I know that I know. We were planning on being able to get together to, to start talking through recording a program afterwards, like an hour before he finished. So I know it went a really long time. 

Rick Green [00:12:02] Let's just say the schoolchildren were not able to watch the whole speech because they were had to go to bed. 

Tim Barton [00:12:06] Yeah. No way. 

David Barton [00:12:07] If you're in Alaska, you're fine. If you're on that part of the, the the time zones of America. 

Tim Barton [00:12:13] I think we're supposed to start at nine eastern. So that's 8 p.m. central. I know it was a little late with all of the different individuals coming in, and even some of the drama surrounding that was interesting to see. But I would say it probably went nearly two hours, probably over an hour and a half, probably in that hour. And 45 to 2 hour range would be my guess. Just from recollection of a couple hours ago. 

Rick Green [00:12:43] I was just wanted to say Joe Biden couldn't have even stood up here this long. 

David Barton [00:12:48] Well, by by my count, Trump went 102 minutes. So a little. 

Rick Green [00:12:53] Under an hour and a half. Okay. 

David Barton [00:12:55] So yeah, a little over an hour and a half. But let's go back to George Washington. Does the first spoken addresses does that for eight years. His average address lasted about ten minutes, so Adams and Adams in Washington both lasted about ten minutes on their annual state of the Union address. Then you come to Jefferson. He's writing his answer with Jefferson, his are about 20 minutes to read. Now you can you can listen speaking. You get about 150 words a minute and reading, you get about 250 words a minute. So Jefferson's written state of the Union would take you about 20 minutes to read. Then you get to back into Woodrow Wilson, where you start doing the speeches again. And they they run in the 20, 30, 40 minute range. And Biden's averaged about an hour. But Trump's first time that he gave it was 60 minutes. The second time he gave it was 80 minutes. Then it went to 82 minutes, then the 78 minutes, and this one's about 102 minutes. So he he by far has the record. Trump has by far the record on all the speeches. So that's kind of how I gets there. This is new part of the state of the Union which happened last night as well, is that after the attack on 9/11, where that the the terrorists hit the Trade Center and were going after D.C., they were going after Washington, D.C., you now have a designated survivor. So there was a member of the cabinet who is not in the address tonight. So the terrorists took a bomb and hit the Capitol. There's somebody still left alive. And they had senators and congressmen not there tonight. They were holding a Rump Congress somewhere, secret location. So they have a nuclear weapon hit the Capitol and everybody's killed, you have someone designated as president and you have someone in the House, the Senate. So that's the difference. And that's generally how the state of the Union came to be. One thing you guys mentioned earlier is Trump was kind of rehash of what he's already been doing, but sometimes you use the state of the Union to make really big policy announcements. James Monroe did with the Monroe Doctrine and the Four Freedoms. FDR did the Four Freedoms in his state of the Union address. The war on poverty was LBJ, his state of the Union address, and then George W Bush on the axis of evil. So there are some things that come out of the state of the Union address, but generally you're just kind of now publicly rehashing what's going on. 

Tim Barton [00:15:11] Was it also a state of the Union where? No it wasn't. I was thinking, Reagan, where did you see Mr. Gorbachev? Tear down that wall? 

Rick Green [00:15:16] Oh, that was at the block. He was standing at Brandenburg Gate. 

Tim Barton [00:15:20] I was trying to remember. I'm trying to think of other people that might have had these significant moments. When you said axis of evil. 

Rick Green [00:15:27] Well, and for him, it really was for Trump, it was almost like announcing those policies, even though he'd already done them. Yeah, he was really announced to the American people. This is what we've been through. 

David Barton [00:15:34] He got last night was free, unfettered access to the American people. Yeah, he didn't have to go through MSNBC. He didn't have to go to CNN. You could watch this. It was streamed everywhere. And anybody who was interested. And I do think what he said at the beginning of the speech was, look, we've had a 27 point swing in our favor since I've been elected, you know, 42 days. And the public is vastly behind us. 

Rick Green [00:15:57] Definitely a lot of not necessarily announced, but repeated. That had been done. But like you said, David, a lot of people hadn't heard from President Trump about those things because they have been watching the filtered news through CNN and the rest. Could you take a quick break? We'll be right back. There's so much more to cover about this address. So many good things in there. I think maybe the best address I've ever seen to Congress, and certainly the most entertaining. This guy knows how to do television. We'll be back. You're listening to the Wallbuilders show. 

Rick Green [00:17:28] Welcome back to the WallBuilders Show. We're talking about the state of the Union last night, President Trump just I mean, knocked it out of the park. Guys, I mean, I was so many times like you said, David, not just cheering, crying, I mean literally emotionally moved and saying things that we've all been thinking. And just such validation. And what was the first line? I mean, I think Tim and I high five when he did the first nine Americas back or not. Not America's back. How was it? Is that what he said? America's back. It was just like immediately right off the bat. Here's what we're going to do. So I don't know. I don't even know where to start. 

David Barton [00:17:59] That was his overnight. America is back. Yeah. Yeah. 

Rick Green [00:18:01] That's so good. 

David Barton [00:18:02] And you know what? I was really surprised. With. But pleased with was the human element of his policies. You probably had 6 or 8 different people up there in the gallery about what he told stories and how that those stories. I mean, some of those stories have shape policies, and some of the laws were even direct result of that. And it was really good to see that, that law and policymaking is not just a sterile process. It does affect lives. It does affect people. It has a real human effect. He really showed that last night. 

Tim Barton [00:18:34] Well, I thought it was interesting too as he's going through. And and you're mentioning some of these these stories, whether it's the young boy D.J. and becomes a secret service and is incredible. They give him the badge, he gives the the hug to the agent who gives him the badge. And then when 

David Barton [00:18:49] What was he? 13 years old was it? 

Tim Barton [00:18:50]  13 years old and all this. Right. And and then when the kid, when President Trump tells the young man he got accepted into West Point and DJ goes over and gives him a high five. I mean. 

Rick Green [00:19:02] You can't script that, that's just. 

Tim Barton [00:19:03] But but also what was so interesting is as these moments are happening, which should be something that everybody can celebrate. I mean, Rick, you and I were watching it together and we're like, show. Show us the Democrats right now because we want to see. Are they standing and cheering for what should be an obvious, unifying moment where we should celebrate a 13 year old boy who was, by doctor's own words, supposed to have died like six years ago. And just this incredible story, overcomer. This, I mean, the moment where you're getting tears in your eyes as as a parent, as a father hearing these stories, the kid that's accepted into West Point, things that we should all be cheering for. And the Democrats were standing up. They weren't cheering. Dad, we talked about it, there's a few moments where there was a few things where we saw some Democrats clapping, but by and large it was like they were on strict orders. We will support nothing that President Trump supports. Just out of principle. Even if it's a a obvious like no brain decision we should be supporting, we should be cheering. Who's not cheering for this 13 year old kid that would the moment they can't. And kudos to the camera operators who at some really great moments of catching, whether it be some congressmen or senators or right these moments of of people being acknowledged. But the one moment when when DJ is hearing from President Trump, you're going to be a Secret Service agent as eyes get so big, right? I mean, just these are really cool moment. And yet to see the partizan divide of where we are in the nation that we've come so far from where George Washington, in his farewell address, said that we should love that principle far more than we love party to see now that we are at a place where for a large swath of people. They are far more concerned about party than they are policy. 

Rick Green [00:21:04] And his point, even in that address was not that having a party was bad, but that when you become so partizan that you can't even talk to the other side, you can't reason, you can't have civil discourse, which is what we saw last night. Right? When you can't. You're a 13 year old kid. You're so bitter and evil at that point that you just can't give any honor at all to the other side.

Tim Barton [00:21:23]  And Washington. Talk about this would be one of the downfalls, one of the dangers that could bring America down. And that was like probably many people listening right now as this State of the Union was going on. I was texting with a lot of friends and many friends commenting, how can anybody not be cheering for this in these moments? And I said, you know, it's interesting for us. I don't want to be in an echo chamber. I would love to know some from some of maybe our more liberal friends. What is their take on this? Maybe, maybe even from some people in the middle? Because I think it's possible you still see some of President Trump's personality come out where he is flat out pointing at Democrats at times during his state of the Union as he's talking about crazy things happening and, you know, people that are ridiculous and whatever kind of adjectives he's using, he's pointing at Democrats at times when he's talking about the funding for the war in Ukraine and how that's crazy. And Elizabeth Warren starts clapping. She wants more of and he calls her Pocahontas. I can see, I can see how there might be some Democrats who would say, he's so petty. Look at what he's doing, saying that Joe Biden was the worst president. Right? Saying that that when although it was brilliant, right. When he acknowledged the Democrats were saying and Joe Biden was saying, we have to have policy and I can't do this about legislation, and the Republicans are. 

David Barton [00:22:41] Stopping he immigration stuff. 

Tim Barton [00:22:42] It well, that that's what it was about

David Barton [00:22:44] I need more I need more legislation to do immigration.  

Rick Green [00:22:46] You're getting to my favorite line of the whole night. 

Tim Barton [00:22:48]  and Trump says, well, all we needed was a new president. But but literally when he there's moments when he says, you know, Kamala Harris couldn't have done this. Joe Biden could have done this. I can see how there can be some Democrats or liberals saying, hey, you know what? We still this guy, he's petty. We don't like him. I can see how some of the personality can come out and be distasteful to some people. 

Rick Green [00:23:10] And at that point you would not clap for anything that they do. And you see, this is just show show. 

Tim Barton [00:23:16] Well, and this is to me, this is where I'm just really curious because if you listen to what he's saying overall the policies that he is promoting, I trying to think objectively and not be biased going, hey, that's that's you know, that's a guy from our team and we want him to do well. We're going to cheer for him. Trying to think of it objectively, the things he is saying, the policies piece promoting, I honestly don't know how you could say you love America and the American people, etcetera, etcetera, and oppose some of the policies that he is promoting. And this is where I'm really curious to see, is this is the appeal that he gave to the state of the Union going to be something compelling that helps him going forward? Because one of the things also that was all over social media the last day or two is Democrats playing the clip from President Trump where he said, hey, from day one, I'm going to help inflation and the cost of goods and eggs and etc. and Democrats. And you might have seen this by now, people on social media. This video is going all over where there's like 18 or 20 or 25 and sometimes only 3 or 5 Democrats, congressmen, senators, and they are saying the exact same words, showing the exact same clips. And I mean, literally, they're on a script together. So I'm curious if in the midst of this, this partizan divide we live in, if the American people were able to hear with an objective, open perspective and say, okay, so what are we promoting? What's the policy? Or have have Democrats and some of the media been able to taint President Trump so hard and so well that that people couldn't listen and, and cheer for some of these moments that should have been unifying, that should have been obviously connected. In fact, when President Trump said, I want every child to hear this, he was talking about the transgender issue. I want every child to hear this right. God made you and you are perfect the way you are. How can you not support this in some of these? So I am very curious to follow up and see. I probably more this week will hear a lot more from from different people, different outlets to see what some of the takes were and, and, and was this something that people can rally behind some of these policies from an objective perspective, not being biased and swayed by the love of party more than the love of principle or love of policy. It will just be interesting to see how some of this reacts, because certainly we talked about it. We think this is one of the best state of the unions we've ever seen or heard, even though it was rather long. 

David Barton [00:25:46] I remember George Washington's second one. It was pretty good. 

Tim Barton [00:25:50] Oh, so were you one of those one on Social Security? Like, yeah, hundreds of kids all those year. 

David Barton [00:25:55] Those people. Yeah, that guy is 350 and he was 150. When George was president, I met him. 

Rick Green [00:26:01] I can't believe he delivered all of that so well and had us rapture, you know, because a lot of that was just almost statistical, right? And normally that'd be so boring. And he just milked it for all it was. 

Tim Barton [00:26:12] It was it was one of the most entertaining speeches ever. And it's like going to the movie, you sit there for two hours and like, that was great. It was so entertaining. Yes. He did such a good job. 

Rick Green [00:26:22] It was. It was amazing. Yeah. 

David Barton [00:26:23] If you missed it, go look it up. It's it's easy to get online. It was a great speech. It's worth 102 minutes to listen. 

Rick Green [00:26:29] Well, we may still be talking about it tomorrow for Foundations of Freedom Thursday, because we could talk about some of the foundational principles that he talked about and that are such a big turnaround for us. But we're out of time for today. Don't miss foundations tomorrow and then good news Friday. This coming Friday, you've been listening to the WallBuilders Show