Unity is the recurring theme for US President
Call him what you may — aggressive, shrewd campaigner, a man high on rhetoric, tough as nails — but there’s apparently no stopping US President Donald Trump from going ahead, in his words, in making ‘America Great Again'. This was so starkly evident in his maiden speech to the US Congress at Capitol Hill. Trump's month-long ascendency had been in the news until now for all the wrong reasons, for his hard-line positions — his sharp immigration, travel or refugee policy. This time, the Trump that appeared on television screens was calm, comforting, peaceful and mature; even his tie was striped in blue and white, a departure from the usual red, depicting his loyalty. Focusing less on policymaking and more on the problems faced by his fellow Americans, he sought to establish a heart-to-heart conversation with them. He went on to re-establish the lost confidence of those people who remained distressed with his policy decisions ever since in office. And, he struck a chord with Indians too. In fact, a change in tone was visible right in the beginning of his speech when he condemned the recent killing of an Indian at Kansas and also the spate of threats to the Jewish community and the vandalisation of cemeteries. His hour-long speech resounded with the term “unity”. He went on to assert, “America stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms.” There was a sense of genuineness in his condemnation. His acknowledgement of the racially-motivated Kansas killing will not fully soothe the aggrieved family members of the victim, Srinivas Kuchibhotla — in fact, nothing can make up for the loss. But the least the condemnation can do is to provide for the support of the world’s most powerful leader in demanding justice. A beginning in this direction has already been made, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation probing the crime as one of racial hatred. Further, President Trump went on to soothe the anxiety of Indian immigrants who remained uncertain about their fate ever since his administration issued executive orders to toughen immigration laws in his country. While acknowledging the immense talent and skill of the Indian diaspora, he changed his stand to give preference to the age-old merit-based entry system, whereby green cards would be issued to the immigrants, judging on their qualifications like education, skill levels, employability, language and family. like in colleges, the ones who fare better will have a greater chance to be an immigrant of that country. While keeping the challenges in mind, Trump also did not fail to ask for his rivals’ support to overhaul immigration laws.
Dedicating a quarter of his speech to the policies of his Government, the US President called upon the Congress to work with him to reform key policies like Obamacare, changing the tax code and rebuilding the nation's infrastructure and the military. He talked of unity, harmony and unanimity and asked his fellow Republicans to work hand-in-hand with the Democrats for the betterment of his country. He went on to re-assure the people of his country when he said, “We are one people, with one destiny”. Surely, this time the Trump that we saw was presidential and statesmanlike.