‘American Comeback’ as a Presidency’s Defense

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ASHINGTON — The defend- ant finally showed up to have his say. President Trump never uttered the word impeachment, but in a 78-minute speech to the nation that combined a celebra- tion of the American economy, hard-edge policy pronounce- ments and reality show-style surprises for the audience, he made the case for his presidency as only he could.

It was not a case that per- suaded Democrats, who re- mained seated stonily during the applause lines, shaking their heads and rolling their eyes, but it was not meant to. Assured of acquittal in the Senate trial on Wednesday, Mr. Trump moved

Trump’s Address Takes Aim at His Base and Suburban Voters

past preserving his first term and focused on securing a sec- ond with an argument aimed at both his political base and dubi- ous suburban voters.

It had a surreal quality, a presi- dent on trial for high crimes and misdemeanors addressing law- makers in the same House cham- ber where he was impeached just seven weeks ago. While Mr. Trump resisted the impulse to show up at the Senate trial to reject the charges against him

over the last couple of weeks, he used his State of the Union ad- dress to present a different sort of defense without the burden of cross-examination, in effect arguing that the “great American comeback” he claimed credit for outweighed the allegations against him.

If Democrats were unmoved, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi osten- tatiously ripped up her copy of his speech once it was done, making sure the cameras would catch the moment, Republicans embraced the president many of them once scorned. They wel- comed him with hearty applause and even chanted, “Four more years! Four more years!” as if it were a campaign rally rather