Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Tuesday night ripped President Trump’s latest State of the Union address as a campaign speech and said he regretted attending.
“That was a disgrace. It wasn’t even a half-hearted attempt at a State of the Union speech. It was a 2020 campaign speech from beginning to end, filled with political stunts unworthy of the House chamber and verifiable lie after verifiable lie,” Murphy said in a statement.
“I regret attending, and I’m sad that President Trump chose to turn a sacred tradition into a cheap campaign spectacle, and I’m just as sad that my Republican colleagues egged him on the whole night,” he added.
“The speech makes any cooperation between the parties less possible than ever before, though I will do my best to put this sad night behind us and tomorrow get back to the business the people of Connecticut sent me here to do.”
Trump took the opportunity provided by the State of the Union to tick off a list of what he sees as his accomplishments during his term, including moving the economy forward, securing the U.S. border and protecting the United States from Iran and other foreign enemies.
“In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America’s destiny,” Trump said in prepared remarks. “We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never ever going back.”
However, the speech included a number of tense moments, culminating in Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tearing up her copy of Trump’s remarks at the end of the speech.