On his first b-i-g stage since his inauguration, Donald Trump acted like, well, a president. And Republicans were absolutely thrilled by it. Much of the night went like this: (That's Republicans on the left, in case it wasn't obvious.) But what does "acting presidential" actually mean? Here are four concrete examples, which could represent a blueprint for how Republicans in Congress — who have, to date, largely been skeptical of Trump — can learn to love their president beyond just one speech: 1) He didn't make any eyebrow-raising claims about his popularity. (Okay, he compared his election to an "earthquake": "In 2016, the earth shifted beneath our feet." But that's minor braggadocio for Trump.) 2) He spent most of the time talking about policy — setting up an office to serve victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants was the most concrete proposal he mentioned. (And one that drew plenty of unhappiness among Democrats.) [Read the full speech, with our annotations.] 3) He went out of his way to sound inclusive: "What we are witnessing today is the renewal of the American spirit." 4) He even made a point to offer proposals Democrats approve of, like spending $1 trillion on infrastructure, instituting paid family leave and investing in "clean air and clean water." 5) He stepped back from the podium to allow one of the most touching moments in recent presidential-address history to unfold: A standing ovation to a weeping Carryn Owens, widow of U.S. Navy Seal Ryan Owens, who died recently in an al-Qaeda raid ordered by Trump in Yemen. Click to watch the video. (AFP) "Trump rapidly grasped that this was a real moment," writes Fix Boss Chris Cillizza, "and he didn't step on it by trying to immediately return to his speech." (A political caveat to that "real moment," says The Fix's Aaron Blake: In shining a spotlight on Owens, Trump is also shining a spotlight on a raid that is raising questions, like whether it successfully obtained intelligence information.) But Trump's speech wasn't perfect It was short on specifics. No one was expecting Trump to lay out the cost of every budget item on his wish list. But Republicans are divided about how to tackle his major proposals, like replacing Obamacare. It's fair to say Republican lawmakers would have appreciated hearing more about what their president wants to do beyond just "repeal and replace." Now what? Action, is what. The Post's Karen Tumulty says that despite the flurry of executive orders Trump issued in his first few weeks, he's actually behind other presidents in proposing and enacting legislation: |