"I think we're in a place where we're trying to make marriage seem more like a positive choice, rather than an obvious obligation. It's a fascinating fiction that those who get married subscribe to, hoping that the fiction becomes true."
It was an extraordinary speech—the longest to a joint session in history, the longest State of the Union in history. In some ways, vintage Trump: combative, populist. Historic for other reasons, as well. The first part of the speech, all about the economy, an issue we know a lot of Americans want to hear about.
The far-right has been steadily gaining ground across Europe in the past few years, with the right-wing populist Reform UK and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) now often leading opinion polls. This comes despite or perhaps because of the fact that political leaders of the major centrist parties have attempted to win over their voters by imposing ever-tougher measures on immigration and using more anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Look at the setup behind them. It says Pursuing Peace. Do you think Vladimir Putin wanted to stand in front of a banner on U.S. soil, a foot shorter than the U.S. president in front of words, saying Pursuing Peace? That's the goal here. Conway concluded, Donald Trump was not being his jovial self in this press conference. It was not emotional; it was transactional.
"TikTok's recommendation algorithm fed our account with misogynistic content and fringe conspiracy theory videos that can lead users down a right-wing rabbit hole of misinformation and more extreme content, which has the potential to radicalize users."
The toxicity and jealousy that would sneak to the surface and mask itself in passive-aggressive remarks really struck a chord for many who have found themselves in the midst of such friendships.
Trump's cabinet members repeatedly expressed extreme admiration for his leadership, contributing to a culture of sycophancy rather than constructive criticism on his 100th day in office.
