From PBS NewsHour.
President Donald Trump honored the two members of the West Virginia National Guard who were shot in Washington, D.C., in November during his State of the Union address Tuesday.
“Sarah Beckstrom died in order to defend our capital, and we are honored to be joined by her wonderful parents, Gary and Evalea. Your daughter was a true American patriot, and she will be greatly missed,” Trump said.
He also honored Andrew Wolfe, who was shot in the head in the attack. The suspect, an Afghan national, has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including first-degree murder.
Trump’s address comes after 13 months of break-neck deregulation, a record number of executive actions, mass layoffs, aggressive immigration tactics and more.
Ahead of the speech, Trump was expected to outline his administration’s accomplishments, make his case for keeping his party in power this November and celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
At the same time, a number of pain points have threatened to overshadow Trump’s positive messages during his primetime speech.
On Friday, the Supreme Court delivered a major setback to Trump’s agenda when it struck down his sweeping tariffs. A partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, brought on by Democratic opposition to Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement, seems to have no end in sight. And questions about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation continue to dog his administration.
According to the latest PBS News/NPR/ Marist poll, 60% of Americans say the country is worse off compared to a year ago, while 40% believe the country is in better shape.
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