Der Spiegel wrote that Trump said the United States stood on the threshold of a “golden era,” with “one good piece of news following another” in his speech on Capitol Hill, and noted that Republicans applauded him “unconditionally.”
“Members of the House of Representatives, senators and department heads from the president’s party, lined up in front of Trump, looked like wind-up figurines. At times they stood up every minute. No matter what Donald Trump announced from the lectern … congressmen stood up, sat down and got up again,” the outlet reported.
Calling the address a “campaign rally,” Der Spiegel asked whether loud ovations were meant to cover up Trump’s weak poll numbers, describing him as a “weakened president.” It said he had recently failed to convince voters on “tariffs, migration, inflation,” and warned Republicans could lose their House majority in midterm elections later this year if that continues.
Sueddeutsche Zeitung also said Trump was “under pressure,” reporting that Republicans were performing poorly in polls ahead of November’s midterms. It described the speech as a “long-winded mixture of bragging, pathos and anger,” adding that Trump touted successes that “are not obvious to everyone.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung noted the record length of the address — nearly two hours — and said Trump focused mainly on domestic issues because his approval ratings were low and many Americans were uneasy about persistently high living costs, including within the MAGA movement.
FAZ said Trump appeared intent on countering the impression that world affairs mattered more to him than Americans’ concerns, while concluding that could soon change if the United States ends up fighting “another war, with Iran.”
(jh)
Source: PAP