#sotus sotus sotus [cheerful chanting]

[thebroccolination]

Back in January of 2021, I made a thread on Twitter praising SOTUS S, so I'm gonna post it here for safekeeping (with some inclusions and edits – there's no character limit here yay) because it's still one of my favorite threads.

SOTUS S - One of My Favorite Series in Terms of Writing and Why I Love It as Much as I Do

One of my favorite aspects of SOTUS S is also something I see it widely critiqued for, so lemme heap some well-deserved praise on my beloved series.

I think Arthit's awkward, uncomfortable, and almost cold behavior is realistic, because That's the Point.

Allow me to explain.

Okay, so here's the timeline as I understand it:

• SOTUS takes place during Kongphob's first year and Arthit's third • The special scenes at the end of SOTUS S episodes are during Kongphob's first/second year and Arthit's third/fourth year • The main storyline of SOTUS S is set during Kongphob's third year as head hazer and Arthit's post-graduation entry into the working world

The reason I start by outlining that is to highlight a brilliant thing SOTUS S does with two timelines compared to SOTUS, which only has one:

SOTUS S shows us two very different stages of their relationship.

When they were in university together and part of the same world:

and

2. After they've been separated into different worlds:

That difference fuels and contextualizes the central conflict of SOTUS S: Arthit closeting himself and his relationship from his coworkers.

So why does he do that?

Well, Arthit is two years older than Kongphob, and when they start dating, he already has an established level of status at their university. He has a close circle of friends who stand up for him and sacrifice for him, he has the respect of his juniors and seniors, and he also maintains a high academic standing. It tracks that Arthit at this stage of his life is at his most open and confident with his relationship with Kongphob. Everyone knows, and he's fine.

At the end of SOTUS, he happily tells everyone that they're dating. This is immediately after they've publicly exchanged a matching set of bracelets that Arthit bought to replace the SOTUS string.

When Kongphob's car breaks down, Arthit shuttles Kongphob to his next class on the back of his bike. Kongphob asks if he can hold onto him, Arthit says no, and then he only smirks and shakes his head when Kongphob cheekily holds onto him anyway. (It's what they're into, don't kinkshame them.)

While talking about an upcoming meteor shower, Arthit's immediate reaction to Kongphob telling him they won't be able to see it in Bangkok is to earnestly suggest they take a trip to see one together.

And when Kongphob is absolutely delighted, this delights Arthit.

When Kongphob keeps up his "but I wanna see the meteor shower" bit, Arthit offers to take him to the planetarium.

At which point, Kongphob just goes in for the move he intended from the start:

This is why Arthit's reluctant to ever give in: there's no game of chicken Kongphob would ever lose at.

Then Arthit actually gets his own extremely rare Uno Reverse moment:

I fuckin' love this scene. Look at Kongphob's face. This is, like, the thousandth time he's envisioning their engagement, wedding, and honeymoon simultaneously.

(Did I have to go through that whole scene to prove any kind of point? NOPE. I just really like it. They're idiots. <3)

In another scene that I interpret as shortly following SOTUS and the start of their relationship, Kongphob hurts his foot and Arthit offers to carry him on his back. The way Kongphob looks up at him is like a knife in my heart; and then when Arthit actually follows through and carries him, he's so happy.

He also surprises Kongphob with a gift on Valentine's Day in the middle of campus in broad daylight. He finished his work early purely to see Kongphob. I think he's genuinely one of the most devoted boyfriends we see in all of Thai BL.

While they're at university together, Arthit's never closed off about their relationship. Everyone knows they're dating, and Arthit does not mind. (I mean, he was the first to approach Kongphob when Kongphob was visiting their university, after all. He also initiated their first kiss. Grabbed him by the tie, even.)

The thing is, Arthit is also shy. He's pretty well-established as an introvert who intellectually understands the SOTUS system, but he isn't naturally good with people, and it leads to all the issues with the system that we see in SOTUS. In his defense, though, we do find out that it was even worse when he was a first-year, and he is actively trying to do a better job. He's just, y'know, obsessed with 0062 and probably doesn't know anyone else's name. (I kid, but…do I though. Do you, Arthit. Speak up.)

In the main storyline of SOTUS S, though, Arthit is closed off. He does mind. He's afraid. So much more than he ever was before. And why?

Because he's left the world where he was known and respected and loved. That's the world Kongphob still lives in. When Arthit comes back to campus for the string-tying ceremony to support Kongphob, he's in Kongphob's safe space, not his. It isn't where Arthit belongs anymore, and it's clear from his body language that he knows it.

His new world, his new community, is at work. In sales. As an introvert. It's a department where he doesn't feel comfortable, one he actively wants to transfer out of. In this series, he's not an introvert in a position of power like he was in SOTUS; instead, he's an introvert on the bottom rung of a company. He came from a world where cogs are treasures that represent the heart to a world where cogs are cheap and replaceable because they're a dime a dozen.

This is why SOTUS S is mostly from Arthit's perspective: in SOTUS, Kongphob was the one in a new world figuring out his place there. By taking away Arthit's comfort zone, he's the one who has to confront his flaws and improve.

One of my favorite scenes is in episode one. Arthit is out to dinner with his new coworkers, and he's only given ONE opportunity to talk about his boyfriend naturally. His coworker asks indirectly if he has a significant other, and he's nervous but ready to say yes—and then just as he starts to speak, he's cut off, and the courage visibly drains out of him.

That's it. He's pressured himself back into the closet.

No one at that table said anything negative about queer people. No one gave him even a hint that they would be prejudiced against him, but he's in a new place and he's already so shy he's made faster friends with Bonus, the office fish. That's the flaw he has to overcome: he overthinks, and then he spirals. (He does it in Our Skyy too, which I love because fears often manifest in different ways, and it can take years to fully overcome them. Arthit does grow and change over time, but he's still inherently shy and anxious, and he's never framed by the narrative as in the wrong for that. He's only ever framed to be wrong for the harmful decisions he makes as a result of his fear.)

We saw him spiral in SOTUS when he admitted to Knot his fears about a potential future relationship with Kongphob. Kongphob absently mentioned his niece to Arthit one time and Arthit sent himself into a tailspin thinking he'd never be enough for Kongphob because they'd never be able to have biological kids so obviously Kongphob would resent him for it so why even start anything when their relationship would inevitably end in a fiery plane crash at the base of a smallish mountain in the Himalayas.

You can almost hear Arthit's mind working during that restaurant scene: he's new in a department he doesn't feel suited to, he's on the bottom rung, he doesn't understand certain office protocols that have already gotten him yelled at by a very senior supervisor, and his senior John is actively taking advantage of his kindness and politeness using the excuse of sharing the same alma mater (the memories of which Arthit loves and cherishes, and where he met the person he loves most). Now, because he didn't speak up when it was natural to, he feels he has to hide his relationship, too. And why not? What if they are bigoted? What if they do think less of him? What if he never gets a place in the production department? What if what if what if.

And that's on top of what Kongphob says to M at the start of the series: that they hardly see each other because of Arthit's job and Kongphob's hazing activities. We see in a shot that's framed through Kongphob's perspective that Arthit seems tired and disheartened even when he's with his friends after work. This is why I love the writing in SOTUS S: it's a Big Fish in a Small Pond Becomes Small Fish in a Big Ocean story. (His company is even called Ocean Electric, which is probably a coincidence but still amuses me. And again, he makes friends with a small fish in a bowl.)

It's also at its core a story about how an openly queer character loses their confidence when they enter the working world. And boy do I have experience with that, so this series hits a very deep chord for me.

Okay, back to SOTUS S. To Kongphob, specifically.

We're shown that Kongphob doesn't realize how much things between them are changing. He still lives in the safety of their university where he's head hazer, where Arthit was his boyfriend and a senior he and everyone else admired. Through no fault of his own, Kongphob probably can't conceive of Arthit feeling afraid the way he is.

When he shows up at Arthit's office, this is probably no different in his mind to meeting Arthit somewhere on campus after class. And thanks to the post-episode scenes of their past, we see how close they were before Arthit graduated, how much time they spent together. For Arthit to panic and tell him with annoyance, "You should have told me before you came here," it's no wonder Kongphob is taken aback and obviously hurt.

But because Arthit is still near the start of his character arc, Arthit won't tell him what he's feeling. I'd venture a guess that it's mostly pride. He's two years older than Kongphob, and while Arthit repeatedly makes the choice to use polite Thai pronouns with Kongphob that equalize them more and put them on more even ground with each other, he still feels responsible for him and their relationship. (It isn't made clear in the series, but the SOTUS S novel explains that the biggest part of why he's dismayed when he sees the portrait of Kongphob's family is that, again, he spirals and panics about their relationship potentially hurting Kongphob, who in Arthit's eyes now has much more to lose through bigotry than he does.)

Instead of confiding in Kongphob, Arthit asks for advance warning in the future. Not because he's afraid of being outed—his actual fear—but for practical reasons that don't sound unreasonable (he might be out or meeting with a client), so Kongphob accepts his explanation and doesn't question him.

The scene after this is crucial, because it shows that while Arthit's taken a hit in how he acts publicly, he's still devoted and affectionate privately. They have dinner together, Arthit gives Kongphob head hazer advice, accepts Kongphob's invitation to attend a hazer event and visibly just enjoys goofing off with him. Arthit adores Kongphob, and he shows him in his own way where he's comfortable.

And of course, Kongphob isn't perfect, either. He has his own communication issues, he oversteps Arthit's boundaries just like he did in SOTUS, and he considers everything thoroughly before he ever brings it up to Arthit. He's gone from an upstart first-year who questioned everything Arthit did, to the one who's holding their relationship together by taking on every obstacle for both of them, which ends in his emotional collapse later. He even refuses to cry in front of Arthit (in ALL THREE iterations of SOTUS).

That's what makes their relationship feel so authentic to me. They're both at fault by not talking about what's going wrong, and it's relatable and painful because we're shown that they're just trying to protect themselves and each other. In every iteration of SOTUS, Arthit's biggest fear is that their relationship will negatively affect Kongphob, and Kongphob's is…losing Arthit.

The problem has never been that Kongphob and Arthit don't love each other enough.

The problem is that both of them keep trying to take the lead from each other until their biggest fears bring out their worst flaws: Kongphob pushes, and Arthit runs.

It's why their resolution at the office party is so perfect, even if it had to give lethal doses of secondhand embarrassment to some members the audience. (Good job, Arthit, no one'll even remember the beach photo now.) This scene addresses both of their fears simultaneously, because they're intertwined: Arthit chooses to prioritize his relationship above all else, and by doing so, he proves to Kongphob that he won't lose him. He doesn't just apologize and say he'll do better: he takes a bat to the emergency glass and says, "There. Now we're public again."

And luckily Kongphob's, y'know. Very into that.

Arthit reclaims that confidence he had back in university in a scene that parallels the rooftop party in SOTUS, but now it's not just in front of their peers: it's before the world.

[bobcatmoran]

sdkfjhdsk Biden talks about bipartisan bills he wants to pass, including fentanyl trafficing prevention. Noises come from the right side of the chamber. "Oh, you don't want to do that, eh?"

Man, he really is trying to lean into recapturing that moment from the last SOTU where he had that dialogue over social security.

"Let me close with this—"

(cheers)

"Yay!" He then goes on to rib Lindsey Graham, who was one of those who cheered at the prospect of the speech winding down.

"…when you get to be my age, you know a few things about America."

He also acknowledges that Certain Other People his age have a different view, but he doesn't share that.

He acknowledges Kamela Harris as the first female VP.

A chant of "four more years" goes up.

Man, I cannot type fast enough to capture some of this conclusion, but BIG shoutout to Biden's speechwriters, addressing the age concerns head-on with some excellent metaphors, and big shout-out to Biden for his delivery of this, ramping up the energy hard for the conclusion.

[aestheticvoyage2024]

Day 67: Thursday March 7, 2024 - "Them Apples"

William stayed up late to catch some of the fiery State of The Union Address. When he came out, Audrie and I both commented, "oh man, he looks old - aging." Agreed. The Stakes so high now that Trump has officially claimed the damned GOP nod. Biden is our great national hope.... And so we tuned in to see what he's got. What our countries chances are this fall.

By the end of the 81 year old President's 75 minute speech, William was in bed asleep and I got the joyous privilege of sharing with Audrie that Uncle Joe had indeed, nailed it. Somewhere along the line here in the past 3 years, I was made to feel nervous. He's too old. Why is he running again? We can do better than this. I had forgotten all those SOTU speeches before where Biden had left us stirred and re-inspired. And so here tonight, days after turning in my primary ballot with Dean Phillips' name marked and not Biden's, in hopes of sending a message to pick up his game and get on offense, I was cheering for my guy. Before that "message vote" was even counted, Joe had delivered. I was so inspired after the second time through the ending that I was ready to dig out the old campaign sign and get it back out into the front yard. As it started, we nervously hoped he wouldn't screw up. Hours later, I was reliving it with my Dad over the phone - "maybe one of the best political speeches Id ever heard." "You know, I used to memorize these things! That was a good one!" And it wasn't just a talented speech writer. Joe put on a show in his home turf on The Hill. Sassing the obnoxious disrespectful Republican congress that had to sit through the progressive pep rally, and even calling out the Supreme Court to their faces, for overturning Roe V Wade. He delivered on every single major issue with fire and receipts. Chip factories, Gaza, Ukraine, Jobs, Rights - he had it all and he has it all working. He accounted for his age, not as a deficit but as a strength, having come to know the American story and its values so well. I told William, "thats our President - we are very proud of him. He is a very good man." Old like Big Papa, making our neighborhood great as it can be. Not perfect no - but as great as it can be. And unlike the alternative that would want you to believe our country is "a joke" - Joe tells a story of a country rising and strong and has the results to back it up. As for those imperfect parts? He quipped we can fight about it or we can fix it....I want to fix it" and I was convinced - how could you not be? He rallied the base, and convinced the independents tonight and save us from a nightmare.

I am glad that as he comes to understand and aware of America and Democracy and the Presidency and Washington, that its something that we can be proud of and have respect for. And with President Biden delivering such a widely accepted "Them Apples" speech tonight, I can be far far more optimistic that we're going to be just fine. It was as if with tonight's dramatic preaching, he had stepped up to save Democracy and save our country and put our ill-ease to rest. Joe's fine and ready to fight, and his record stands for itself, even at 81. He may very well go down as my favorite President - after tonight, he's officially claimed the spot. I love him. Now just don't die - the good guys really need one more break. And as he closed out his speech, to chants of four more years, I stood and clapped in my living room here in Tucson. I swore I could see him as if a hollogram, shades of his younger self. Like he got younger as the speech went on. The old man we'd seen go to the dias was alive now and with that beautiful smile he has, he asserted that the young man is still in his heart. And if he is ready to fight for this country, I'll go fight with him too. At least with him in office, we can count on the yearly address being inspiring and optimistic for the future.

Song: Phil Collins - Against All Odds

Quote: "The issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are, it’s how old our ideas are. Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are among the oldest of ideas. But you can’t lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back. To lead America, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future of what America can and should be. Tonight you’ve heard mine.” ~President Joe Biden, Mar 7, 2024

Full Transcript of this great speech here.

[myineffableshipsblog]

Tell me why I was writing a reminder for myself and I had to write Engineer and I couldn’t remember how to spell it and so I try to remember by spelling it out in my head and next thing you know I’m singing the cheer/chant from SOTUS. EN-GI-NE-ER. WE ARE ENGINEER, ENGINEER, ENGINEER.

Why am I like this??

[profoundpaul]

Watch Cheers of ‘4 More Years’ Break Out on House Floor Before Trump Even Manages To Start SOTU Speech

President Donald Trump was greeted with chants of “four more years” Wednesday as he took his place at the podium in the House chamber for his State of the Union speech. The moment from Republicans came before Trump even started his address. Watch below: Republicans break out in chants of “four more years” ahead of…

The post Watch Cheers of ‘4 More Years’ Break Out on House Floor Before Trump Even Manages To Start SOTU Speech appeared first on The Western Journal.

source https://www.westernjournal.com/watch-cheers-4-years-break-house-floor-trump-even-manages-start-sotu-speech/

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/politics/5-key-takeaways-from-president-donald-trumps-state-of-the-union-address/

5 key takeaways from President Donald Trump's State of the Union address

President Donald Trump called for unity again and again in his State of the Union address, delivering a speech that was a sharp contrast to the last month of digging in his heels during a 35-day government shutdown and almost two years of political battles during his administration.

Here are five major takeaways from the speech.

Trump calls for “greatness” and compromise in State of the Union but doesn’t budge from his own uncompromising positions

Facing a newly divided Congress in his State of the Union address, Trump made a call for cooperation and unity to the nation’s lawmakers, though persisted in his own uncompromising call for a barrier along the southern border wall.

“Victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country,” Trump declared at the beginning of his speech.

“We must reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution – and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good,” Trump told the assembled joint session. “We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction.”

“Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness,” Trump said.

Doug Mills/Pool via Getty Images

President Donald Trump arrives to deliver the State of the Union address in the U.S. Capitol Building on Feb. 5, 2019, in Washington.

In contrast with his own words of unity, the president passed up the opportunity to directly congratulate House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on winning the gavel before the joint session and has not, in the days leading up to the speech, let up in his own attacks of Democrats.

It was not a topic left untouched by Stacey Abrams, former candidate for governor of Georgia who delivered the Democratic response.

“The shutdown was a stunt engineered by the president of the United States, one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values,” Abrams said in her televised response.

Trump remains steadfast on the wall

As expected, the president stopped short of declaring a national emergency to obtain funds to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border without congressional approval. He also did not directly threaten another government shutdown, though he called on both Republicans and Democrats to “join forces” and pass a bill in the next 10 days.

He also emphasized the benefits of legal immigration to the country, saying “I want people to come into our country, in the largest numbers ever. But they have to come in legally.”

His tone reflected the realities of the showdown, which left more Americans blaming Trump and the Republicans in Congress than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats, 53 percent to 34 percent, according to recent ABC News/Washington Post polling.

But he didn’t leave out the wall.

“In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall, but the proper wall never got built. I will get it built,” he said with resolve and to applause from Republicans.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence applaud President Donald Trump at the State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 5, 2019.

The nation won’t soon forget the women who watched

The presence of the largest-ever class of women in Congress was made all the more clear at this year’s State of the Union when they brought about a rare moment: Trump and Pelosi smiling, for the same reason, at the same time.

The women, dressed in white to honor the 100th anniversary of the amendment which granted women the right to vote, abruptly stood for the first time when the president spoke about progress made by women. They gave a loud standing ovation.

Trump receives cheers and standing ovations from a bipartisan group of female lawmakers wearing white as he touts the number of women in the workforce and more women serving in Congress than ever before.

“You weren’t supposed to do that,” he jokes https://t.co/TreW1l5Pqr #SOTU pic.twitter.com/fiCAgSoKZi

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 6, 2019

“No one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 percent of the new jobs created in the last year,” Trump said, triggering the applause.

“You weren’t supposed to do that,” Trump said to the group. “Don’t sit yet — you’re going to like this,” he added.

“Exactly one century after Congress passed the Constitutional Amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in Congress than ever before,” Trump said.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Female lawmakers cheer during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 5, 2019, in Washington.

The white-clad bloc of Democratic women, who spent most of the speech seated expressionless, responded with louder cheers that were joined by bipartisan chants of “U.S.A.”

The president then highlighted his administration’s support for nationwide paid family leave, a policy his daughter Ivanka Trump worked on.

He also made a fast pivot to call on Congress to pass legislation banning late-term abortion.

“There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days,” Trump said, specifically citing embattled Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s recent comments that stirred controversy.

“I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother’s womb. Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children – born and unborn – are made in the holy image of God,” Trump said.

Trump’s comments prompted swift backlash from some women in the audience, like 2020 candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democrat from California.

Politicians ?? should ?? not ?? tell ?? women ?? what ?? to ?? do ?? with ?? their ?? bodies. #SOTU

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 6, 2019

Trump uses speech to announce dates for second North Korea summit, highlight peace efforts

Trump used the speech to announce the next move forward with North Korea — a peace summit on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam.

Though recent U.N. reports found North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs are still intact, despite promises of “complete denuclearization” after the last summit, held in June in Singapore, Trump promoted his message of peace with the news.

“If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one,” Trump said.

“Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam,” he announced.

Stacey Abrams closes out the night, another emphasis that Trump’s second State of the Union comes on the heels of a new era

Much has changed since the president’s State of the Union address a year ago. He now faces a divided Congress — and one that has more women and people of color than ever before.

Abrams was a manifestation of that change, both as a woman of color — the first African-American woman to give the State of the Union response — and as a new voice that rose out of 2018.

Even though she lost a tight race for Georgia governor last November, Abrams nevertheless was selected to be the face of the party in a speech seen by millions nationwide – a testament, experts have said, to the power Democrats believe Abrams holds to connect with a diverse electorate in a moment of American politics enveloped by the complexities of gender and race.

ABC News

Stacey Abrams delivers the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech, Feb. 5, 2019.

Abrams’ words were further looked to in the aftermath of the scandal engulfing the Virginia governor — which she addressed without specifically referencing the calls for his resignation or the racist yearbook photo.

“We must hold everyone from the highest offices to our own families accountable for racist words and deeds and call racism what it is — wrong,” Abrams said.

“We must hold everyone from the highest offices to our own families accountable for racist words and deeds and call racism what it is — wrong.”

Stacey Abrams calls out Trump’s policies and rebukes racism in her historic response to Trump’s #SOTU address https://t.co/FkS7StsH0t pic.twitter.com/2sfktzcEet

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 6, 2019

Abrams was more direct about the president, who many predicted she wouldn’t directly call out.

She defended Democrats against the president’s claims that the party wants “open borders,” saying “compassionate treatment at the border” is not the same thing.

“President Reagan understood this. President Obama understood this. Americans understand this. And Democrats stand ready to effectively secure our ports and borders. But we must all embrace that from agriculture to healthcare to entrepreneurship, America is made stronger by the presence of immigrants – not walls,” Abrams said.

But Abrams emphasized a similar theme from the president about victory for the country, over one party.

“So even as I am very disappointed by the President’s approach to our problems, I still don’t want him to fail. But we need him to tell the truth, and to respect his duties and the extraordinary diversity that defines America,” Abrams said.

[kacydeneen]

Women Wear White Suits and Other SOTU Top Moments

President Donald Trump on Tuesday delivered his State of the Union address a week later than originally scheduled because of the historic 35-day government shutdown. 

Here are some of the top moments from his address:

Read the Full Text of Trump's State of the Union Speech

President Donald Trump prompted one of the night's most memorable moments when he said, "As we work to defend our people’s safety, we must also ensure our economic resurgence continues at a rapid pace. No one has benefitted more from our thriving economy than women who have filled 58 percent of our newly created jobs last year." 

When he paused, female Democrats, who were wearing white, stood and cheered.

Trumps Announce Guests for State of the Union

"You weren’t supposed to do that. Thank you very much. Thank you very much," the president ad-libbed and urged the female lawmakers to remain standing -- as he had more to say. 

"Exactly one century after Congress passed the Constitutional Amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in Congress than ever before," Trump said. 

Virginia Governor Weighs His Future Amid Pressure to Resign

The women stood with raised hands, cheering. There were chants of "USA, USA, USA."

Most women on that side of the House chamber wore the color favored by suffragettes. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore a white, caped blazer. A man wore white, too: Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota.

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Trump said that America needed a wall at the southern border. 

"Simply put, walks work and walls save lives," Trump said. "So let's work together, comprise and reach a deal that will truly make America safe."

[[505394851, C]]

Members of Congress sang "Happy Birthday" to Judah Samet, a Holocaust survivor who escaped the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. He was among the guests sitting with first lady Melania Trump at the State of the Union address.

Samet was late for services at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27. Samet, who survived the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, was just pulling into a handicapped spot when a man told him there was gunfire inside.

He witnessed an officer exchange fire with accused shooter Robert Bowers.

[[505394931, C]]

Alice Johnson, a grandmother who was pardoned by Trump after 22 years in prison, sat next to Jared Kushner in the chamber and wiped a tear as the president introduced her. 

[[505394201, C]]

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin salutes as he's introduced by Trump.

[[505394631, C]]

Speaker Pelosi was seen reading paperwork while the president gave his address. She drew reaction on social media for smirking while clapping with arms extended toward him, dubbing it the #PelosiClap. 

[[505397571, C]]

Photo Credit: Andrew Harnik/AP This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. Women Wear White Suits and Other SOTU Top Moments published first on Miami News