New Delhi:
In his second State of the Union address, US President Donald Trump vociferously advocated for ‘The Wall.’ Talking about the ‘tension’ at the country’s southern borders, Trump said that, “The proper wall never got built. I will get it built.” "My administration has sent to congress a common-sense proposal to end the crisis on the southern border. It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier or wall to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry," Trump said. He called on both the Republicans and the Democrats to ‘join forces’ to fight against ‘urgent national crisis’. Hailing his landmark meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, Trump said that the US would have been at war with North Korea had someone else been at the Oval Office.
The annual address also saw a rare moment when the Democratic leaders were seen cheering for Trump. It was when Trump was speaking about ‘women in workforce’, the Democratic women, dressed in all-white, stood to cheer Trump's State of the Union address. Even the US president had a surprised look on his face.
Trump also made it clear that the US will oppose Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. "We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom—and we condemn the brutality of the Maduro regime, whose socialist policies have turned that nation from being the wealthiest in South America into a state of abject poverty and despair," Trump said. On January 21, a group of 27 soldiers rose up against Maduro in Caracas. Although that was quickly suppressed, it helped spark a week of protests in which 40 people were killed in clashes with security forces, with hundreds more arrested, according to the United Nations. The US has already recognised Opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president on January 23 while seven European nations, including Britain, France, Germany and Spain, have said they will do likewise unless Maduro calls presidential elections.
