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Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.
Senator Jim Banks Calls Trump's Congressional Speech the Best He's Ever Heard from a President
Senator Jim Banks of Indiana shares his reaction to President Trump's joint address to Congress, calling it the best speech he's ever heard from a president. Banks highlights the stark contrast between Republicans who stood and applauded throughout the speech and Democrats who remained seated, even during moments honoring a 13-year-old boy with brain cancer. With a 76% approval rating from Americans, the speech outlined Trump's agenda including border security, tax cuts for working families, and funding for ICE deportations. Banks emphasizes that Republicans are united behind the reconciliation bill that will extend Trump tax cuts and secure the border, declaring the Golden Age of America has just begun.
The Best Presidential Speech Senator Banks Has Witnessed
Senator Jim Banks of Indiana did not hold back his enthusiasm when discussing President Trump's joint address to Congress. Banks declared it was the best speech he's ever heard by a great president who has given many great speeches before. The President not only broke the record for the longest speech before a joint address but owned the Democrats, according to Banks, who observed that they looked foolish sitting on their hands refusing to clap for what the president discussed about making America great again.
Banks argued that the Democrats' reaction proved they don't love the country the way Republicans do. He emphasized this was just a short time into Trump's second term with a long way to go and a lot more winning to come. Despite the record length, Banks noted the speech didn't feel long—it had a great flow and kept everyone on the edge of their seats.
Democrats Refuse to Applaud Child with Brain Cancer
One of the most shocking moments of the evening, according to Senator Banks, was when Democrats—excluding one woman in red who stood up—decided to ignore and not applaud DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old with brain cancer who received recognition during the speech. Banks called this a sickness on the Democrats' part, stating they hate President Trump so much that they won't get up and clap for a 13-year-old boy during a very special moment that President Trump created.
Banks drew a sharp contrast with Republican behavior during Biden's State of the Union addresses. He pointed out that when Joe Biden walked out and they announced the president of the United States of America during State of the Union addresses on his watch, every Republican got up and clapped—not for Joe Biden personally, but for the position of the president of the United States of America. The Democrats' refusal to do the same, Banks argued, showed they disrespected the president, the country, and in the case of DJ Daniel, the life of a 13-year-old boy.
Democrats Stay Seated While Republicans Honor Captured Terrorist
From his vantage point on the far right side of the Republican section, Banks could see the Democrats across the house chamber. He witnessed their continued refusal to stand during key moments, including when President Trump talked about capturing the terrorist who was the mastermind behind the Abbey Gate attack that killed 13 American heroes. None of the Democrats clapped for that either, Banks observed with dismay.
Banks recounted seeing one Democrat look to the Democrat to his right and mouth the words "we should stand up, we should be standing up," only to have fellow Democrats shake their heads no and insist they stay seated. Banks characterized this as demonstrating how foolish these Democrats are, noting there wasn't a line that came out of President Trump's mouth that 75% or more of Americans don't agree with.
Record-Breaking Approval Rating for Trump's Speech
The polling data backed up Banks' assessment. Views of Trump's speech showed a 76% approval rating among Americans—a remarkably high number for a joint session of Congress address. Banks noted that in his 13 years around politics, it's very rare to have such a high approval rating. By comparison, Biden might have reached the high 50s at his watermark and then maybe low 50s, while Obama might have been high 60s to low 70s during his peak period before declining from there.
With 76% of Americans approving of President Trump's speech, Banks argued the Democrats' bitter and sour attitude toward America is disturbing and revealing of a darker sickness that has infected politics. Everything the President said was something the majority of Americans agree with, yet Democrats wouldn't stand up for it. Banks declared that Donald Trump has broken the Democrat Party—they are beyond repair, and how foolish they looked is something that's going to linger over them for a long time to come.
Border Security Without Bipartisan Bills
One of Banks' favorite parts of the speech addressed the myth that bipartisan legislation was needed to secure the border. The President made clear that some colleagues said they needed a bipartisan border bill to secure the border, but it turns out America actually just needed a new president. Within hours of taking the oath of office, Trump declared a National Emergency on the Southern border and deployed the U.S. Military and border patrol to repel the invasion of the country.
The results spoke for themselves. Illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded. The President noted that potential illegal immigrants heard his words and chose not to come—much easier that way. In comparison, under Joe Biden, whom Trump called the worst president in American history, there were hundreds of thousands of illegal crossings a month. Virtually all of them, including murderers, drug dealers, gang members, and people from mental institutions and insane asylums, were released into the country.
Legislative Agenda: Tax Cuts and Border Security
When asked about the legislative agenda moving forward, Senator Banks emphasized that the first priority has to be extending the Trump tax cuts on working-class families, something President Trump discussed in the speech. Democrats stayed seated while Republicans stood and cheered because the tax cuts benefit working-class families and small businesses.
Banks noted it was a mistake in 2017 when Paul Ryan and others in charge of the House and Senate made corporate tax rates permanent but didn't make the individual tax rates permanent on working-class families. That's what Republicans have to start with now—President Trump brought it up and Republicans are unified behind it. This has to happen in the next few weeks in the reconciliation bill.
Beyond tax cuts, Banks stressed the need to fund ICE to deport illegal criminals out of the country and back up efforts to build the wall and secure the border. That's all part of the one big beautiful bill—the reconciliation package that's going to come out of Congress soon. Republicans are united more than ever before, as demonstrated during the speech, and they have to unite behind that piece of legislation to get it done.
The Golden Age of America Has Just Begun
In his closing thoughts, Senator Banks declared that the Golden Age of America has just begun. He expressed pride in the President, calling it the best speech he's ever heard him give. But the speech also reminded Banks that with almost four years ahead, Republicans can't waste a single day.
Banks saw President Trump after the speech and noted he was upbeat, making that point to Republicans all the time: do not waste a single day, let's get it done. There's a lot of work ahead, but this is just the beginning. The agenda is clear—more border security, more funding for ICE, and liberating the economy from disastrous regulation and high taxation.
