Predictably, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel was not a fan of President Trump’s Tuesday State of the Union address, but even by his standards, Kimmel went off the rails. Kimmel began by declaring, “It was an angry speech. The theme of tonight's speech was all foreigners are murderers. And Trump just—he said zero illegal aliens have been allowed into the United States on his watch, but the door is always open to those who come in legally to be his next wife. So, that's something. He bragged about ending DEI, he bragged about kicking two million people off food stamps. It was like a Christmas message from the Grinch.”   Jimmy Kimmel rants "It was an angry speech... It was like a Christmas message from the Grinch. Trump applauded the efforts of a World War II vet who liberated an internment camp, at the same time he is building new ones here in the United States." (1/4) pic.twitter.com/RcxwpfDzx7 — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) February 25, 2026   Sticking with the immigration theme, Kimmel also compared the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II to Trump’s America, “Trump applauded the efforts of a World War II vet who liberated an internment camp, at the same time he is building new ones here in the United States.” Further on in his monologue, Kimmel reacted to Trump declaring he saved America from Democrats, “Whew. I have to say, Trump's dementia really makes me miss Joe Biden's dementia. It was a much friendlier dementia. Here's the real state of the union, okay. We have a nutjob wannabe king who’s doing everything he can to censor opinions he doesn’t want to hear. He has his goons arresting, incarcerating, and killing American citizens. He's cut funding for cancer research and children's hospitals while he rakes in literally billions of dollars for himself and his family.”   Kimmel also claims "We have a nutjob wannabe king who’s doing everything he can to censor opinions he doesn’t want to hear. He has his goons arresting, incarcerating, and killing American citizens. He's cut funding for cancer research and children's hospitals while he rakes in… pic.twitter.com/1ytOurzlZS — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) February 25, 2026   He added, “He's coming after our right to vote. He's protecting pedophiles and won't explain it. He's lining the pockets of billionaires. All the while neglecting the sick, the poor, the hungry, in the name of Jesus, by the way, who you can read all about in a Donald Trump edition of the God Bless the USA Bible that is made in China, available for $99.99. That is the state of the union, okay?” Kimmel and his audience then doubled down on applauding the gold medal-winning Olympic women’s hockey team for not being in attendance, “There were some positive moments tonight. The golden boys from Team USA Hockey were in the house. They stopped by the White House this afternoon to give Insane Gretzky yet another medal he did not win. I'm sure he kept that one, too. The U.S. women's hockey team declined Trump's disingenuous invitation to the State of the Union tonight, and because they did, they got an even better offer from none other than Flavor Flav who wrote, ‘If the USA women's hockey team wants a real celebration and invite, I'll host them in Las Vegas, do some nice dinners and shows and good times.’”   Kimmel also doubles down on cheering the women's hockey team not being there "The U.S. Women's hockey team declined Trump's disingenuous invitation to the State of the Union tonight and because they did, they got an even better offer from none other than Flavor Flav." As for… pic.twitter.com/CnTsr5RCvt — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) February 25, 2026   Unfortunately for Kimmel, his effort to turn the women’s team into a symbol of the liberal resistance hit a snag, which he tried to explain away, “In his speech tonight, Trump claimed the women's team would be coming to the White House soon, whether they like it or not.” Later, Kimmel welcomed the cast of Pod Save America and asked, “Were you surprised by anything? Are we allowed even to be surprised anymore?”   Pod Save America's Tommy Vietor claims "There wasn’t a big moment. I mean, I think the Medal of Honor presentations were emotional and powerful and good on those service members for their heroism. But I think the discussion will probably be the hockey team, right? I mean, there… pic.twitter.com/WhcQI3vZ4D — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) February 25, 2026   Tommy Vietor didn’t think the speech was particularly memorable, “It was largely kind of a paint-by-numbers State of the Union. There wasn’t a big moment. I mean, I think the Medal of Honor presentations were emotional and powerful, and good on those service members for their heroism. But, I mean, I think the discussion will probably be the hockey team, right? I mean, there wasn't a big moment.” However, Dan Pfeiffer thought it would be a wise idea to trash even these parts of the speech, “He was kind of like fascist Oprah out there. Like, ‘You get a medal, you get a medal!’” If offering up bad hot takes was an Olympic sport, Pfeiffer would have won the gold medal. Here is a transcript for the February 24-taped show: ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live! 2/25/2026 12:00 AM ET JIMMY KIMMEL: What a speech it was. I can't believe America missed an all-new Will Trent for this one. It was—it was angry, right? It was an angry speech. The theme of tonight's speech was all foreigners are murderers. And Trump just—he said zero illegal aliens have been allowed into the United States on his watch, but the door is always open to those who come in legally to be his next wife. So, that's something. He bragged about ending DEI, he bragged about kicking two million people off food stamps. It was like a Christmas message from the Grinch. Trump applauded the efforts of a World War II vet who liberated an internment camp, at the same time he is building new ones here in the United States. … Whew. I have to say, Trump's dementia really makes me miss Joe Biden's dementia. It was a much friendlier dementia. Here's the real state of the union, okay. We have a nutjob wannabe king who’s doing everything he can to censor opinions he doesn’t want to hear. He has his goons arresting, incarcerating, and killing American citizens. He's cut funding for cancer research and children's hospitals while he rakes in literally billions of dollars for himself and his family. He's coming after our right to vote. He's protecting pedophiles and won't explain it. He's lining the pockets of billionaires. All the while neglecting the sick, the poor, the hungry, in the name of Jesus, by the way, who you can read all about in a Donald Trump edition of the God Bless the USA Bible that is made in China, available for $99.99. That is the state of the union, okay? There were some positive moments tonight. The golden boys from Team USA Hockey were in the house. They stopped by the White House this afternoon to give Insane Gretzky yet another medal he did not win. I'm sure he kept that one, too. The U.S. women's hockey team declined Trump's disingenuous invitation to the State of the Union tonight, and because they did, they got an even better offer from none other than Flavor Flav who wrote, “If the USA women's hockey team wants a real celebration and invite, I'll host them in Las Vegas, do some nice dinners and shows and good times.” See, maybe that should be the new tradition. If you win gold, like, you know how you win the Super Bowl, you go to Disneyland. You win gold, you get a weekend in Vegas with Flavor Flav. And by the way, maybe he’ll even get you a neck clock, okay? In his speech tonight, Trump claimed the women's team would be coming to the White House soon, whether they like it or not. … KIMMEL: Were you surprised by anything? Are we allowed even to be surprised anymore? TOMMY VIETOR: It was largely kind of a paint-by-numbers State of the Union. There wasn’t a big moment. I mean, I think the Medal of Honor presentations were emotional and powerful, and good on those service members for their heroism. But, I mean, I think the discussion will probably be the hockey team, right? I mean, there wasn't a big moment. JON LOVETT: No. DAN PFEIFFER: He was kind of like fascist Oprah out there. Like, “You get a medal, you get a medal!”

MRC Watchdogs churn out breaking news on a daily basis. Don't miss Today's Highlights, where you can keep up with the top MRC content, whether it's the latest study on media bias, a glaring omission from the elitist media, or how the Big Tech companies are serving up the same leftist spin as the media.  Top Stories: Trump's Approval Dips to ~42% Despite Major Wins—Blame 92% Hostile Media Smear Campaign FLASHBACK: Media Elitists Despised Trump’s Addresses to Congress ‘CNN Is a Total Disgrace’ for Ignoring WH Event Honoring Angel Families, Press Sec. Leavitt Says Anti-Trump Bias Appears to be the Default for Google and Meta AI Viral Video 2 Million Plus Views (The Left Mad, Mad, Mad About Olympics)   Trump's Approval Dips to ~42% Despite Major Wins—Blame 92% Hostile Media Smear Campaign Achievements Overlooked Amid Record Negativity Trump delivered big policy wins closing out the year, yet his approval fell from ~50% early in his term to under 42% (per Decision Desk HQ averages)—thanks to relentless media attacks ignoring successes. Legacy TV News Delivers 92% Negative Assault In the first 100 days of Trump's second term, ABC, CBS, and NBC hammered him with 92% negative coverage on their flagship evening shows—reaching 19+ million viewers nightly and far worse than his first term. Big Tech News Apps Bury Conservative Voices Apple News featured zero right-leaning outlets in 620 top stories in January 2026; Apple, Google, MSN, and Yahoo pushed anti-ICE, left-leaning narratives on key events like the Minn. shooting—starving conservatives of fair exposure. AI Defaults to Anti-Trump Attacks + CNN Ignores Victims Google and Meta AI automatically slam Trump as a liar even on vague queries; CNN skipped the White House Angel Families event honoring victims of illegal immigrant crime, earning Press Sec. Leavitt's "total disgrace" label for agenda-driven blackout.   FLASHBACK: Media Elitists Despised Trump’s Addresses to Congress 2017, CNN Tonight, Don Lemon: “The way President Trump speaks extemporaneously is not the same as what he said tonight. It sounded, to me, and this is just — I mean, I thought it was — he sounded very presidential. This was a speech written by a college student for someone else trying to use big words to impress that the person who is reciting it did not know the meaning of the words. That’s how it sounded.” 2018, MSNBC Host Chris Matthews: “It almost got ugly. Very tough about saying immigrants are basically killers. MS-13. Beginning a discussion about immigration in a country of immigrants with crime. And that was his way of opening up the discussion like I’m protecting us from criminal elements. I thought that got very ugly about that point.”... 2019, CNN's Van Jones: “I saw this as a psychotically incoherent speech with cookies and dog poop. He tries to put together in the same speech these warm kind things about humanitarianism and caring about children. At the same time, he is demonizing people who are immigrants in a way that was appalling.” 2019, MSNBC Host Mika Brzezinski on Morning Joe: “How can anyone see this as a good speech? How can anyone see this as unifying when he is spewing out lies to the American people?...This is an angry, racist platform that has been surrounded by sweet stories and World War II veterans....but the bottom line is his platform is based on hate and lies, bottom line.”   ‘CNN Is a Total Disgrace’ for Ignoring WH Event Honoring Angel Families, Press Sec. Leavitt Says Trump Honors Real Victims CNN Ignores President Trump held a powerful White House ceremony to sign the National Angel Family Day proclamation and personally honor grieving families who lost loved ones to illegal immigrant crime and deadly drugs — including the mothers of Laken Riley and others whose children were murdered, tortured, or burned. CNN’s Total Blackout Proves Their Bias CNN refused to show even one second of the event, despite emotional testimony from American families directly affected by open-border policies — because these heartbreaking stories completely destroy the left’s “Trump is racist” narrative on immigration. Leavitt Nails It: CNN Is a Total Disgrace White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt rightly slammed CNN as “a total disgrace” for deliberately ignoring these victims, exposing how the network only covers stories that fit the Left’s agenda — which is exactly why CNN is hemorrhaging viewers and failing as a news organization. Anti-Trump Bias Appears to be the Default for Google and Meta AI Anti-Trump Bias Is Hardwired as Default in Major AIs Even when asked a vague, pronoun-only question like “When did he lie to the media?” — with no name mentioned — both Google’s Gemini and Meta’s Llama AI immediately assumed “he” meant Donald Trump and launched into sweeping accusations of tens of thousands of lies, pulling from left-leaning sources like The Washington Post’s Fact-Checker database and Wikipedia. Tech Giants’ AI Defaults to Attack Trump Without Prompting Google’s AI Overview claimed Trump made over 30,000 “false or misleading claims” during his first term, while Meta AI opened by stating Trump “has been known to make false or misleading statements throughout his career.” This knee-jerk negative framing — citing biased outlets, Wikipedia entries tagged with “Fascism” and “Antisemitism,” and ignoring any balanced context — shows clear programmed slant against the President. MRC Calls Out Big Tech’s Rigged Anti-Trump Hate Google and Meta AI hate President Donald Trump and their biased products are so rigged that they assume queries are about Trump and default to elitist media narratives. Contact your representatives to demand First Amendment-level transparency, accountability, and equal treatment for conservatives in AI systems. Viral Video 2 Million Plus Views (The Left Mad, Mad, Mad About Olympics) Leftists are so mad about the Olympics right now, and it tells you everything you need to know. It started with the Huffington Post, posting on X “If waving the American flag or chanting USA turns you off right now, you're not alone.” Leftists are mad that Kash Patel shared a beer with the team after the game. They are mad that Donald Trump called the team and they laughed with him. They are mad over a video of the team singing a Toby Keith song.  And then they were mad that conservatives were celebrating Alyssa Liu's gold medal victory in ice skating because she's from San Francisco and conservatives shouldn't be allowed to root for because she's a liberal and she’s ours. Conservatives don't actually care about Alyssa Liu’s politics. We just appreciate that she wasn't narcissistic and obnoxious about them, and we can root for her winning gold for team USA because we're patriots and politics is not our religion.  We just love our country, and we expect our fellow countrymen to love it too! Google's and Meta’s powerful AI chatbots appear programmed to attack President Donald Trump, even when asked vague, unrelated questions. Both Google’s Gemini and Meta AI defaulted to answers about Trump when the Media Research Center asked the vague question, “When did he lie to the media?” T he AI titans responded to the undefined query with sweeping anti-Trump accusations, supported by citations from elitist media outlets and Wikipedia.       

This year, the left was more deliberate in counterprogramming President Trump’s State of the Union address. Over 70 Democrat Members of Congress chose not to attend, going instead to one of several alternate events where attendees would gather and spit bile about how much America sucks, in their opinion. One of those events was headlined by Academy Award-winning actor Robert De Niro. Watch as De Niro asserts that America is hard to love these days: Robert De Niro, speaking at the Resistance™ counterprogramming event, admitting he chokes on expressions of love for America. "I choke on that phrase, “we all love our country.” Because our country isn't so lovable right now. In the current climate, declaring love for our… pic.twitter.com/Df285ZOycx — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) February 25, 2026 ROBERT DE NIRO: The letter also included a statement about how our First Amendment rights transcend politics, other- other beliefs. That part began: “regardless of our political affiliation or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country”. I choke on that phrase, “we all love our country.” Because our country isn't so lovable right now. In the current climate, declaring love for our country is like an abused spouse professing love for their abuser. I've never thought of citizenship as being an act of love. I've tried to be a good citizen. I pay my taxes, vote, obey the law, recycle, stay within the speed limit. Most of the time, not always. In return, I'm grateful for the opportunities and freedoms my family, my fellow citizens, my immigrant ancestors have enjoyed. But my heart is broken as I see them being taken away, both the freedoms and increasingly my fellow citizens.  I'm not going anywhere. This is my house, my home. But I have to tell you, I'm not too crazy about living in this dysfunctional relationship. Our country, as President Lincoln reminded us, is meant to be a government of the people by the people and for the people. The people. Tragically, we're now in a country of by and for a handful of dishonest, greedy, and cruel authoritarians. So- love our country?  Let me ask you: Can you love a country where our neighbors are shot down in the streets by masked government thugs? Can you love a country that denies healthcare for tens of millions of our fellow citizens? Can you love a country that ends contributions to sick and starving people around the world causing hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths, many of them innocent children? Can you love a country that trashes our economy to give tax break- tax breaks to its billionaire cronies? Can you love a country that denies science and sacrifices the climate, the very air our children breathe? Can you love a country that pardons violent criminals and protects pedophiles? I could go on and on and on and on.  The bottom line is that I feel betrayed by my country. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it does need to return to the values that gave us our strength and humanity. There is an interesting juxtaposition here. On the one hand, you had multiple expressions of patriotism, buoyed by celebration of USA Hockey sweeping Olympic gold. There was honor given to our brave heroes, and an elevation of the American citizen.  On the other, you had a bitter expression of a collective nationalism that is conditioned solely upon the right people being in power. One is reminded of Michelle Obama finally being proud of America once her husband secured his party’s presidential nomination. This grotesque expression of conditional love for America was uttered at an event co-sponsored by a Soros-funded fake news outlet. As our own Joseph Vasquez pointed out:  In one of the most ironic plot twists, DEFIANCE listed fake news outfit Courier Newsroom as one of the event co-hosts, which became notorious for spreading mass amounts of false information in past elections to manipulate voters. Courier Newsroom has been fueled with at least $20 million between 2021 and 2023 alone by Soros, emphasizing the leftist billionaire’s vested interest in the group’s antics.  This event served little purpose other than to platform performative resistance for its own sake, and De Niro’s remarks fit right in. We say these things with all respect for his right to speak freely, which is something to be cherished in America, which we love all the time. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of Robert De Niro’s speech as delivered at the Defiance “State of the Swamp” event on Tuesday, February 24th, 2026: ROBERT De NIRO: Thank you, everybody. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Miles. 5 months ago- 5 months ago, the ACLU asked me to sign a letter supporting Jimmy Kimmel when he was taken off the air by the Trump administration's censorship and ABC’s complicity. The letter began: We, the people must never accept government threats to our freedom of speech. Efforts by leaders to pressure artists, journalists, and companies with retaliation for their speech, strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country. 100%. I'm passionate about free speech and a huge supporter of the ACLU.  So along with nearly 500 other actors, directors, musicians and more than 50,000 ACLU supporters, of course I signed the letter. The letter also included a statement about how our First Amendment rights transcend politics, other- other beliefs. That part began: “regardless of our political affiliation or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country”. I choke on that phrase, “we all love our country.” Because our country isn't so lovable right now. In the current climate, declaring love for our country is like an abused spouse professing love for their abuser. I've never thought of citizenship as being an act of love. I've tried to be a good citizen. I pay my taxes, vote, obey the law, recycle, stay within the speed limit. Most of the time, not always. In return, I'm grateful for the opportunities and freedoms my family, my fellow citizens, my immigrant ancestors have enjoyed. But my heart is broken as I see them being taken away, both the freedoms and increasingly my fellow citizens.  I'm not going anywhere. This is my house, my home. But I have to tell you, I'm not too crazy about living in this dysfunctional relationship. Our country, as President Lincoln reminded us, is meant to be a government of the people by the people and for the people. The people. Tragically, we're now in a country of by and for a handful of dishonest, greedy, and cruel authoritarians. So- love our country?  Let me ask you: Can you love a country where our neighbors are shot down in the streets by masked government thugs? Can you love a country that denies healthcare for tens of millions of our fellow citizens? Can you love a country that ends contributions to sick and starving people around the world causing hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths, many of them innocent children? Can you love a country that trashes our economy to give tax break- tax breaks to its billionaire cronies? Can you love a country that denies science and sacrifices the climate, the very air our children breathe? Can you love a country that pardons violent criminals and protects pedophiles? I could go on and on and on and on.  The bottom line is that I feel betrayed by my country. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it does need to return to the values that gave us our strength and humanity. And turn its back on the daily atrocities of the Trump regime and their enablers. Despite the theme tonight, I didn't come here to talk about the State of the Union. That's too depressing. And, and right now I'm more concerned about what the State of the Union will be in November. Because a failing, flailing, and desperate Donald Trump is even- even more dangerous than the tyrant we've already experienced. There is no doubt in my mind, and I'm sure in most of our mind-. that he will use every resource and power in his command to stop from losing power in the midterm elections. I won't list the ways because we don't know all the ways he'll try to steal the election. Remember that this guy tried to overthrow the government by violently attacking the Capitol on January 6th. Who saw that coming? And that was just a rehearsal for what's likely to come. Who's going to stop him? Yes! Who is going to stop him? We the People because we are the only ones who can stop him. Like you, I'm filled with anger and outrage. but I'm saved from total despair by rays of hope. and I am very careful these days about using the word hope because I've seen so many of our hopes for our country destroyed. but there's no reason to think we're not up to the challenge. We have a solid first line of defense with organizations like Defiance.org. We have judges whose courtrooms have been corrupted haven't been corrupted. haven't been corrupted. And then most importantly, there's us the people We saw what can be accomplished in the example of the courageous people of Minneapolis. in the face of deadly attacks by Trump's private army. They stood up to threats and violence and literally ran their asses out of the- out of town. Mayor Frey, congratulations to you and your people. Inspiring and I'm also inspired by the No King' demonstrations. Millions of people all over the country gathered together to nonviolently demand democracy. The next rally is March 28th. If you've ever loved your country, this is a time to show it. This is our wake-up call. We don't know everything this authoritarian president and the stooges have in mind, but we know something is coming. and if you want our leaders to be accountable if you're devoted to the Constitution and the rule of law. If you want the United States of America to be worthy of your love, be ready to take this- to the streets together, and we will take our country back. Thank you.  

You would think that a veteran communications professional and former White House Press Secretary would show a modicum of respect when mentioning the various State of the Union honorees. Not if you are one Jennifer Rene Psaki, currently of MS NOW, “analyzing” President Donald Trump’s address. Watch Psaki casually dismiss the honorees as circus entertainment and “unrelated vignettes:” WATCH: MS Now's Jen Psaki dismisses the acknowledgements of the U.S. Men's hockey team, victims of illegal aliens and awards to military heroes as "the circus entertainer part" of the State of the Union address. JEN PSAKI: As I was watching that, I was just thinking about the… pic.twitter.com/1svt9rpSeH — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) February 25, 2026 JEN PSAKI: As I was watching that, I was just thinking about the fact that we were just over eight months from the midterm elections. And that is no matter what number of people battled through that nearly two hour speech, it's still going to be his largest audience of the year. And if you're sitting in a White House before a speech for any president, you're thinking about a couple of things. How does the president use that speech to give a message to not just the people in the chamber, but his political allies out there about what they should be talking about, what the agenda is, what the winning message is.  And Trump decided to double down on things that are hugely unpopular. I mean, to your point, it was like a three part speech. There was the gross violent pornography part of it. There was the circus entertainer part where he was bringing out unrelated people and vignettes. And then there was a part that was policy-ish. Right? And that was doubling down on tariffs. In the ABC poll, 58 or…I’m sorry. 72% of independents disapprove. And doubling down on immigration and his policies where 58% disapprove. So if you're a Republican sitting in there, you're a Republican running for office. That is not a speech that gives you a guide. That is not a speech that helps you out there try to win. The “violence pornography” was a way of dismissing President Trump’s narration of the different episodes of horrific violence suffered by some of his honorees, and this was a recurring part of MS NOW’s coverage. These descriptions may seem out of line for a State of the Union address. So is the concept of widespread illegal alien violence. Psaki’s blanket dismissal of the various acknowledgements and awards as circus entertainment displays an overall contempt for the honorees. First, there was the U.S. Men’s Hockey Team, who beat Canada for the gold medal and triggered a widespread media meltdown.  There was also Erika Kirk, whose husband was martyred in the name of free speech. There were the several victims of illegal alien crimes that were mentioned in the address. And then, there were the military heroes. First, there was the Coast Guard rescue swimmer that helped save hundreds of lives. Then, the brave Night Stalker pilot who was severely injured during the raid to capture and extract Venezuelan dictator Nocilas Maduro. Finally, there was Navy Captain Royce Williams, who engaged 7 Soviet MiGs during the Korean War. All of these were powerful moments during the address. Rather than quietly acknowledge them, Psaki chose to dismiss them. That, in itself, stands as its own State of the Union message.  

Just after midnight in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, CNN was still reacting to President Trump’s State of the Union address when co-anchor Jake Tapper led the rest of the ladies on the panel in clutching their pearls over Democrats getting called out as “crazy” by the President. Of course, they didn’t mention what issue Trump called them “crazy” for supporting and it was a pretty disturbing one. “What did you think of the President's calling Democrats ‘crazy?’ What did you think?” Tapper wanted to know. “I mean, like, obviously that's his DNA, et cetera but, you know, what is it? A third of the country is Democrats.” “I think if this was ten years ago, nine years ago it would have been an OMG moment,” commented co-anchor Dana Bash. Tapper recalled how overwrought outrage once was when President Obama criticized a healthcare plan Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) was working on at the time, while he was in the room: Once President Obama gave a speech one time criticizing Paul Ryan's Medicaid plan or Medicare plan Paul Ryan was just I think he was chairman of the House Budget Committee and he was in the audience. And Obama was criticizing his plan and you would have thought that he killed his puppy from the reaction. “Are we ever going back to normal? I mean, are we ever coming to a back to a place where you can't just call the other party crazy in the State of the Union address?” he decried.   Jake Tapper whines that Trump called out Democrats as "crazy" during his State of the Union address. "Well here's my question. Are we ever going back to normal? I mean, are we ever coming to a back to a place where you can't just call the other party crazy in the State of the… pic.twitter.com/9yb6to2QiN — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) February 25, 2026   Sorry to break it to you Jake, but CNN most definitely played a part in getting us here. Just seven month’s into Trump’s first term, and your colleague Brian Stelter was suggesting Trump was insane and that the media should be treating him that way and reporting it as fact. To answer Tapper’s question, co-anchor Kasie Hunt went on a short shouty rant about how “horrified” her grandparents would be: I mean, Jake, the number of times that now, like, if you had told me that when I was a kid coming up and maybe wanting to do something like this one day, that you were going to be able to say, like, swear on the air and it was going to be cool for politicians to drop the F bomb right? Like my grandparents would have been horrified. Like, I don't understand. I don't see a world where we go back from this and we've kind of he has set this, this norm in a place that has caused the entire system to go towards him. Of course, what they completely skipped over was what Trump was calling Democrats “crazy” for supporting. During the speech, Trump had called out Democrats for supporting taking children away from their parents and transitioning them without the parents’ knowledge or permission.   President Trump on Democrats and transitioning kids without telling their parents: "Look, nobody stands up! These people are crazy! I'm telling you, they're crazy! Boy oh boy. We're lucky we have a country with people like this. Democrats are destroying our country." #SOTU2026 pic.twitter.com/ffi2qG9BZb — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) February 25, 2026   “Look, nobody stands up! These people are crazy! I'm telling you, they're crazy! Boy oh boy. We're lucky we have a country with people like this. Democrats are destroying our country,” Trump shouted. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CNN State of the Union February 25, 2026 12:26:06 a.m. Eastern (…) JAKE TAPPER: What did you think of the President's calling Democrats crazy? What did you think? I mean, like, obviously that's his DNA, et cetera but, you know, what is it? A third of the country is Democrats. That doesn't mean they necessarily identify with the Democratic Party or members of Congress, but. DANA BASH: I think if this was ten years ago, nine years ago it would have been an OMG moment. But for Donald Trump, it's baked in whether it's at the State of the Union or at, you know, at a campaign rally or on his Truth Social. It does feel a little bit different I think that this is where you're going, when you have such an important speech, and it is for the entire country and it's, you know something that people are used to having a little bit more, composure and a little bit – KASIE HUNT: Decorum. BASH: Decorum. Thank you. TAPPER: Going back nine years? I'm thinking back to when I covered Obama at the White House and Obama – Once President Obama gave a speech one time criticizing Paul Ryan's Medicaid plan or Medicare plan Paul Ryan was just I think he was chairman of the House Budget Committee and he was in the audience. And Obama was criticizing his plan and you would have thought that he killed his puppy from the reaction. BASH: No, but that’s what I’m saying. It's like - It's totally different. TAPPER: Well here's my question. Are we ever going back to normal? I mean, are we ever coming to a back to a place where you can't just call the other party crazy in the State of the Union address? HUNT: I mean, Jake, the number of times that now, like, if you had told me that when I was a kid coming up and maybe wanting to do something like this one day, that you were going to be able to say, like, swear on the air and it was going to be cool for politicians to drop the F bomb right? Like my grandparents would have been horrified. Like, I don't understand. I don't see a world where we go back from this and we've kind of he has set this, this norm in a place that has caused the entire system to go towards him. TAPPER: Right well, that's the thing. I mean, you have Rashida - BASH: He gets away with things that people, other people can’t get away with. TAPER: Well, except that it does seem as though that the lesson that the Democratic Party has learned from all this is like Rashida Tlaib holding up a sign that says, F ICE. Except it's not just the letter F. Anyway, we're combing through President Trump's speech looking at what was effective and divisive. (…)