Pocan: Trump's Address Had Shift In Tone, Lacked Policy Specifics

Following President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, welcomed what he described as a change in tone, but said Trump’s message was still based in fear.

“America is not as dark as he seems to think it is, and he’s using that as a way to try to get his agenda across,” the Wisconsin representative told WPR on Wednesday morning.

Pocan criticized the lack of details on a replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act in Trump’s speech, saying Republicans, “haven’t had an alternative yet, because it’s tough to do this.”

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U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, took to twitter to highlight Trump staying mostly on script during the speech, in which Trump said the fights between parties are in the past and condemned anti-Semitic acts and the recent shooting of two immigrants in Kansas.

Teleprompter Trump is better than Twitter Trump, but actions speak louder than words. Time to act on #BuyAmerica & rebuild infrastructure.
— Sen. Tammy Baldwin (@SenatorBaldwin) March 1, 2017

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, said in a statement Tuesday night that Trump demonstrated he and the House of Representatives are joining together around what Ryan described as a “particular replacement plan.”

Last night, @POTUS delivered a bold, optimistic message to the American people. https://t.co/T0ELhLpWV7 pic.twitter.com/GrbrjqE7bw
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) March 1, 2017

In a statement released Tuesday night U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, said that the president’s address was, “an important starting point,” as the country begins working toward a, “safer, more prosperous and more secure country for every American.”

And U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Green Bay, called the speech “bold and aspirational” on Twitter last night. Gallagher added “now let’s get to work and get the job done.”