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Trump Watch: Trump previews his speech to Congress, says health care is 'so complicated'

    by Aubrey Whelan, Staff writer
    Published 

  1. President Trump addressed the National Governors Association yesterday, and teased the budget he'll lay out in his speech to Congress tonight. He called his planned increase in military spending "a landmark event, a message to the world, in these dangerous times, of American strength, security and resolve." He also opined on the difficulty of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act: "Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated."

    At least one lawmaker begged to differ.

    Another round of bomb threats to dozens of Jewish community centers, including several in the Philadelphia area, and the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in Wissinoming brought more calls (including from this paper's editorial board) for the president to address such incidents more forcefully.

  2. In advance of an expected executive order on historically black colleges and universities, Trump met yesterday with a delegation from more than 100 HBCUs (including the Philadelphia region's Cheyney University and Lincoln University, the two oldest HBCUs in the country). Though some HBCU leaders faced criticism from alumni and students for the trip, they told the Associated Press they have to set politics aside when state and federal funding is on the table. Presidents on both sides of the aisle have long lent support to historically black universities, the Washington Post reports. But Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is under fire this morning for a statement she released about the colleges, calling them "real pioneers when it comes to school choice." Commentators quickly pointed out that many HBCUs were founded because colleges in their states did not admit black students.

  1. In an interview with Fox and Friends this morning, Trump said he thought former president Barack Obama was behind White House leaks and the raucous town halls that lawmakers have faced across the country. He offered no evidence for the claim.

  1. Former president George W. Bush doesn't really talk politics anymore. But yesterday, asked about Trump's recent comments about the media, he told NBC's "Today" show that he supports an independent press. He also declined to endorse the president's travel ban, and instead spoke about the importance of religious freedom.

  2. President Trump did end up weighing in on the Oscars, using a favorite adjective. "I think they were focused so hard on politics that they didn't get the act together at the end. It was a little sad," he told Breitbart News.