In his first major address since taking office in January, the Republican made no bones about the deep partisan divide in national politics or his interest in reaching across the aisle to the Democratic Party.
“I could find a cure to the most devastating disease, a disease that would wipe out entire nations, and these people sitting right here will not clap, will not stand, and certainly will not cheer for these astronomical achievements," said the president. "They won't do it, no matter what.”
Trump flexed his administration’s efforts to quickly slash government spending by way of sweeping cuts to federal programs and mass firings.
“And to that end, I have created the brand-new Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, which is headed by Elon Musk, who is in the gallery tonight," he continued. "Because we are draining the swamp. It's very simple, and the days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over.”
State Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier of the 2nd Berkshire District isn’t buying it.
“That's not what's actually happening, because if they wanted to address fraud, they would have hired auditors, and instead, they've hired tech bros, and it's causing way more confusion," she told WAMC. "And in the end, it's going to cost more federal tax dollars, because to put programs back together always cost more, and those who are have been fired without cause and without following proper procedures have rights, and there very well could be damages.”
The Democrat who represents Pittsfield in the State House says DOGE actually amounts to a dismantling of the federal government.
“It's just complete and total chaos," said the state rep. "People are not only losing their jobs, but the important work of the federal government is not being done, and that he is in any way defending how it's being rolled out- It just shows a complete lack of leadership. So, the important work of what's happening in, for example, Social Security, what's happening at the IRS- Here we are in tax season, and we are firing IRS agents. Everywhere you go, people are losing their jobs, and the important work that's being done is not able to get done.”
Farley-Bouvier noted that Trump’s acknowledgement of Musk – himself an unelected entity in the federal government – conflicts with a recent statement from his own White House.
“There are plaintiffs who are suing in court over this, and in one of the responses to this, I believe, about a week ago, was the administration saying that Elon Musk is actually not the head of DOGE," she pointed out. "And last night, the President said how he's the head of DOGE. And so, there's actual lying happening and right out in public, and it has to be called out.”
As far as the impact of Trump’s policies on Western Massachusetts, Farley-Bouvier says the major concern for local leadership is the uncertainty around federal funding.
“As state elected leaders, especially as we're coming up to our budget season, it's hard to predict," she told WAMC. "We can't really make a plan of how it's going to, what federal dollars might stop until it happens.”
Fellow Democrat State Senator Paul Mark of the Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire District says Trump’s cuts will absolutely be felt locally.
“The way the President presented the cuts, it was almost like, oh, this is a joke, and this is funny, and we're doing some great stuff here, better than anybody's ever done, which is how he likes to characterize everything he's ever done," Mark told WAMC. "But the reality is, cuts to programs like USDA are already going to have an impact. I heard that 36 people are getting laid off over in Hadley, and for all I know, I almost guarantee some of those people live in my district, whether it's in the non-Berkshire towns or the Berkshire towns, those things have an effect- 36 good paying jobs in Massachusetts.”
Mark panned Trump’s historically lengthy address.
“I mean, it was a whole lot of nothing," he said. "And, I mean, like, literally, because it was the longest one of these, I think, in history. I mean, he beat Bill Clinton from 2000 and that's impressive. And I didn't hear a lot of substance. I heard a lot of pretending everything's great as he ignores everything that he's actually doing to the country, and as he ignores everything that people are concerned about, and as he ignores our standing on the international stage and how much that has been damaged in the last couple of weeks thanks to just the recklessness and the willingness to abandon anything that gives any stability to the country.”
The head of the Massachusetts Republican Party, Amy Carnevale, embraced the president’s remarks.
“I thought it was a strong address from President Trump," she told WAMC. "He was clearly speaking to not only to Republicans, but also, you know, independents and I think Democrats too, and in talking about his achievements over the first 43 days in office. You know, I was really impressed with the number of actions that the President Trump has taken, both on the economy and the issue of immigration, which are the top two issues in Massachusetts that we face. So clearly, President Trump has started out strong, and he is continuing to move forward quickly to try to benefit the American people.”
