President Donald Trump addressed the United States Congress for the first time since taking office just over a month ago on Tuesday, February 28, in a joint session between the House and Senate. The address, which was watched by an estimated 48 million people, showed a side of The President most Americans were unaccustomed to seeing or hearing about. President Trump talked for a little over an hour, touching on most topics that are of concern for many Americans, including foreign relations, the economy, and the armed services. Here are my 3 takeaways from Tuesday night:

1) Increasing the Military

-Under the Obama administration, military funding was held down for the majority of his second term. Trump made it clear that this kind of trend would not be the case going forward. The President, as had been initially reported earlier in the week, is seeking a $54 billion increase in Military spending from Congress and on Tuesday he made his best sales pitch, “To keep America safe, we must provide the men and women of the United States Military with the tools they need, to prevent war, and, if they must, to fight and to win.” A major part of his requested increase also comes in the form of helping out veterans, a cornerstone of the demographic that hot him elected last November.

2) The Wall Is Still Happening

President Trump made it clear that Americans should make no mistake about it: the wall is going up. Trump doubled down on his proposition that he has made to his supporters since the day he announced he was running for the office and continued with his call to build the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. In addition, The President also alluded to the ongoing crackdown of unauthorized illegal immigrants in the country. Moreover, one interesting twist in The Presidents stance was still leaving the door open to perhaps less deportation and more reform on the part of Congress, introducing a Merit-Based system of having immigrants take part in the workforce as opposed to low skilled jobs.

3) Trump Can Soothe the Nation

For as dividing the November election has proven to be, Trump, to his credit, has been able to step up and serve as a reasonable voice when it matters. In most overnight polls conducted, the vast majority of nation was encouraged by the comments and demeanor that Trump showcased (according to CBS, New York Post and Washington Post polls, amongst others). Trump, in contrast to his Twitter rants on occasion, seemed calm, cool, and genuine in his interactions with the crowd, on a few occasions honoring some of his guests such as the widow of slain navy seal William “Ryan” Owens and the widow of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Overall, the Trump we saw on Tuesday is not only an encouraging sign for both political parties, but one I think we will be seeing more often as he transitions into his first elected position ever held. Sure, he will still be attacking his opponents if he feels it is necessary (specifically the mainstream media) but I believe he will also begin to show much of the elegance and genuine care for the American people his supporters have seen in him at times on a larger scale. Even at 70 years old, Trump still has a learning curve for the office, the question is, how much more is there to figure out?

Albert Luna may be reached at [email protected] or (575) 646-5434.