Trump Skips China Emphasis in State of the Union

Donald Trump’s State of the Union address marked the first time in two decades that a US president did not directly mention China in the annual speech to Congress, despite the aforementioned being the longest in modern history, Bloomberg News reported.

The last time China was not explicitly mentioned was in 2005, during George W. Bush’s presidency.

Trump used the nearly two-hour speech at the US Capitol to focus primarily on domestic issues and to paint an optimistic picture of the economy under his leadership.

He avoided direct references to US economic competition with China — a theme frequently included in annual presidential addresses by former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and by Trump himself during his first term and in last year’s speech.

The last time China was not explicitly mentioned was in 2005, during George W. Bush’s presidency.

Tuesday’s address, however, included a passing reference to the world’s second-largest economy.

While honoring Army helicopter pilot Eric Slover, Trump said Chinese military technology had been used to fortify Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s compound.

“Eric steered the Chinook under the cover of night and descended swiftly upon Maduro’s heavily protected military fortress,” Trump said. “This was a major military installation protected by thousands of soldiers and guarded by Russian and Chinese military technology.”