Last night, February 5th, President Donald Trump delivered his second State of the Union address. After he spoke, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams gave the Democrats’ response, making her the first black woman ever to do so. In her speech, transcribed and fact-checked by Politico, Abrams’ essentially said that Democrats are “coming for America”—to make it a “better America.” She discussed issues ranging from climate change to health care to immigration, and called for bipartisan cooperation above all else. Here are some highlights from her powerful speech.
1 She demanded that politicians do more for education.
Abrams said that the Trump administration “responds timidly while first-graders practice active shooter drills” and wasn’t doing enough to make college affordable.
"From now on, our leaders must be willing to tackle gun safety measures and face the crippling effect of educational loans, to support educators and invest what is necessary to unleash the power of America's greatest minds," she said.
2 Abrams did not hold back on immigration.
The former gubernatorial nominee condemned the Trump administration’s separation of migrant families, as well as the president’s demands for a border wall.
"We know bipartisanship could craft a 21st century immigration plan, but this administration chooses to cage children and tear families apart," Abrams said. "Compassionate treatment at the border is not the same as open borders. President Reagan understood this. President Obama understood this. Americans understand this."
She finished her thoughts on immigration by declaring: “America is stronger with immigrants, not walls.”
3She made sure to mention voter suppression.
Abrams has a close connection to voter suppression. In November, she filed a lawsuit over the state of Georgia’s rejection of more than 1,000 absentee ballots in the governor race—which could have affected the outcome of the election. Although she ultimately conceded, she later founded Fair Fight, an organization dedicated to fighting for Georgians’ voter rights.
"Let's be clear. Voter suppression is real," she said in her rebuttal. "From making it harder to register and stay on the rolls to moving and closing polling places, to rejecting lawful ballots, we can no longer ignore these threats to democracy."
4 She called out racism and LGBTQ discrimination.
After mentioning progress made by the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, Abrams noted that “we continue to face racism from our past and in our present.” She demanded that government officials be held accountable for their actions and that Americans “call racism what it is—wrong.” Abrams followed her call for racial equality by noting that the “LGBTQ community remains under attack.”
However, even after a speech dedicated to pointing out the Trump administration’s failures, she finished by urging leaders to “create a stronger America together.”
"Because America wins by fighting for our shared values against all enemies, foreign and domestic," she said.
We couldn’t agree more.
