President Donald Trump delivered his second State of the Union (SOTU) address on Tuesday evening. The president covered a wide range of topics during his remarks, including making several shoutouts to women during his speech. Indeed, some of Trump's SOTU comments about women drew an enthusiastic response from the crowd — and taking a closer look at what he said will help explain their reaction.
Many women lawmakers stood out in the crowd as they attended Trump's SOTU address, as they opted to wear "suffragette white" to represent their commitment to women's issues, HuffPost reported. Women from both parties were invited to wear the color to the president's address by the House Democratic Women’s Working Group.
One of the more stand-out moments from Trump's speech came as he gave shoutouts to some of women's recent achievements. Vox reported that, as Trump described some of these accomplishments, many women (mostly Democratic representatives who generally oppose his policies) began to stand up and cheer to celebrate their achievements. The outlet noted that some in the chamber also began chanting, "USA! USA!" as the president touted women's successes. The celebratory women made an especially striking visual statement as they stood and applauded in their white outfits in the House chamber, Vox noted.
If you're curious as to what exactly prompted such an enthusiastic response from these lawmakers, the list below highlights Trump's various shoutouts to women during his second State of the Union address.
Women And The Workforce
No one has benefitted more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58% of the new jobs created in the last year ... All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before.
After Trump said this, many in the chamber, including Democratic women, rose to their feet and clapped. Some women in the chamber also pointed to themselves, seemingly implying that they, too, as members of Congress, offer a strong representation of women in the workforce.
Women In Congress
And exactly one century after the Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before.
As the New York Times reported, a record 117 women were elected or appointed to Congress this term. After Trump referenced women's inroads in Congress, many women in the chamber stood up, cheered, and high-fived each other to celebrate their own achievements. According to the Wall Street Journal, some Democrats also began chanting, "On this side!," acknowledging that the majority of the gains in female representation were made by the Democratic party. The paper reported that, shortly afterward, members from both parties began chanting, "USA! USA!"
Women's Economic Empowerment In Developing Countries
As part of our commitment to improving opportunity for women everywhere, this Thursday we are launching the first ever government-wide initiative focused on economic empowerment for women in developing countries.
Trump's announcement of this new global initiative also drew applause in the chamber, though the reaction was more subdued than responses to the president's other comments about women. There aren't many details available about this new project so far, but the administration plans to release more information later this week.
Overall, Trump's shoutouts to women during his State of the Union address certainly drew a strong reaction from the crowd. Indeed, many Democratic women in the audience seemed to seize on the moment to ensure that they took ownership of the celebration of their achievements by congratulating each other and enthusiastically cheering for women's accomplishments.
