I am amused in black humor kind of way, looking at people in the press attempting to guess what will be in Trump's speech tonight. They keep trying to raise semi-normal expectations, bring up things that might make some kind of sense. I'm going to make some predictions.
Trump will alternately gloat, congratulate himself, recite grievances, make threats, and make promises he can't/won't keep. Reality will not be on the program — this is going to be a marketing exercise and a display of dominance.
In no particular order I expect him to:
1) Boast about finally getting tough on the border - and maybe promise to finish the wall. Will he talk about maybe sending troops to invade Mexico to attack drug lords? Canada, to deal with all those geese that keep pooping on his golf courses?
2) Boast about HUUUGE savings as Elon Musk guts agencies and decimates the Federal workforce. He might talk about how Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid are going to be better than ever thanks to making them more efficient and getting rid of the freeloaders who don't even show up to work.
3) Boast that we are finally ending the unfair trade practices that have let the world take advantage of us.
4) Promise that the 'peace process' in Ukraine will move forward - despite all the Russia Russia Russia plots against him and the obstruction by that loser guy Zelensky who was so rude to him and so ungrateful. And we'll get the minerals to pay us back for all our help. He'll also justify cutting off military aid.
5) I wouldn't be surprised if he says we'll be pulling out of NATO if Europe doesn't give him something to appease him. (He's setting the stage to leave NATO anyway in my opinion. It's only a matter of time.)
6) He'll find ways to insult Democrats - see if he name checks Obama, Biden, Pelosi and others. Also, the Fake News Media.
7) He'll brag about ending DEI.
8) He'll claim he's making America's military stronger by purging it of trans people, etc.
9) He'll talk about how America is already greater now that he's back, and how we are respected again after the Biden years of disaster.
10) He’ll say something about the beautiful crypto he’ll be raiding the treasury to prop up while he profits.
For some reason I don’t think he’ll say anything about the economy, except maybe to blame Biden for the way it’s starting to melt down. You may hear a low rumbling at some point — that will be Ronald Freaking Reagan spinning in his grave as Trump recites Kremlin talking points. There will also be shoutouts to whatever special guests Trump will be exhibiting in his menagerie of victims, ‘heroes’, and random celebrities/corporate stooges/toadies. Anything based on actual facts will be purely a coincidence.
I expect some or all of this will feature moments of word salad and totally unhinged rants. I expect Republicans will stand up, cheer, and clap enthusiastically through all of this. I expect Democrats will be gobsmacked. (I would wonder if any of them will walk out at any point or boo.) I expect the press to be bumfoozled afterwords as they try to sanewash it.
If you want to use this for a drinking game, be my guest. Feel free to add your predictions in comments.