Evan Semon
Audio By Carbonatix
In January 2025, when Donald Trump returned to the White House, I was in a state of apprehension. That quickly turned into a state of disbelief, as the new administration took unimaginable twists and turns, with history rewritten, entire agencies disbanded, and the East Wing disappeared.
So now, as he addresses the country in this State of the Union, what unimaginable pronouncement will he make?
And will Colorado make an appearance in this speech? Is Tina Peters waiting in the wings?
The Past Is Prologue
At the very end of 2025, Trump had gone on another Trumper tantrum, posting this on Truth Social: “God Bless Tina Peters, who is now, for two years out of nine, sitting in a Colorado Maximum Security Prison, at the age of 73, and sick, for the ‘crime’ of trying to stop the massive voter fraud that goes on in her State (where people are leaving in record numbers!). Hard to wish her a Happy New Year, but to the Scumbag Governor, and the disgusting ‘Republican’ (RINO!) DA, who did this to her (nothing happens to the Dems and their phony Mail In Ballot System that makes it impossible for a Republican to win an otherwise very winnable State!), I wish them only the worst. May they rot in Hell. FREE TINA PETTERS!”
To make sure Colorado got the message, on December 30 Trump used his first veto of his second term to stop a six-decade-old pipeline project that would send water to the Eastern Plains, a dirty move that had even Congresswoman Lauren Boebert crying foul. “Nothing says America First like denying clean drinking water to 50,000 people in southeast Colorado, many of whom voted for him in all three elections,” said Boebert, who in 2024 had left the Western Slope district where Tina Peters/Petters committed her crimes and now represents the even redder district where Trump has shut the spigot.
Four years ago, Boebert heckled President Joe Biden during his State of the Union speech. But now she’s dared to challenge President Trump not just on water, but on his failure to release the Epstein files.
Trump’s veto came right after Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the only Coloradan in Trump’s cabinet, announced that the coal-fueled power plant in Craig that was scheduled to go offline in the new year must stay operational — even though the plant has major problems that will cost consumers. “The DOE order is the latest in a string of attacks against Colorado, because we refuse to bend to the President,” said Senator (and gubernatorial candidate) Michael Bennet in response to the news. “I am disappointed but not surprised by this continued revenge tour.”
And that DOE move followed the vengeful federal rejection of disaster relief for rural counties that had recently suffered major floods and wildfires, as well as Trump’s order to dismantle the Boulder-based National Center for Atmospheric Research, which has done so much over the decades to predict major floods and wildfires. In fact, NCAR had just issued a warning about high winds slated to hit the Front Range when the agency got blown away by Trump, whose henchman blamed the facility’s demise on its own “climate alarmism.”
And all that happened just in the last few weeks, following Trump’s announcement on December 11 that he was giving a “full Pardon” to Peters, despite the fact that she’d been convicted of state, not federal, crimes — including allowing an associate of MyPillow founder Mike Lindell to access county election equipment, a system she was sworn to protect as the clerk of Mesa County, an area that had voted for Trump three times — and had been prosecuted by a Republican district attorney, Daniel Rubenstein, who’s now also been consigned to rot in the hell of Colorado.
Other states have been hit by the federal cutbacks, of course. Colorado Attorney General (and gubernatorial candidate) Phil Weiser has now sued the Trump administration over fifty times, often signing on to lawsuits by other aggrieved states. Still, Trump has never been a big fan of Colorado; his accusations against this state’s voting systems date back at least to 2016, when he accused them of being “rigged” after he didn’t get the Republican presidential nomination. Before that, he’d been stymied in his attempt to become the redeveloper of Union Station. And there was that spat on the slopes of Aspen back in 1990….
Even before the “Pardon,” though, Trump’s Department of Justice had announced an investigation into the Colorado Department of Corrections. That was shortly after Trump pulled Space Command from Colorado Springs, which has not endeared him to that red district. And threw a tantrum over his Republican Party-authorized portrait in the Colorado State Capitol. (He sent his own replacement.) And dragged Denver Mayor Mike Johnston to Washington, D.C., before a congressional committee studying so-called sanctuary cities.
And now, the speech. “You’ve seen nothing yet,” Trump says, a few lines in.
That’s exactly what I’m worried about.
7:26 p.m. MST: Hurray for Heroes
After the usual litany of this country’s big wins — “We’re winning so much!” — a break: Trump presents the American men’s hockey team….and promises that, despite reports otherwise, the women’s team will soon visit the White House. Stick it, ladies!
Then, Trump reminds us, the Olympics will be in Los Angeles in 2028. But that’s a very long two years away. And first, we have a whole speech to get through.
We see the usual parade of heroes — World War II vets, rescue workers — as well as a mother whose family benefitted from the Big Beautiful Bill. And then we hear about Trump Accounts: “I didn’t name it that!”
He offers a shopping list of what’s gotten cheaper: gas, eggs, even beef is coming down. As for prescription drugs? “Americans will now pay the lowest price of anyone on earth,” Trump says. All available on Trumprx.com…”and I didn’t name that either.” That gets J.D. Vance and Mike Johnson on their feet.
Ah, here’s a hot one: energy demand from data centers. “I have negotiated the ratepayer-protected pledge,” he says.
And home ownership: “We want homes for people, not corporations,” he says.
And retirement: “We will always protect Social Security and Medicare.”
7:56 p.m. MST: The Enemies List
‘Uh, oh: Enter Minnesota, under scrutiny for its Medicare scandal. California and Illinois get a mention, too, but not Colorado — even though this was one of the states that, like Minnesota, had federal funding pulled for health-care programs because of alleged misuse.
But here’s a solution: “I am officially announcing the war on fraud led by our great vice-president, J.R. Vance,” says Trump.
War has already been declared on illegal aliens, the next target…along with the politicians who allowed the borders to be opened. “You should be ashamed of yourself,” Trump says, adding that they should also be ashamed of themselves for not standing up to applaud his positions.
Now comes a vow that hits at Colorado, a state that has a gold standard for elections — although Trump has always accused this state’s elections of being rigged. “No more crooked mail-in ballots,” he pronounces. An ideal chance to bring up Tina Peters, but instead….
A quick turn: transgender issues!
And now a slap at Democrats, who still refuse to stand up: “These people are crazy!”
Speaking of People
Although Trump has packed the house with show-and-tell characters he keeps pointing out, the Colorado delegation has its own invited guests. Those members who showed, that is: Congresswoman Diana DeGette chose not to attend the State of the Union. Republican Gabe Evans, whose 8th Congressional District seat is in play, brought his wife. Republican Jeff Hurd, who took Boebert’s place in the 3rd, brought a friend…and he could use one, since Trump just withdrew his endorsement.
Meanwhile, Representative Jason Crow brought a restaurant owner whose kitchens were raided. Senator Michael Bennet brought Andrea Loya, the executive director of Casa de Paz, an immigration service and shelter provider. Senator John Hickenlooper invited Caroline Dias Goncalves, the twenty-year-old Dreamer who was detained by ICE last year as she drove into Colorado from Utah, where she attends college; she was held for fifteen days.
8:14 p.m. MST: In God We Trust
An hour into the speech, God enters the picture.
So does Charlie Kirk. “America is one nation under God, and we must totally reject violence in the name of religion,” says Trump.
And violence of any kind, for that matter, he adds, relating how he sent National Guard troops to Memphis, New Orleans and Washington, D.C., where today there’s almost no crime, Trump notes.
Not only is America safer, but so is the world: “Our company has never been stronger. In my first ten years in office, I ended eight wars.”
Quick thank you to son-in-law Jared Kushner, and longer applause for Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “People like you,” Trump says now. But remember when he was “Little Marco”?
On to the ninth war, Ukraine versus Russia, and the latter’s inability to utter the “secret” words: “We will never have a nuclear weapon.”
One Democrat finally rises on Trump’s invocation of “Peace through Strength.” He quickly sits down.
9 p.m. MST: The Longest State of the Union Ever
After almost two hours, Trump wraps up the longest State of the Union ever, which exemplifies nothing so much as his state of confusion. Are we winners? Losers?
Not a mention of Colorado, although the attack on the election system is a clear threat to this state.
The speech has been filled with Trump-orchestrated cameo performances by people who exemplify the best and worst of the American nation (and no Coloradans representing either side), popping up from their seats in the audience to receive applause, medals, tears.
The Democrats — “these people are crazy” — stayed seated much of the night.
Like so much of the rest of the country, they remain in a state of suspended animation.
