On March 4, President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress.
In his speech, he catalogued some of the accomplishments of his administration since taking office. He also pointed out that Congressional Democrats seem to oppose everything he does, no matter how much it may benefit the nation.
The truth of the president’s words was demonstrated later in the speech when he recognized a boy, bravely fighting cancer, and many Democrats refused to stand to honor the young man.
Devarjaye "DJ" Daniel is a 13-year-old boy from Pearland, Texas. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018 and given only five months to live.
Although he's endured 13 brain surgical procedures, DJ defied the odds and is still with us.
Despite the challenges he's faced, DJ has become known for his positive attitude.
He’s an inspiration to those who meet him.
DJ’s dream is to become a law enforcement officer.
His wish was to be sworn in by 100 police agencies; however, he has now far exceeded that goal because he has become an honorary officer over 900 times.
President Trump learned about DJ and decided not only to recognize him at his speech, but to also have the new director of the U.S. Secret Service, Sean Curran, make DJ an honorary agent of the U.S. Secret Service.
For many in attendance for Trump's address, as well as those watching on television, it was a very touching moment, and was capped-off by DJ hugging Curran.
Unfortunately, most Congressional Democrats present did not see fit to celebrate this incredible gesture.
In fact, many remained seated with blank stares on their faces as the rest of the Chamber, along with folks at home, cheered the moment.
As someone who works closely with law enforcement agencies (many of which are among the 900 that have previously honored DJ) to support the families of fallen officers through the 100 Club, this writer took offense at those refusing to stand and honor this young man.
Combine the courage that DJ has shown while fighting cancer with his admirable desire to support and become a part of law enforcement, you have every reason to cheer for this youthful teen.
Sitting on their hands was beyond bad optics for Democrats.
That "look" only worsened when they reacted the same way to the introduction of the family of Corey Comperatore, an American firefighter who died protecting his wife and daughters during the Butler, Pennsylvania Trump Rally of June 13, 2024.
And Democrats in the Chamber did themselves no favors with their readily apparent disrespect when the family of Laken Riley, a young women killed by an illegal alien, was recognized.
And there's more. Democrats' callousness was also the case as Trump spoke of Payton McNabb, a former high school athlete who suffered a brain injury when a transgender male hit her in the head with a volleyball during a 2022 match.
The Payton McNabb story highlights the strange decision of many Democrats refusing to stand, given that many Democratic women, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., symbolically wore pink to the speech that night.
Their reason for wearing pink was to highlight how they believe President Trump’s policies harm women. It's ironic that Payton McNabb, a young woman, was harmed by their (Democratic) policies of allowing men to compete in women’s sports — a practice which President Trump and Republicans are working to end.
It's also ironic that the U.S. Senate held a vote the day before the speech to end the practice of males participating in female sports.
The measure, which was unanimously supported by Republicans, failed because every Democratic senator voted against it.
The first thought which crossed this writer's mind while watching the complete lack of class, and outright disrespect displayed by many of those supposed representatives "of the people" was perhaps we have deeper problems than many of us wish to believe.
If we can’t put politics aside to unanimously cheer for a young man like DJ, then what hope is there for us to find common ground on other issues that are important to our country.
Fortunately, there were at least two Democrats who seem to have been thinking similar thoughts. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said, "After the Secret Service gave him his [badge] and he sat back down, but then he reached back up and hugged the Secret Service chief, it made me cry. I had tears. I was wiping a freaking tear."
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., had an even stronger reaction. "I don’t know why we can’t fully celebrate," Fetterman said. He added, "I mean, I have a 13-year-old myself, and thank God she’s never had cancer, but I think that’s something we can all celebrate there.
"And I think it was a touching moment. And, like I said, that’s part of the best of the American experience."
Although this writer often disagrees with Sen. Fetterman’s views, let's give him credit for nailing this one.
Rather than pre-determining that we are so far apart on the issues that we must treat each other as enemies, we should search for the common ground of our "American Experience," seeking to build on that.
I believe finding common ground is the legacy left by those who came before us, and one that we should seek to leave for our children, grandchildren, and all who follow.
Joe from Texas is a family man with children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He's experienced tremendous success and lived the American Dream. His beliefs are both straightforward and deeply held. He believes in God, his family, and the United States of America. For more information, please visit www.JoeFromTexas.com. Read Joe Penland's Reports — More Here.