President Trump is set to deliver the annual State of the Union Address this evening at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Following the longest shutdown in United States history, this State of the Union speech comes at a particularly turbulent time in America, as President Trump and Congressional Democrats continue to dig in their heels on Trump's proposed border wall. As part of our on-going series, Hear at the Library, we asked people to reflect on the current state of the union.
I feel, personally, a sense of, not hopelessness, but just, loss of faith.
-Christelle, a Boston resident, remembers a time when our nation was not so divided.
We'd like to think it's more divided now than ever, but I don't necessarily think that's the case...and now that people aren't hiding behind false faces, we're shocked.
-Tom, a resident of Kennebunk, Maine, says that our country has always been this divided, but now, people are more comfortable speaking their truth.
I feel that wave of hopelessness is cresting into kind of a sense of like, alright, I can choose to disengage and engage with things that are more hopeful and are more tangible.
-Joanna, a Boston resident, says she has started to disconnect from the political chaos and focus her energy on more positive things.
We have a huge division in the country, and I'm very concerned that we won't be able to get government to address the issues that confront us.
-Jack, a resident of Billerica, thinks that President Trump's political agenda is getting in the way of the real issues confronting Americans.
