Welcome to the Cato podcast. I'm Ryan Bourne, Cato's R. Evan Scharf Chair for the Public Understanding of Economics.

Last night, President Trump delivered his 26th State of the Union address to Congress. In it, he said America is back, bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,

and that on the 250th anniversary of the country's Declaration of Independence, we were on the

cusp of the golden age of America.

Like most modern state of the unions, this wasn't a speech with a clear through line that

kind of justified how America is being governed and why.

There perhaps wasn't even a setting out of clear priorities. But there was a story, a claim of dramatic turnaround and a catalogue of

victories and human interest stories used to push certain narratives and assorted pieces of

legislation. Nevertheless, from economic claims to serious passages about our international

adversaries, there were some interesting nuggets. So to search for the rare pieces of policy

meat on the rhetorical bones, I'm delighted to be joined by my colleagues Clark Neely, Cato's

Senior Vice President for Legal Studies here. Good morning.

And Evan Sanky, a policy analyst in our defense and foreign policy studies shop.

Good morning.

So gentlemen, welcome.

It was a one hour, 48 minute speech, the longest state of the Union in history.

Rourcus and partisan as ever, with all the spectacle and stories that we've come to expect.

So other than that rousing patriotism at the start and the end, the middle of the sandwich did

contain some policy. So I just want to start with a general question. What stood out for you

about this speech in the area that you, you know, you're responsible for studying?

Well, I think the fabulism, you know, I trying to fact check in real time was a real effort.

Just to take one example, Trump says there's no crime now to speak of in Washington, D.C.

...