You would think that a veteran communications professional and former White House Press Secretary would show a modicum of respect when mentioning the various State of the Union honorees. Not if you are one Jennifer Rene Psaki, currently of MS NOW, “analyzing” President Donald Trump’s address.
Watch Psaki casually dismiss the honorees as circus entertainment and “unrelated vignettes:”
WATCH: MS Now’s Jen Psaki dismisses the acknowledgements of the U.S. Men’s hockey team, victims of illegal aliens and awards to military heroes as “the circus entertainer part” of the State of the Union address.
JEN PSAKI: As I was watching that, I was just thinking about the… pic.twitter.com/1svt9rpSeH
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) February 25, 2026
JEN PSAKI: As I was watching that, I was just thinking about the fact that we were just over eight months from the midterm elections. And that is no matter what number of people battled through that nearly two hour speech, it’s still going to be his largest audience of the year. And if you’re sitting in a White House before a speech for any president, you’re thinking about a couple of things. How does the president use that speech to give a message to not just the people in the chamber, but his political allies out there about what they should be talking about, what the agenda is, what the winning message is.
And Trump decided to double down on things that are hugely unpopular. I mean, to your point, it was like a three part speech. There was the gross violent pornography part of it. There was the circus entertainer part where he was bringing out unrelated people and vignettes. And then there was a part that was policy-ish. Right? And that was doubling down on tariffs. In the ABC poll, 58 or…I’m sorry. 72% of independents disapprove. And doubling down on immigration and his policies where 58% disapprove. So if you’re a Republican sitting in there, you’re a Republican running for office. That is not a speech that gives you a guide. That is not a speech that helps you out there try to win.
The “violence pornography” was a way of dismissing President Trump’s narration of the different episodes of horrific violence suffered by some of his honorees, and this was a recurring part of MS NOW’s coverage. These descriptions may seem out of line for a State of the Union address. So is the concept of widespread illegal alien violence.
Psaki’s blanket dismissal of the various acknowledgements and awards as circus entertainment displays an overall contempt for the honorees. First, there was the U.S. Men’s Hockey Team, who beat Canada for the gold medal and triggered a widespread media meltdown.
There was also Erika Kirk, whose husband was martyred in the name of free speech. There were the several victims of illegal alien crimes that were mentioned in the address. And then, there were the military heroes.
First, there was the Coast Guard rescue swimmer that helped save hundreds of lives. Then, the brave Night Stalker pilot who was severely injured during the raid to capture and extract Venezuelan dictator Nocilas Maduro. Finally, there was Navy Captain Royce Williams, who engaged 7 Soviet MiGs during the Korean War.
All of these were powerful moments during the address. Rather than quietly acknowledge them, Psaki chose to dismiss them. That, in itself, stands as its own State of the Union message.
