President Donald Trump praised the efforts of Scott Ruskan, a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer who helped save 165 people after last summer’s deadly flooding at Camp Mystic, during his State of the Union address Tuesday.
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“It was July Fourth of last year when floodwaters tore through a girls’ summer camp in central Texas, one of the worst things I’ve ever seen,” the president said.
Trump said an 11-year-old who was rescued by Ruskan was attending Tuesday’s speech and was reunited with the officer for the first time.
The president then announced that Petty Officer Ruskan will be awarded with the Legion of Merit for extraordinary heroism for those rescues.
Trump’s address comes after 13 months of break-neck deregulation, a record number of executive actions, mass layoffs, aggressive immigration tactics and more.
Ahead of the speech, Trump was expected to outline his administration’s accomplishments, make his case for keeping his party in power this November and celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
At the same time, a number of pain points have threatened to overshadow Trump’s positive messages during his primetime speech.
On Friday, the Supreme Court delivered a major setback to Trump’s agenda when it struck down his sweeping tariffs. A partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, brought on by Democratic opposition to Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement, seems to have no end in sight. And questions about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation continue to dog his administration.
According to the latest PBS News/NPR/ Marist poll, 60% of Americans say the country is worse off compared to a year ago, while 40% believe the country is in better shape.
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