
While watching the Democratic National Convention last summer, I was moved to tears during a father-son moment. Tim Walz entered the stage to begin his speech. The camera cut to a teenage boy in the audience, Walz’s son, who was clapping, crying and yelling, “That’s my dad! That’s my dad!” He was so happy. Although I was not a supporter of Walz, it was very touching nonetheless.
Fast forward to the recent speech from President Donald Trump to Congress. DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018 and expected to live only five months, stole the presentation. The wide-eyed happy look on his face was priceless as Trump declared him an honorary US Secret Service agent. When Daniel’s hugged Director Sean Curran, the touching moment rose to another level.
Daniel’s had dreams of becoming a police officer as a young child, which is especially wonderful and influential for a child of color. His cancer is terminal and he continues to get regular treatment, according to The New York Post.
Another triumphant moment occurred when Trump announced that 17-year-old Jason Hartley found out he was accepted into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. We saw another priceless look of surprise and joy as this young man was starting a new journey.
Yet another victorious moment was when schoolteacher Marc Fogel, held hostage in Russia for four years and just released last month, was honored alongside his 95-year-old mom. She fought the whole time for his release and was supposed to join Trump onstage the fateful day of his first assassination attempt. How wonderful that she’s still alive to see her son again.
Not All Tears Were of Joy
Laken Riley’s mom was clearly broken while her sister kept blinking to control tears. Trump’s first piece of legislation in January was the Laken Riley Act, which “mandates the federal detention of illegal immigrants who are accused of theft, burglary, assaulting a law enforcement officer, and any crime that causes death or serious bodily injury,” as defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Jocelyn Nungaray’s mom also looked deeply pained as Trump spoke of both of these young daughters being murdered by illegal immigrants. The 12-year-old victim will have the Galveston Wildlife Refuge renamed in her honor.
Sadly, no piece of paper that Trump signs and holds up for all to see will ever replace the loss of the daughters. However, the daily flow of illegal immigrants across the border dropped from 10,000 at the height of the Biden Administration to fewer than 500 currently, as reported by The Washington Times.
Despite whether tears were of joy or sadness, the responses or lack thereof, by the Democrats in the room was quite telling. It seemed like a not-so-brilliant plan was enacted to behave this way and likely backfired.

Shenanigans Further Hurt Democrat Party
The foolishness started with Texas Representative, Al Green, who carried on waving his cane and yelling at Trump. Thankfully, Trump managed to control himself and let Speaker Mike Johnson politely throw him out.
As the Democrats scrolled through their phones and held up paddles with negative messages, the childish and stupid behavior was for all the world to see. They didn’t consider how easily their signs could be altered into memes, which only spread the foolishness on social media.
The lack of applause showed a lack of care for a child with cancer, the achievements of a high school graduate, and a released hostage. Worse yet, there was no care for the grieving mothers. Perhaps applauding for the Laken Riley Act would admit the colossal mess of an open border of their previous administration.
Trump Derangement Syndrome
The hatred toward Trump has resulted in a phenomenon known as Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). All common sense is lost. Hatred rules. Remember the saying, “You reap what you sow.”
Treatment for TDS includes tuning out mainstream media networks, which is difficult because they clearly dominate the news. Regarding news about the current administration, CNN and MSNBC are still serving the Kool-Aid despite their faltering ratings.
Efforts to restore their ratings by replacing commentators may be too late, as viewers lost trust. If you have access to these networks, then you should have access to FOX. Their ratings keep going up for good reason.
Another treatment for TDS is to research other Democrats who have left the Party and hear their stories about why. A treasure trove can be found (by clicking on the blue font) at the Walk Away Campaign.
I cannot believe that most Democrats can be proud of how they were represented at the Joint of Congress speech.