Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday evening, former Congressman Dr. Ron Paul announced on his Twitter page that he would be live-tweeting President Trump’s State of the Union speech. Paul then proceeded to critically assess the speech with his liberty-based perspective.

Are you going to be watching #SOTU State of the Union speech tonight? I'll be live-Tweeting the speech! See you then! pic.twitter.com/9ANZRBhzUR — Ron Paul (@RonPaul) January 31, 2018

Trump’s address began as a ceremonious introduction expected of an imperial celebration; to begin his speech, Trump called for bipartisan unity, which Paul presciently noted was potentially a bad idea, if the “coming together” included “bad foreign policy, bad monetary policy, deficit financing, massive military spending and foreign entanglements.”

Lots of praise for bipartisanship and "coming together" but coming together is not really the answer if it means coming together on bad foreign policy, bad monetary policy, deficit financing, massive military spending and foreign entanglements. #SOTU — Ron Paul (@RonPaul) January 31, 2018

- Newsletter -

A liberty icon and champion of individual freedom, Paul has steadfastly worked to call out federal government expansion throughout his decades of government service.

Next, Trump briefly touched on healthcare, claiming that Americans with “terminal conditions should have access to experimental treatments that could potentially save their lives.” Trump’s words stand in contrast to his actions, particularly his appointment of Jeff Sessions, who has revived the federal war on cannabis – a critical medicine for many ill patients across the U.S. – after campaigning on a promise to leave the decision to legalize marijuana up to states.

Terminally ill should have access to experimental drugs – yes! But in a free market all free individuals should be able to make decisions on what kinds of medicine they wish to take. Like marijuana. #SOTU — Ron Paul (@RonPaul) January 31, 2018

Expanding the war on drugs is NOT the way to solve the problem! Get rid of the drug war! #SOTU — Ron Paul (@RonPaul) January 31, 2018

A short time later, Trump went on to claim:

“My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber, is to defend Americans — to protect their safety, their families, their communities, and their right to the American Dream. Because Americans are dreamers too.”

Paul, known as a strong constitutionalist, was quick to call out Trump’s ideals, noting that the “prime function of Federal government is NOT protecting our safety! It is the preservation of our Liberty.”

Prime function of the Federal government is NOT protecting our safety! It is the preservation of our Liberty. That forgotten word… #SOTU — Ron Paul (@RonPaul) January 31, 2018

Paul noted Liberty as “that forgotten word.” The reason for this tweet is simple, as it was only spoken by Trump once as he discussed protecting “religious liberty.” Additionally, as Matt Agorist of The Free Thought Project noted, “the word ‘freedom’ was only mentioned six times and it was purely symbolic, referring to foreign countries and statues in Washington.”

The one common theme that was mentioned quite frequently by Trump was the projection of strength and power, which Paul noted equated to “ more spending to enrich the military-industrial complex.”

“Unmatched power is the surest means of our defense,” declared Trump, who then went on to say, “As part of our defense, we must modernize and rebuild our nuclear arsenal, hopefully never having to use it, but making it so strong and powerful that it will deter any acts of aggression.”

We're not lacking power. We are the most powerful country in the history of the world — weapons, military, etc. We don't need more spending to enrich the military-industrial complex! #SOTU — Ron Paul (@RonPaul) January 31, 2018

7,500 nukes are enough. We don't need any more nukes!#SOTU — Ron Paul (@RonPaul) January 31, 2018

Trump went on to say the Federal government needs more power to detain terrorists, despite the PATRIOT Act and NDAA already allowing for virtually groundless indefinite detention.

“I am also asking the Congress to ensure that, in the fight against ISIS and al-Qa’ida, we continue to have all necessary power to detain terrorists — wherever we chase them down. Our warriors in Afghanistan also have new rules of engagement. Along with their heroic Afghan partners, our military is no longer undermined by artificial timelines, and we no longer tell our enemies our plans,” Trump stated.

Occupation is the greatest incentive for Americans to be attacked. If you want us safe, bring our troops home from 150+ countries! #SOTU — Ron Paul (@RonPaul) January 31, 2018

Looks like the war on Afghanistan will continue into its 17th year. Longest in US history. Not telling enemies our plans – but do American people get to know? #SOTU — Ron Paul (@RonPaul) January 31, 2018

Trump then pivoted to discussion of Iran and North Korea. “When the people of Iran rose up against the crimes of their corrupt dictatorship, I did not stay silent. America stands with the people of Iran in their courageous struggle for freedom,” Trump stated.

“North Korea’s reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland,” Trump continued. “We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from ever happening. Past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation. I will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations that got us into this very dangerous position.”

Ron Paul didn’t mince his words in response:

NO benefit to go out of our way to provoke Iran. They are not going to attack America. #SOTU — Ron Paul (@RonPaul) January 31, 2018

Cold War is alive and well! Military-industrial complex and Deep State still in charge. #SOTU — Ron Paul (@RonPaul) January 31, 2018

Paul concluded that Trump’s address was a “glorification of militarism and an aggressive foreign policy.”

Wrapping up his twitterstorm, Paul noted that Congress “members’ over-enthusiastic response to militarism” was extremely discouraging.