Idaho 1st District GOP Rep. Raul Labrador, in an unannounced appearance in the Idaho House today, declared that new President Trump is “actually doing the things that he said he was going to do.”

Labrador said, “People are reacting like this is something unusual or illegitimate, and that concerns me – and I think it should concern you all as members of the Legislature. … I totally understand why people are upset and disappointed. I have been upset and disappointed when my party lost elections.” He said as a law student in 1992, he was so upset when Bill Clinton was elected president that he wore all-black to class. “I was in mourning,” he said.

But, Labrador told the House, “Many people in America are reacting in a way that should concern us all.” He said, “It seems that people have lost sight of what government can and can’t do, and are looking to government to solve all the problems in their life.”

In a roughly 15-minute speech in which he quoted Ezra Taft Benson, Ronald Reagan and Peggy Noonan, Labrador stressed that America’s system of checks and balances protects the nation. Quoting Noonan, he said, “We’ve been through shocks and surprises,” and said, “If it turns out really bad, America has a way of making your stay in the White House not too long.”

“She reminds us all that we should not fear, because we have a Constitution that guarantees checks and balances and we have a people that are free to choose a different way if they are not happy with their leaders,” Labrador declared.

He added, “All of this was deliberately designed to make it difficult for one man or one woman to control the government. And you have that responsibility here. … The governor of the state can’t decide everything that happens in the state of Idaho.”

Labrador spoke only in the House, where he previously served, not in the Senate. That’s extremely unusual. Generally, when a member of Idaho’s congressional delegation visits the Legislature during its session, the member gives addresses to both bodies. Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, said, “He never asked to speak to the Senate. … They’re the ones who call and set it up, and we’re always just thrilled to have ‘em come.”

House Speaker Scott Bedke praised Labrador’s speech as “thoughtful,” and told him, “You do us proud in this position.”