Trump’s speech was not one of unity, the left says. Instead, it was one of threats. A roundup of editorials Thursday looks at the speech and what it meant.

Opinions from the left:

1. We Are Not Bargaining Chips

From The American Prospect: Why is the president of the United States using people’s lives as political capital?

2. Stephen Miller's SOTU Was a White-Nationalist Wish List

From The Daily Beast: Was it Trump’s State of the Union or Stephen Miller’s?

3. Instead of seeking 'common ground,' Trump gives a flabby, divisive speech

From columnist E.J. Dionne: A less divisive speech from Trump. Yeah, not likely.

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Tamara Lamia puts her voting sticker after casting her ballot at the Israel Baptist Church in Kirkwood during the Georgia Public Service Commission’s special election at Ron Anderson Community Center in Cobb County on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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