DONALD TRUMP

Obama Sets Up Contrast With Trump — And So Does GOP Response

President Obama delivered a forceful State of the Union address Tuesday night in which he defended his record, set the stage for a Democratic successor to carry on his work, and - above all - warned Americans to steer clear of Donald Trump's bullying nativism.

The address was made with 2016's presidential race approaching. Hillary Clinton is currently pitching herself as the last line of defense for the president's achievements while every Republican is running on a pledge to tear them down.

In many ways, the speech functioned as a point-by-point rejoinder to the long list of attacks Republican candidates have levied against his administration during the presidential race. It was almost as if, after a yearlong Friars Club Roast, the president finally got to take the podium and rebut his tormentors.

"[A]ll the talk of America's economic decline is political hot air," Obama said at one point. "So is all the rhetoric you hear about our enemies getting stronger and America getting weaker."

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