Former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear delivers Democrats' rebuttal to Trump's address

Steve Beshear speaks for the Democrats in response to President Trump.

(Image credit: Twitter/@CBSNews)

published 1 March 2017

Former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear led the Democratic response to President Trump's address to Congress on Tuesday night. "Real leaders don't spread derision and division," Beshear said. "Real leaders strengthen. They unify... and they offer real solutions instead of ultimatums and blame."

Beshear also pushed a defense of the Affordable Care Act, warning that "so far, every Republican idea to replace [the ACA] would reduce the number of Americans covered."

The choice to have Beshear lead the response was a strategic one, as the former governor hails from a deep red state that heavily backed Trump over Hillary Clinton in the election. Others found the "old fashioned" governor to be an odd choice: "Kinda wondering why [Democrats] couldn't come up with one of their current [governors] to do this," tweeted The Washington Post's Charles Lane.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.