Transgender Mice and the State of the Union: Skip the Spectacle and Read the Transcript

The last time I watched a State of the Union (SOTU) address was back when George W. Bush was president. Since then, I’ve stopped tuning in, because the SOTU, no matter who is in office, has become political theater, designed more for emotional validation than substantive policy discussion. It’s a night of applause lines, choreographed reactions, questionable claims, and the occasional “gotcha” moment—meant to reinforce pre-existing biases rather than provide meaningful insights.

This year, we can just begin and end with the claim that the government spent $8 million to make mice transgender—a line designed to provoke outrage but which actually refers to transgenic mice used in legitimate scientific research.

Trump framed it as wasteful spending on progressive ideology, but the actual research involves transgenic mice, which have been used extensively in medical research since the early 1980s. These genetically modified mice help scientists study cancer, neurological disorders, and hormone-related diseases. A misleading framing in a speech turns legitimate science into an outrage talking point that some unknown count of our fellow citizens will take verbatim.

Does the administration not know? Or are they deliberately misleading the people? Either way, it’s ridiculous.

So, rather than taking in the SOTU from a “go team” sporting event, I just read the transcript the next day. It’s not worth the investment of time and emotional energy to watch it. Read the speech, strip away the performative elements, and engage on your own terms—without the performative spectacle.

Take a step back. 

Read the transcript—you can find it here: AP News Transcript. 

Then, check the facts from a source like FactCheck.org.

Remove the emotional cues, the outrage, the spectacle and see what remains.