State of the Union recap: Honoring my late brother in 'his city' & Trump explains American interests vis-à-vis Iran

What a whirlwind these past few days have been.

I had originally traveled to the U.S. to cover the Judeo Christian Zionist Congress (JCZC) and the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

But then, the office of Mike Johnson, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, surprisingly reached out to my parents to invite them to President Trump’s State of the Union address in honor of my late brother, Yaron Lischinsky.

Concerned about a looming major war with Iran and the potential of resulting flight cancellations, they asked me to attend in their stead – and that is how I ended up representing my family at an event featuring the highest levels of government.

All the while, I couldn’t help but think this would have been a dream come true for Yaron, who had enjoyed working on the Hill and meeting senior leaders and politicians so much.

One of his professional highlights was attending the last address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the same chamber, in July 2024. I remember vividly how excited he was to send us his pictures of meetings with lawmakers and celebrities on the sidelines of the speech.

So, it was a particular honor to be invited by Speaker Johnson, and a very touching and fitting tribute to my brother.

I was accompanied most of the evening by our ALL ISRAEL NEWS Editor-in-Chief Joel Rosenberg, who enabled several fascinating discussions with Evangelical leaders, including Housing and Development Secretary Scott Turner.

A former NFL player and pastor, Turner movingly assured me that he was praying for my family and sent them his heartfelt condolences, before we bowed our heads to pray together.

For someone like me, who grew up in post-Christian Germany and follows politics there closely, it was astonishing to see a cabinet member pray so openly – something that is unthinkable in most Western countries, outside of the United States.

This theme was to continue later in the speech when Trump touted the “tremendous renewal in religion, faith, Christianity, and belief in God” in the country.

Seated next to a member of China’s persecuted Uyghur minority, I then observed the highest leadership of the nation file into the chamber, a fascinating spectacle for someone who has been covering these leaders in a professional capacity for years.

The main part of the speech was focused on domestic issues, which was slightly less relevant to Israelis but fascinating to observe, nevertheless.

One of my main takeaways here was that the “culture war” is still in full swing, highlighted by some of the Democrats refusing to stand and applaud the most basic statements.

This included a statement against the right to gender-transition children against the wishes of their parents, or the simple point that the first obligation of the American government is the well-being of its citizens, rather than illegal immigrants.

While the Trump administration’s policies regarding these domestic issues impact Americans first and foremost, the course charted by Washington always has a massive influence on the rest of the West – and the world – as well.

In this context, it was also notable that Trump didn’t make a pro-abortion statement but positively highlighted a guest who had benefited from IVF medications – not a particularly popular stance in most conservative circles.

In addition to Trump’s personal charisma and jokes, the frenetically patriotic atmosphere, punctuated by the appearance of the Gold medal-winning hockey team – and the awarding of two Medals of Honor, a Purple Heart, and a Legion of Merit Medal – made for a highly entertaining and stirring speech, despite its extraordinary length.

Two points in the speech were particularly important to Israel.

Touching on the Gaza ceasefire, the president touted his doubtful success in bringing “peace to the Middle East,” as well as his crucial role in securing the release of the Israeli hostages.

And despite the declining bipartisan character of support for Israel in the U.S., it was very moving to see almost the entire chamber, including the galleries, rise in applause for the return of all the hostages.

On the other hand, my seat gave me a first-row view of the childish antics by Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who was dressed in a Palestinian scarf and at one point shouted “genocide” at the president.

Trump also briefly addressed the tensions with Iran.

Here, he stressed the America-first rationale for potentially striking Iran, a crucially important point in times when the Tucker Carlson-led wing of his movement accuses Israel of leading the president by the nose regarding Iran.

Trump clearly laid out the danger to the interests of America and its allies posed by the mullahs and their nuclear program, their ballistic missiles, and their worldwide support for terror groups.

Shortly after writing these lines, the U.S. and Israel embarked on a military campaign against the Iranian regime, making Trump's clear explanations of the America-first reasons for his decision all the more memorable.

Another fascinating issue that will become important to Israel is Trump’s succession, which was the subject of our discussions with insiders both at the Capitol and outside of it.

The upcoming midterms are widely expected to go badly for Republicans, potentially making him a true lame duck president for the rest of his term, with uncertain – but most likely negative – implications for Israel.

And then, a succession battle could break out between Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is widely seen as the more pro-Israel candidate.

The Lischinsky family cannot begin to properly express our thanks to Speaker Johnson, the White House, and the American people – especially Jewish and Evangelical communities – for the love and graciousness they have shown us in the aftermath of the tragic murder of our Yaron.

I cannot count the number of people who have told me personally how horrified and moved they were by his fate, and that they are continuing to pray for us, even almost a year later.

Finally, this was an incredible, maybe once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, in the city that Yaron loved dearly and for me will always remain his city.