After exhibiting countless cock-eyed expressions of exasperation, the president's chief antagonist, Nancy Pelosi, deliberately and conspicuously tore her copy of the State of the Union speech in quarters within perfect view of millions of American eyeballs. It was an act so vile and disturbingly polarizing it may have cemented the 2020 victory for Mr. Trump. To be sure, this was a calculated gamble by the Speaker of the House — and was presumably well thought out with the hopes of embarrassing the president. It’s simply another blunder in a long line of political mistakes the Democrats have inflicted upon themselves since 2016. Attempting to "out Trump-Trump" is essentially political suicide. 

Donald Trump, is the undisputed media king and a modern day P.T. Barnum. His presidency is the "Greatest Show on Earth." Prior to the SOTU, I half-expected to see news footage depicting Vice President Mike Pence twirling a cardboard sign with big block letters in carnival typeface that read, “This way to the Show. Grandstand seats only 30 cents,” the VP fitted with a big black top hat, waving congressional folks inside with a flourish while that old classic anthem by Emerson, Lake and Palmer plays at double digit decibels on distorted outdoor speakers, "Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends / We're so glad you could attend / Come inside, come inside."

No president previously has shown the audacity and/or brilliance to use the hallowed halls of Congress for his personal three-ring circus. While Barnum and Bailey delivered elephants, lions, freaks and death-defying acts of incredible wonder, Trump dazzled his supporters with marvelous stories tugging on the heartstrings of middle America. 

One by one, Trump directed us to look upward, eerily similar to how a circus ringmaster would point toward the pinnacle of the Big Top for a Reaper-cheating feat performed by the Flying Wallendas. First, Brigadier General Charles Edward McGee, the last surviving Tuskegee airman, recognized in front of the chamber for his bravery and valor. 

Next up, the president announcing that Democrat Public Enemy No. 2 (Trump still holds the distinction as Public Enemy No. 1) Rush Limbaugh, recently diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, was being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Limbaugh shakily struggled to his feet while the First Lady placed the medal around his neck. Great theater, perfect optics. 

For his grand finale, the president brings the house down when he reunites Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams of the 82nd Airborne Division with his wife and two kids after serving four deployments and being away from his family for seven months. Not a dry eye in the house. 

That’s showmanship, pure and simple: That's a quality for better or worse that no other running candidate possesses. Until now the president has been unable to build on his base; however, according to the latest Gallup poll President Donald Trump's job approval rating has risen to 49%, his highest in since he took office in 2017. American politics is reality television on steroids! 

If you were searching for soul-altering substance in the SOTU speech you probably didn't find it. And that’s fine with the president: for him, it’s all in the presentation. "Lights, camera, action!" 

Most media outlets, including CNN and MSNBC, have conspired with the Washington Democrat hierarchy for constant relentless attacks on this administration. For 1,000 days Trumps' rivals coordinated ferocious onslaughts, magnificently failing every time. Haymaker after haymaker, and Trump still sits in the Oval Office with nary a blemish. 

This president has figured out that America wants to be entertained. He rarely fails to deliver, whether it be a speech, rally, press conference, or a 3 a.m. series of scathing tweets. The Democrats were banking that the public would grow weary of his antics, but they've accepted it and perhaps even relish it. Trump the modern-day gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius standing in the center of the coliseum responding to a blood thirsty crowd, "Are you not entertained? Isn't that why you are here?" Well, are you entertained? 

Lee Elci is the morning host for 94.9 News Now radio, a station that provides "Stimulating Talk" with a conservative bent.