Trump Guest Blasts ‘Undeserving’ Lawmakers for ‘Not Doing Their Work’

Sandy Keplinger, a small-business owner, blasted lawmakers who were “undeserving to be there” at President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address in the Capitol on Tuesday night — accusing many of them of “not doing their work.” She made her comments during an interview Wednesday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”

Keplinger and her brother, Steve Staub, attended the address as the president’s guests, along with one of their employees, Corey Adams, whom the president called “a great welder.”

Trump noted during his speech that Staub and Keplinger were able to give raises to their employees, hire 14 more people, and expand into the building next door, thanks to tax reform legislation passed in December. Although Keplinger expressed her gratitude to Trump and Congress, she offered some choice words to lawmakers who didn’t support tax reform.

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“It was a very humbling experience. I felt very actually undeserving, sitting among all of the other guests there who have given so much, sacrificed so much,” Keplinger said. “And then I looked down over the chamber, and they’re the ones that are undeserving to be there because it’s just sad.”

Keplinger clarified that she was referring to the “lawmakers” who are “not doing their work.”

“Steve and I have to make it work because we have so much at risk, and they don’t,” Keplinger said. “And we need to hold them accountable to get things done for us, because it’s important.”

The Ohio-based Staub Manufacturing company hired Adams, a father of two young girls who was unemployed for two years after the 2008 recession, to work as a welder. Adams noted that he recently bought his first house and gave credit to himself for his hard work, Staub and Keplinger for hiring him, and President Trump “for the tax incentives.”

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“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, a remarkable feeling,” Adams said, adding that one of his daughters “thinks she’s a celebrity now” after Trump recognized him during the State of the Union address.

During the course of his address, Trump praised Congress for passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, noting that small businesses received a “massive” tax cut and could now deduct 20 percent of their business income.

“There has never been a better time to start living the American dream.”

“Since we passed tax cuts, roughly 3 million workers have already gotten tax cut bonuses — many of them thousands and thousands of dollars per worker, and it’s getting more every month and every week,” Trump said. “This, in fact, is our new American moment. There has never been a better time to start living the American dream.”

PoliZette writer Kathryn Blackhurst can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter.