The 5-Minute Fix: Your water cooler guide to the State of the Union

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By Amber Phillips

President Trump's first State of the Union will probably be remembered for being forgettable. He did little to try to win over Democrats, beyond a perfunctory call to “unity,” and he didn't really move the needle on raging debates about immigration and the spending bill.

Trump's first State of the Union address, in 3 minutes

But what happened in the crowd Tuesday night was arguably more memorable — and, just being honest here, much more fun to talk about than economic policy. Here are four water cooler moments from the State of the Union.

1. Women in black falls flat

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) during the State of the Union. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

They chose to wear black to make a statement but ended up blending in. Democrats, mostly women, wore black to signal support for the #MeToo movement and survivors of sexual assault. It's an inherently political act, given the president has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen women. But anyone casually tuning into the speech probably didn't notice their clothing choice at all. From Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion critic Robin Givhan:

The women in black did not stand out as a unified force. Instead, they disappeared into a sea of dark suits. They were not visually silenced by an outside force. No, they were proactively mute.

2. Melania Trump remerges

Melania Trump enters the Capitol

She hadn't been seen publicly alongside her husband since New Year's Eve, and barely at all in January. In that time, her husband has been accused of having an affair with a porn star months after she gave birth to their son. Since that news broke, their wedding anniversary passed in silence. She did not join him on a high-profile trip to schmooze with world elites in Davos, Switzerland. And CNN reports she broke with tradition and rode separately from her husband to the Capitol. All that is why it's newsworthy she showed up, smiled and clapped. The White House says she's focused on being a mother and first lady, and sneered at what it called “rumors.” Also raising questions was the all-white suit Melania Trump wore. Was this intentionally done to offset the Democratic women wearing black? Or just her preferred outfit for the night? The enigmatic, under-the-radar first lady continues to be mysterious.

3. Stormy Daniels kinda sorta retracts affair with Trump After the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month she was paid “hush money” to stay quiet about an alleged affair with Trump, porn star Stormy Daniels is loving the publicity. She launched a “Make America Horny Again” tour. She performed at a strip club in South Carolina on the anniversary of Trump's inauguration. She wants you to follow her on Instagram. The Trophy Club in Greenville, S.C., prepares for Daniels's inauguration anniversary performance. (Kevin D. Liles for The Washington Post) And she appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel” after Trump's State of the Union. But then something weird happened. Hours before, she issued a statement denying the affair and the hush money. She didn't deny it with Kimmel, but The Washington Post's Emily Heil reports she was super cagey about it. “Is any of that true?” Kimmel asked. “Define true,” she responded. Stormy Daniels dodges Jimmy Kimmel’s questions about Trump Did they or didn't they? The Fix's Callum Borchers explainsthat Daniels is probably sending mixed messages for a reason: She is trying to remain in technical compliance with the nondisclosure agreement while leading us to believe the affair was real. 4. Did Trump use a 12-year-old to dis protesting NFL players? Preston Sharp waves from the first lady's box during the State of the Union. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP) I know, I know. What a surprise that Trump used the spotlight to reignite a racially charged culture war. But the way he went about it in his speech was particularly inflammatory. As The Fix's Eugene Scott explains, Trump contrasted a 12-year-old California boy (from one of the state's few counties that supported the president), who organized the placement of more than 40,000 flags on the graves of veterans, with mostly black National Football League players who have knelt during the national anthem. Trump: Preston's reverence for those who have served our nation reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the Pledge of Allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem. The president's point: Placing flags at graves is patriotic. Kneeling during the anthem to protest police brutality is not. To which his critics say: Who are you to define the parameters of patriotism? Democrats' response to the State of the Union in one gif. Analysis The FBI’s extraordinary public rebuke of the Nunes memo — and President Trump The FBI is essentially accusing House Republicans and the White House of being partisan hacks. By Aaron Blake  •  Read more » Analysis The FBI just gave us another reason to be skeptical of the GOP memo criticizing the bureau If what the memo alleges is true — that the FBI and Justice Department relied on faulty information to spy on a Trump official — it would amount to a remarkable government conspiracy. By Amber Phillips  •  Read more » Analysis How Stormy Daniels might be outsmarting Trump by denying an affair The porn star may be deliberately sending mixed messages. By Callum Borchers  •  Read more » Analysis Trump decided to release an allegedly dangerous memo containing classified information — without even reviewing it Trump is "100 percent” playing fast and loose with what his own Justice Department says is a dangerous memo. By Aaron Blake  •  Read more » Analysis The myth of the Trump reset is finally dead The president delivered another on-script performance in his first State of the Union, but the media seems to have abandoned the notion that he might change. By Callum Borchers  •  Read more » Analysis Trump took a jab at NFL players protesting racism while honoring 12-year-old boy Trump used his State of the Union address to attack Americans who are protesting racism. By Eugene Scott  •  Read more » Analysis Congress’s telling body language during six key moments of Trump’s State of the Union address Judging by some of the body language in the room, it’s possible Trump exacerbated Washington's divisions By Amber Phillips  •  Read more »