Donald Trump’s — or perhaps more accurately, Steve Bannon’s — first address to Congress was a master class in doing what Trump does best: combining right-wing populist rhetoric with a mishmash of falsehoods, scapegoating, and brazen corporatism.

Despite widespread media reports that Trump has somehow turned over a new leaf simply by learning to read a teleprompter, the president that spoke before Congress cited just as many lies and promoted the same xenophobic, pro-corporate, war-hungry policies as the Trump we’ve seen over the last few months. What gave the speech a different flavor, however, was the administration’s signaled intent to refocus on and refine a populist image following a chaotic, politically damaging month.

That he largely seems to have succeeded should worry us.