No one shouted “Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States!”

“Hail to the Chief” did not play.

There was no applause.

It was, essentially, a good news day for President Bill Clinton on Feb. 12, 1999; he had been acquitted in his impeachment trial. Still, when he took to the lectern in the Rose Garden, he was solemn.

“Now that the Senate has fulfilled its constitutional responsibility, bringing this process to a conclusion,” he began. “I want to say again to the American people how profoundly sorry I am for what I said and did to trigger these events, and the great burden they have imposed on the Congress and on the American people.”

Things proceeded somewhat differently Thursday, when President Trump made a rambling, hour-long speech on what he called “a day of celebration.” He spoke before a crowd of supporters, including White House officials, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other Republican members of Congress.