WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump gave a triumphal State of the Union speech Tuesday, proclaiming that he has ushered in a “golden age of America” while taunting Democrats in the chamber and blaming the country’s problems on them.
The speech comes at a perilous moment for Trump as his approval ratings have slipped. Americans have lost trust in him on the economy for the first time in his political career, according to a wide range of polls, presenting troubles for his party ahead of the November midterm elections.
Still, Trump didn’t suggest he would adjust his domestic or foreign policies in response. On issues from immigration to the economy to foreign policy, Trump’s speech was heavy on touting his existing policies and light on offering new ones.
Instead, he sounded defiant and took pride in his first year back in office while sparring with Democrats and goading them to respond to him. Respond they did, with a mix of silence, angry shouts and even mocking laughter.
Here are three takeaways from his speech, which clocked in at over 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Celebrating his economy
Trump unabashedly celebrated the economy, touting a stock market at “all-time highs.”
“We have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before. A turnaround for the ages,” he said. “We will never go back to where we were just a short time ago.”
Trump said little to acknowledge the economic pain and pessimism that many Americans report they feel when it comes to wages and costs, instead declaring that prices are coming down. To the extent that he admitted problems exist, he blamed them on his predecessor and Democrats in Congress.
He boasted about his “great big, beautiful bill” — including the tax breaks on tips and overtime and the deduction for seniors (which he falsely called “no tax on Social Security"). He touted the tax-advantaged “Trump accounts” for children.
And he defended his tariffs as a mechanism “to make great deals for our country” and slammed the Supreme Court ruling to invalidate them as “disappointing.” He said he would use a different authority to keep levying tariffs and claimed he wouldn't need approval from Congress, but the blanket tariffs he announced last week require it past a 150-day limit.
Touting immigration crackdown
Trump took credit for his immigration crackdown, boasting that he had brought about “the strongest border in American history by far” and slashed illegal immigration.
He gave extended remarks highlighting victims of violence and crimes committed by people who were in the U.S. illegally, with some of the victims’ family members seated in the audience.
Trump didn’t mention Alex Pretti and Renee Good, the American citizens killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. But Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., held a sign showing photos of them. Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Ill., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., repeatedly shouted at Trump: “You have killed Americans.”
Trump also said little about the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security except to blame it on Democrats and say he is “demanding the full and immediate restoration of all funding for DHS” as negotiations continue with no end in sight.
Goading and clashing with Democrats
Trump extended no olive branches to Democrats, instead repeatedly taunting them and blaming them for high costs. He showed indignation at the perception that he hasn’t delivered on his promise to quickly lower prices.
He slammed former President Joe Biden “and his corrupt partners in Congress and beyond” for inflation and the “green new scam” and accused them of backing “open borders for everyone.”
“The same people in this chamber who voted for those disasters suddenly use the word ‘affordability.’ A word — they just used it, somebody gave it to them,” a visibly frustrated Trump said. “You caused that problem,” he added, gesturing toward Democrats.
He vowed that Republicans — not Democrats — “will always protect Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid,” even as his signature "big, beautiful bill" cut Medicaid by $1 trillion.
He pointed at Democrats and said, “These people are crazy,” prompting Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to stand up and applaud.
He said “the crushing cost of health care” was “caused by you,” looking at the Democratic side of the aisle, blasting the Affordable Care Act after he successfully sought to end a part of the law’s health insurance tax credits last year, leading to cost increases. He touted his plan, parts of which have stalled in Congress.
He named former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as he attacked lawmakers for profiting off public service — despite his own actions as president that helped boost his net worth by $3 billion in 2025, according to Forbes.
While numerous Democrats skipped the speech entirely, others used the occasion to make a point of their own.
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was ejected for the second year in a row after he waved a sign at Trump that read “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES!” in reference to a recent artificial intelligence-generated video on Trump’s social media account. Trump removed the video, which depicted the Obamas as apes and drew widespread condemnation, but he said he wouldn’t apologize for it.
Last year, Green was removed after he shouted at Trump over Medicaid cuts.
Trump also called on the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act to overhaul election laws nationwide while saying of Democrats, “The only way they get elected is to cheat.”
And he made a reference to his second term, adding: “Should be in my third term.” Some Republicans chuckled.
