Trump began what became a record-breaking one hour and 47 minute State of the Union by painting an optimistic picture, declaring America was “bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before”.
“Tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before, and a turnaround for the ages,” Trump said.
The 79-year-old hopes the primetime speech, broadcast across all major networks, will help him to sell that message to voters after a deeply divisive first year back in power.
‘Delusional’
Top Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer called Trump’s speech “delusional” and said it failed to address the struggles of ordinary Americans.
Underwater in opinion polls, Trump focused on what he said were his Administration’s economic achievements but offered little solace for voters angered by the cost of living.
Trump fears his Republican Party will lose control over Congress in the November Midterms, paralysing the rest of his second term and exposing him to a possible third impeachment.
He sought to seize on national enthusiasm over Team USA’s gold medal-winning Olympic ice hockey performance by inviting the players to join him in the Chamber to massive cheers and chants of “USA!”
He then announced he was awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the country’s highest civilian honour - to the team’s goalie.
And he handed Medals of Honour - the highest military award - to a helicopter pilot wounded in January’s attack to topple Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and also to a 100-year-old Korean War veteran.
‘Sinister nuclear ambitions’
Turning to what he said were his Administration’s efforts to boost US security, Trump claimed that Iran is seeking missiles that could reach the US.
He repeated his insistence that the country would never be allowed to build a nuclear weapon, saying that Tehran’s leaders were “at this moment again pursuing their sinister nuclear ambitions”.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry later dismissed US claims about its missile programme as “big lies”.
“Whatever they’re alleging in regards to Iran’s nuclear programme, Iran’s ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January’s unrest, is simply the repetition of ‘big lies’,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on X.
Iran has repeatedly denied that it is seeking a nuclear weapon.
Trump left the door open for a peaceful resolution, noting that negotiations were continuing and said, “my preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy”.
He boasted that Venezuela was now shipping oil to the US after Washington ousted its leader, and celebrated the killing of a Mexican narco kingpin.
Trump lashes out
At about the hour mark, Trump resumed his customary dark rhetoric against opponents and undocumented immigrants.
Trump claimed Democrats were “destroying our country” and that Somali “pirates” had “ransacked” Minnesota.
The President told Congress to pass a law imposing additional ID requirements for Americans to vote, pushing his unprecedented and false claims that US elections suffer from “rampant” cheating.
The battle over the right to vote comes as Republicans are trying to avoid losing their narrow majority in the House of Representatives - and potentially the Senate.
A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll published on Monday showed Trump’s approval rating at a lowly 39%. Only 41% approved of his handling of the economy overall, and just 32% on inflation.
He has been battered by a series of blows, most recently with the Supreme Court’s striking down of his use of coercive trade tariffs against countries all over the world.
Trump, who earlier branded the court’s justices “fools and lapdogs” over the tariff ruling, briefly shook hands with several of the justices in attendance but went on in his speech to declare their ruling “very unfortunate”.
The billionaire has also been rocked by a backlash to the killing of two US citizens in immigration raids in Minneapolis and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
He did not mention the Epstein scandal in his speech.
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