WASHINGTON — President Trump said during Tuesday’s State of the Union address that his first year in office has ushered in an American “golden age,” even as he faces the lowest approval ratings of his second term and Americans are increasingly worried about the economy.
The president used his remarks to forcefully defend his administration’s agenda, saying his policies have reinvigorated the economy and facilitated an aggressive immigration crackdown that he said had made America more secure.
“Today, our border is secure, our spirit is restored, inflation is plummeting and incomes are rising fast. The roaring economy is roaring like never before, and our enemies are scared,” Trump said, drawing applause from Republican lawmakers who chanted “USA! USA!”
“Our country is winning again,” Trump added. “In fact, we are winning so much that we do not know what to do about it.”
But what he portrayed in his nearly two-hour address to Congress clashed with a political reality that has the president dealing with increased tensions abroad and at home. He is dealing with a partial government shutdown, rising tensions over foreign conflicts and more frequent dissent from Republicans in Congress made vulnerable by his agenda ahead of the midterm elections in November.
As the president spoke to lawmakers, the partisan divisions were visible in the House chamber. Democratic lawmakers were silent, and oftentimes remain seated, as the president talked about what he viewed as his administration’s successes. In several instance, Democrats yelled and called the president a “liar” and “corrupt.”
The most tense moment erupted as Trump boasted about his immigration agenda, as he called on blue cities to end sanctuary policies “that protect the criminals.” Some Democrats in the room yelled that federal immigration agents had killed American citizens. One Democrat held pictures of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot and killed by agents in Minneapolis.
“You have killed Americans!” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said. At one point, Trump looked at her and said she should be “ashamed,” though he did not directly address her remarks.
In another instance, Rep. Al Green of Texas was escorted out of the chamber after he held a small sign that read: “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES.” The message was in reference to a video that was posted on the president’s social media website depicting former President Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. The post, which was later deleted, was blamed on a staffer.
In his speech, the president reiterated that his administration has delivered on campaign promises, pointing to a decline in gas prices and success at the border, where illegal immigrant crossings have declined.
Trump once again boasted foreign investments of $18 trillion — a figure that has been disputed by many economists, and the White House’s own data. The U.S. posted a trade deficit for 2025, not a surplus, and foreign direct investments were about 23% lower in the first year of Trump’s second term than during the Biden administration.
The event unfolded against the backdrop of a widening Democratic protest.
More than 30 congressional Democrats boycotted the address altogether, while others attended alternative events designed to compete with the president’s messaging.
“There is a better path. While Trump’s illegal policies and tariffs continue to drive up prices, Democrats are working to lower costs,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said in rebuttal to Trump’s remarks on Tuesday night. “Trump is trying to make voting harder — Democrats want to make it more accessible. And while he seeks to expand the reach of ICE, Democrats are pushing for oversight, accountability, and clear limits on its actions.”
Democrats who skipped the president’s formal address to Congress said they were doing so because they did not want to give credence to Trump. Others showed their opposition by inviting guests who have been affected by his agenda.
California Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia invited Annie Farmer, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender whose crimes have dogged Trump since he returned to office a year ago.
Some lawmakers, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), wore pins that read, “Stand with survivors. Release the files,” a reference to the investigative records on the late sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein.
Congress passed a law requiring the Justice Department to release the records, which include millions of pages of files, and it has released many — but not all, and many with heavy redactions.
Trump did not mention the Epstein scandal in his remarks despite there being bipartisan support to hold to account those tied to the late financier’s crimes.
The tension also spilled into his confrontations with the judicial branch.
President Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol.
(Jessica Koscielniak / Associated Press)
With three of the Supreme Court justices who voted against his preferred tariff policy attending his address, Trump lamented the court’s “unfortunate involvement” in a case that had been a blow to his economic agenda.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., Justice Amy Coney Barrett, both conservatives, and liberal Justice Elena Kagan were in the room listening to his remarks. Roberts and Barrett joined a 6-3 majority to overturn Trump’s tariffs, ruling they were illegal and could not stand without the approval of Congress.
In his speech, Trump remained defiant over their decision.
“The tariffs will remain in place under fully approved and tested alternative legal statutes and they have been tested for a long time — they’re a little more complex but better — leading to a solution that will be even stronger than before. Congressional action will not be necessary,” Trump said.
In the future, Trump added, tariffs paid by foreign countries will “substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax.”
A year into his new term, Trump’s approval rating has slumped to 37%, down from 40% in the fall with a noted decline in support within the Republican Party, according to a recent Pew Research poll.
The president’s tariff policy also languished in the polls, as 6 in 10 Americans surveyed this month said they oppose the policy. Of that group, about 40% strongly disapproved. Just 37% surveyed said they supported the measures — 13% of whom expressed strong approval.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Monday that it would be a “challenge to find consensus on any path forward on the tariffs, on the legislative side.”
Although Trump maintains he will not need Congress to impose new tariffs, he did call on Republicans to approve new voting rules blocking mail-in ballots and requiring voters to show proof of citizenship at the polls.
Democrats have largely seen the move as a pretext for bogus voter fraud claims down the line, as congressional Republicans tee up new barriers to voter registration through the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.
As Trump laid out what he sought to do, his speech yielded few answers as to the fate of the massive military buildup off Iran.
In recent weeks, the White House carried out the largest U.S. military deployment in the Middle East since 2003 — threatening war with Iran over its continued nuclear weapons program and mass killings of political protesters.
In June, the president ordered a missile strike on three Iranian uranium enrichment facilities, claiming at the time to have wiped out the Islamic Republic’s nuclear capabilities.
“We wiped it out but they want to start all over again, and are at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions,” Trump said.
He added the two adversaries are in negotiations and reiterated that Iran “wants to make a deal,” but he hasn’t heard the key words from Iran: “We will never have a nuclear weapon.”
“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivered the Democratic rebuttal, outright condemning the president’s speech and asserting that Trump has worsened the economy, destabilized national security and terrorized communities through his deportation policy.
“We did not hear the truth from our president,” she said.
Times staff writer Kevin Rector contributed to this report.
