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In State of the Union address, Trump touts economic agenda amid declining support

In a marathon State of the Union address, President Donald Trump ticked through claimed victories, insisting the U. S. is 'winning so much' even as his approval slips.



U. S. President Donald Trump doubled down on tariffs and blamed immigrants
for crime in his State of the Union address as he sought to win back a
public that has soured on both his economic agenda and his mass deportation campaign.

The Tuesday night speech, to a joint session of Congress, unfolded as
voters, increasingly frustrated with the cost of living and the President's inability to make good on promises to lower prices, have driven down his
poll numbers.

His standing has also been hurt by his immigration roundups, particularly
the brutal tactics employed by federal agents, who gunned down two
protesters last month in Minneapolis.

Analysis: Trump's State of the Union address was a celebration of one man's achievements

But Mr. Trump, seeking to shore up Republican support ahead of midterm legislative elections this year, insisted that his policies are working. Rather than making life less affordable, he said, his tariffs were driving
a "stunning economic turnaround, the biggest in history. "

"Countries that were ripping us off for decades are now paying us hundreds
of billions of dollars, " he said, adding that "as time goes by, " revenue from the levies would "substantially replace the modern-day system of
income tax. "

Tariffs, however, are not paid by foreign countries but rather by U. S. importers, with the cost often passed along to American consumers. And economists broadly agree that it would not be possible to use the levies to replace income tax as they cannot raise nearly as much money.

Trump boasted that he had ushered in 'the golden age of America, ' seeking
to project an aura of success despite sagging approval ratings.


The President also tied his immigration crackdown in Minnesota to a non-
profit fraud scandal in the state in which many of the accused are Somali- Americans. In the speech, he described them as "Somali pirates who
ransacked Minnesota. "

"Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings us problems right here to the USA, " he said.

There is no evidence that immigrants to the U. S. are more likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans.

The President offered some promises for cost-of-living relief: a system of retirement plans for people who do not have one through their employer and
a call for Congress to restrict investment companies from buying up single- family homes.

Trump's new suite of tariffs might be illegal too, lawyers suggest

But he mostly spent the speech trying to convince voters that things are
going extremely well.

"Our country is winning again. In fact, we're winning so much that we
really don't know what to do about it. People are asking me, 'Please,
please, please, Mr. President, we're winning too much, we can't take it any more, '" he said.

Mr. Trump then introduced America's gold-medal-winning men's Olympic hockey team as they filed into the public gallery. He announced that he would give star goalie Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom for beating
"a fantastic Canadian team" in Sunday's 2-1 overtime game on Sunday.

U. S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address. KENNY HOLSTON/AFP/Getty Images

The President also attacked the Democrats' successful use of
"affordability" as a rallying cry for their political campaigns. He
insisted they, not he, were responsible for high consumer prices. "They
knew their statements were a dirty, rotten lie, " he said, accusing the
party of wanting "large-scale tax increases" and calling them "sick people.
"

Mr. Trump was heckled several times, including by some who raised the cuts
to health care spending in last year's One Big Beautiful Bill.

By contrast, the President was more muted in his criticism of the Supreme Court, which on Friday struck down his use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs. Instead, he promised to use other tools to bring in new, higher levies.

"Just four days ago, an unfortunate ruling from the United States Supreme Court, it just came down, very unfortunate ruling, " he said as three
justices who voted to void the IEEPA tariffs u John Roberts, Amy Coney
Barrett and Elena Kagan u sat front and centre. Brett Kavanaugh, who voted
to allow the tariffs to continue, also attended.

Last week, Mr. Trump called Justice Barrett and Justice Neil Gorsuch, both
of whom he appointed, "an embarrassment to their families" for not backing
his tariffs.

Trump's State of the Union address got largely positive reviews from Republicans and was largely panned by Democrats.

The Associated Press

On foreign policy, Mr. Trump was more conciliatory with NATO than usual, saying "they're our friends and they're our allies. " He also addressed
Iran, as he builds up military forces in the region and weighs another
attack on the country.

"My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world's number one sponsor of terror u
which they are by far u to have a nuclear weapon, " he said.

During the speech, which lasted nearly two hours, Mr. Trump frequently went off-script and toyed both with giving himself a medal and running for a
third term.

"I've always wanted the Congressional Medal of Honor, " he said, after announcing the award for a helicopter pilot involved in last month's
operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicola|s Maduro. "I was informed
I'm not allowed to give it to myself. I don't know why I'd be taking it.
But if they ever open that law I will be there with you some day. "

The President is also barred from seeking a third term, but has repeatedly mooted the possibility.

"In my first-year second term u should be my third term, strange things happen, " he said, as someone in the crowd chanted, "Four more years. "
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