Washington, Feb 25 – US President Donald Trump entered the House chamber to chants of “USA, USA, USA,” and delivered a State of the Union address that was as much for the audience as it was for the cameras – a blend of boasting, grievances, and theatrics that portrayed his second term as a national rescue mission and his opponents as the only obstacle to a promised “golden age of America.”
With Speaker Mike Johnson introducing him and Vice President J.D. Vance seated behind the podium, Trump began with a familiar statement, telling lawmakers and the country that “our nation is back, bigger, better, richer, and stronger than ever before.” He framed the moment around a patriotic milestone – the “250th anniversary of our glorious American independence” – and insisted that “you haven’t seen anything yet,” promising that the country would “continue to improve.”
At one point, after he called on lawmakers to stand and affirm that “the primary responsibility of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal immigrants,” he turned to the Democrats who remained seated and rebuked them: “You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
He claimed that “in the past nine months, zero illegal immigrants have been admitted to the United States,” while also stating that legal immigration would continue for “people who love our country.”
His central economic proposal was that the country could be revitalized through tax cuts and tariffs.
Trump stated that his tariff policy had brought in “hundreds of billions of dollars” and helped him negotiate deals “economically and for national security.” Four days after what he called “an unfortunate ruling from the United States Supreme Court,” he insisted that “these powerful, country-saving, peace-protecting” tariffs would remain, and predicted that tariffs would “significantly replace the modern-day income tax system.”
As is customary, Trump used invited guests to illustrate his policies – personal stories as evidence. Megan Hemhauser, a mother who homeschooled during the day and worked as a waitress at night, was presented as an example of tax relief; Catherine Rayner, an IVF patient, was introduced as “the first person to receive a significant discount” under his prescription drug program; and Rachel Wiggins, who lost to “large investment firms,” was used to justify his executive order banning large Wall Street firms from buying single-family homes in bulk.
The performance extended to sports. Trump invited the men's Olympic hockey team to the aisle, praised goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck’s performance (“46 shots on goal”), and announced that he would award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, after a team vote that, he joked, no one dared oppose.
However, the most pointed part of the night came when Trump shifted from applause lines to accusations. He announced a “war on fraud” led by Vice President Vance and alleged that “members of the Somali community have stolen an estimated $19 billion from American taxpayers.” He warned that “allowing unrestricted immigration from these cultures” would bring “bribery, corruption, and lawlessness” to the United States. This statement caused a stir in the chamber, turning a focus on fiscal control into a discussion about identity, borders, and social order.
On law enforcement, he urged Congress to pass the “Dalilah Law,” named after a child injured in a truck accident involving a truck driver he described as “an illegal immigrant,” to prevent states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. When he criticized New York City’s mayor as “the new communist mayor,” he added, almost as an afterthought, “I actually think he’s a good person,” drawing laughter even as he continued his attack.
Foreign policy and national security were presented in an ambitious manner. Trump claimed he had “ended eight wars,” listing conflicts from “Cambodia and Thailand” to “Kosovo and Serbia,” and adding “Pakistan and India,” which he claimed “would have resulted in a nuclear war.”
He thanked aides and advisors by name, including Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom he praised as “an excellent Secretary of State” who “will be remembered as one of the best.”
He paired these claims with an alliance message: NATO countries, he said, had agreed “to pay five percent” of their GDP for defense, and he asserted that “everything we send to Ukraine is sent through NATO, and they pay us in full.” He also described a crackdown in the Western Hemisphere: he had designated cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations,” declared fentanyl “a weapon of mass destruction,” and claimed a new military campaign had “virtually stopped” drug smuggling by sea.
The speech’s most dramatic segment was reserved for Venezuela. Trump claimed that US forces had captured Nicolás Maduro and ended his “reign,” and he introduced Venezuelan guests, including Alejandra Gonzalez and her uncle Enrique, whom he said had been freed from prison.
