US President Donald Trump, in a long address to Congress, defended his record on the economy, saying that he had brought about a “golden era.” He described this period as one of strong performance, despite declining approval ratings and policy disagreements, along with geopolitical uncertainties.
This was the longest speech ever delivered by a president to Congress, with a duration of one hour, 47 minutes.
Trump spent much of his opening hour focusing on economic issues, such as inflation, the markets and tax policies, in an effort to reassure voters before November’s midterm election.
He said, “Our nation has returned — stronger, bigger, and richer than before.” Republican legislators chanted “USA, USA,” while many Democratic seats were empty because of boycotts and demonstrations.
The economy is at the center of attention
Trump claimed that his administration has curbed inflation and brought stock markets up to new records, implemented tax cuts, and reduced drug prices.
Trump’s economic message was resolute, despite polls showing a waning of public support.
The economic data that was released a few days before showed that the economy had slowed down more than anticipated in the last quarter, while the inflation rate increased.
Trump may have declared that inflation was “plummeting” but consumers still face higher costs in recent years for housing, utilities, groceries and insurance.
Only 36% of Americans surveyed by Reuters/Ipsos approve of Obama’s handling of the US economy.
In November, Democrats will try to take back control of Congress. All 435 House Seats and about one third of the Senate seats are up for grabs.
Trump stuck to his prepared remarks for the first part of his address, but took a more aggressive tone when it came to several domestic matters.
He criticised immigration policy disagreements and verbally clashed with Democratic legislators.
“You should feel ashamed,” said he to Democrats in a heated discussion over funding for immigration enforcement.
Tariffs and foreign policy, as well as political conflicts
President Obama avoided criticizing the US Supreme Court for its recent decision that struck down his tariff system, calling it “unfortunate.”
On entering the chamber, he shook hands with the justices present.
The first 90 minutes were devoted to foreign policy.
Trump claimed again that he “ended” 8 wars, but hardly mentioned the Russia/Ukraine conflict – despite it being the anniversary of Russia’s invasion on the same date.
In response to Iran’s nuclear program, he stated, “My preference would be for this issue to be resolved through diplomatic means.” He added, “But I am certain that the No. He said that he preferred to solve the problem through diplomacy. “But one thing is certain, I will never allow Iran, who by far are the world’s No.
As Democratic legislators protested, tensions rose in the chamber.
Ilhan Omar, a Representative from Minnesota, shouted “You’ve killed Americans!,” while Trump spoke about immigration enforcement. Representative Al Green, who displayed a sign of protest, was removed for displaying it.
Democratic Rebuttal
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger gave the Democratic response to the speech, criticizing harshly the immigration policies of the Obama administration and its broader governance style.
“Our President has sent federal agents who are poorly trained into our cities where they arrested and detained American Citizens and those who want to become Americans. They did it all without a court order… they killed American citizens on our streets. “They have all done this with their faces covered to avoid accountability,” said she.
Our broken immigration system must be corrected, and not used as an excuse to allow unaccountable individuals to terrorize communities.
The president’s economic and foreign policy was also criticised by the senator. “While the President spoke about his perceived success tonight, he continued to cede the economic and technological power to Russia. He continues to bow to China.
In his speech, tonight, President Obama did exactly what he does every night. He distracted, he made up lies, and he used scapegoats. He offered no solutions to the nation’s most pressing problems, many of which are actively made worse by him.
As new information becomes available, this post Trump praises the ‘golden era’ in his record-breaking State of the Union address may change.
