(The Lion) — President Donald Trump projected a message of American strength and a nation roaring back to life in his State of the Union address Tuesday.
“Members of Congress, the state of our union is strong,” Trump told lawmakers, calling it the “golden age” of America. “Our country is winning again.”
The speech took an unashamedly patriotic tone, as Trump sought to highlight the administration’s America First achievements and economic improvements ahead of the midterm elections.
The address also included a number of striking moments, as Trump recognized Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor to Eric Slover, a soldier wounded during the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, and presented a Purple Heart to National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, who survived a shot to the head while patrolling Washington D.C. the day before Thanksgiving.
Other special guests included the parents of National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, who was shot alongside Wolfe but did not survive, the mother of Lizbeth Medina, a 16-year-old cheerleader from Texas who was killed by an illegal immigrant, and Catherine Rayner, a Navy spouse struggling with infertility who is using TrumpRx to save thousands of dollars on fertility drugs.
Roughly half of congressional Democrats skipped the address, Axios reported, as some held counter-events at the National Mall and others walked out mid-speech.
Here are The Lion’s top takeaways and moments from the address:
Economy
Trump kicked off his speech by highlighting affordability, as polls consistently indicate the public remains concerned about the cost of living. He cited falling mortgage rates, lower inflation, cheaper gas prices, and prescription drug price cuts through TrumpRx.
Democrats are abusing the word “affordability,” Trump argued, since Democratic policies “created the high prices, our policies are rapidly ending them.” Putting a face to his economic agenda, Trump welcomed a Pennsylvania homeschooling mother, Megan Hemhouser, a waitress by night whose husband works overtime hours.
“With no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and our expanded child tax credit,” Trump said, “Megan and her husband will take home more than $5,000 extra just for the year, cutting her tax bill in more than half.”
Men’s hockey goalie awarded
The U.S. men’s hockey team, which won a Gold Medal Sunday after defeating Canada at the Winter Olympics, attended the event, greeted by chants of “U.S.A.” Trump awarded the team’s goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the highest civilian honor in the country.
“Great athletes have gotten that, very great, the best, and I thought he deserved it,” Trump said. He has only named three other recipients of the award during his second term – Ben Carson, Rudy Giuliani, and Charlie Kirk, who received it posthumously.
Democrats refuse to stand for putting American citizens first
Trump called on members of Congress to stand up if they believe “the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens,” which virtually every Democrat refused to do, as Republicans stood and cheered for an extended period.
“You should be ashamed of yourselves, not standing up,” Trump said, calling on Congress to end sanctuary city policies.
“You have killed Americans,” Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar yelled at Trump in response. “You should be ashamed.”
Immigration and crime
In one of many moments showcasing the deep divide between the Trump administration and Democrats, Trump accused his opponents of allowing a “border invasion” to happen before he took office.
“Indeed, they would do it all over again if they ever had the chance,” he said of Democrats. “If they ever got elected, they would open up those borders to some of the worst criminals anywhere in the world. The only thing standing between Americans and a wide-open border right now is President Donald J. Trump and our great Republican patriots in Congress.”
After millions of illegal immigrants entered the U.S. during the Biden administration, he said, the border is now at its “strongest and most secure” point in history, between plunging border crossings and a reduced flow of fentanyl across the border.
The president also touted reduced crime in American cities following the deployment of the National Guard in cities including Memphis, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. In the nation’s capital, crime is “now at the lowest level ever recorded and murders in D.C. this January were down close to 100% from a year ago,” Trump said.
Policy announcements and calls to Congress
Trump announced Vice President J.D. Vance will lead a “war on fraud” with the goal of finding enough fraud to “actually have a balanced budget overnight.” He also announced that next year, the Trump administration will match 401(k) contributions with up to $1,000 a year for American workers without employer-sponsored retirement plans.
The president called on Congress to pass the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote, and encouraged lawmakers to pass the STOP Insider Trading Act to prevent Congress from corruptly profiting from privileged information.
Rallying the nation
The world turns to America when it needs “courage, daring, vision, and inspiration,” Trump said as he concluded his remarks on a patriotic note.
“There is no challenge Americans cannot overcome,” he said. “The revolution that began in 1776 has not ended. It still continues, because the flame of liberty and independence still burns in the heart of every American patriot. And our future will be bigger, better, brighter, bolder, and more glorious than ever before.”
