SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Washington: A defiant Donald Trump has declared that the things have never been better for the United States and the best is yet to come, using his record-breaking State of the Union address to highlight his able stewardship of the country.
“Our nation is back bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,” Trump said Tuesday at his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, which ran for more than 1 hour and 41 minutes.
“You’ve seen nothing yet,” he continued. “We’re going to do better and better and better. This is the Golden Age of America.”
The triumphant tone from Trump is designed to counter his flagging popularity. A recent poll from the Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos, 57 per cent of the respondents disapproved of Trump’s economic policy, with only 41 per cent approving. Voters are even more downbeat on his handling of tariffs (64 per cent disapprove) and inflation (65 per cent disapprove).
Trump used his address to counter their sour mood, saying that the country was thriving.
“Today, our border is secure, our spirit is restored. Inflation is plummeting, incomes are rising fast,” Trump said.
“The roaring economy is roaring like never before, and our enemies are scared. Our military and police are stacked, and America is respected again, perhaps like never before.”
However, prices for groceries, housing, insurance and utilities remain significantly higher than they were a few years ago. New data released on Friday showed the economy slowed more than expected last quarter while inflation accelerated.
Within minutes of Trump’s opening remarks, Democrat Al Green was escorted out of the chamber. As Trump began speaking, Green stood and held a sign reading “Black People Aren’t Apes,” a reference to a racist video Trump posted — and then deleted— on social media portraying former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, as primates in a jungle.
One notable moment of unity emerged when Trump welcomed members of the U.S. men’s hockey team to their chamber fresh off a thrilling gold medal finish at the Winter Olympics. But even that moment didn’t last long as Trump joked and took a dig at Democrats who he said didn’t rise to greet the team.
‘Somali pirates that ransacked Minnesota’
Some of the most vicious rhetoric of the speech focused on the issue of illegal immigration, with Donald Trump again targeting the Somali community in the state of Minnesota.
“When it comes to the corruption that is plundering America, there has been no more stunning example than Minnesota – where members of the Somali community have pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American taxpayer,” Trump said in the speech.
“The Somali pirates who ransack Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception.
Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right here to the USA,” Trump added. The comments drew the ire of Democrat politician from Minnesota Ilhan Omar, who heckled Trump.
Trump also used the speech to renew his calls for the Save America Act legislation to be green lit by the congress ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
The controversial legislation is designed to stop illegal immigrants from voting in elections amid heightened scrutiny on the participation of noncitizens in US elections. The act requires voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship at the time of registration and a photo ID at the time of voting.
The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 explicitly prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and they are also not allowed to vote in statewide elections.
Democrats have warned that the Save America Act legislation is overly restrictive and discriminates against millions of people who may not have access to the necessary documents (like a birth certificate, passport or a Certificate of Citizenship). The Trump White House’s claims of widespread election fraud have been repeatedly debunked. And instances of noncitizens voting in elections is relatively rare, according to research by the Brennan Center for Justice.
A recent review in Utah of all 2 million registered voters identified zero instances of non-citizens casting ballots.In Michigan, a 2025 audit of 7.2 million voters found 16 suspected instances of non-citizens voting in the 2024 general election (roughly 0.00028 per cent of total votes cast). And an audit in Georgia covering voting data stretching back25 years uncovered found no instances of non-citizens voting;
Trump in his speech attacked Democrats for not supporting a voter identification requirement.
“They want to cheat,” he said.
Despite the hefty run time of the speech, there was little focus on foreign policy and very little clarity on what his plans were regarding the situation in Iran. With the latest round of talks between Iran and the US to start in Geneva later this week and two US carrier groups positioned in the middle east, Trump offered no new insight.
“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” he said. “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 again claimed he “ended” eight wars, an exaggeration, and barely mentioned the Russia-Ukraine war, despite Tuesday marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
Staff reporter, with AP, Reuters
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