United States President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union speech on 24 February (local time), declaring that America is “back bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before”.
This was Trump’s first State of the Union before the 119th joint session of the US Congress, after he formally accepted an invitation from Mike Johnson 56th Speaker of the US House of Representatives, in January.
“Tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before, and a turnaround for the ages,” Trump stated.
He also announced the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the US’ highest civilian honor — was being presented to Team USA’s gold medal winning Olympic ice hockey team’s goalie Connor Hellebuyck, amid chants of “USA!”
Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in numbers
Here are some the key claims from US President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address — in numbers:
- Core inflation is down to the lowest level in more than five years
- Natural gas production at all time high
- Gas has fallen to below $2.30 in many states
- American oil production is up by more than 60,000 barrels a day.
- 80 million barrels of Venezuelan oil received
- Eight wars ended by US President Trump.
- $1,776 warrior dividend to support our military.
Note: This information has been sourced from Trump’s State of the Union speech and posts from the White House’s official
Mini-election campaign ahead of US mid-term polls?
Notably, the speech presents a rare chance for the 79-year-old to appear on all major television networks simultaneously and comes ahead of the US mid-term elections set in November. Trump and his party hoped some spotlight on their achievements could help bolster prospects amid falling ratings — even among Republican voters, the report said.
It noted that some of Trump’s flagship policies amid his second term in the White House have been met with agitation, protests and setbacks. The most recent being the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) scrapping his global IEEPA tariffs. Other key events that have tanked Trump’s approval ratings include the Epstein files, partial government shutdown, and immigration policies that have claimed lives due to shooting of civilians by ICE officers.
According to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll on 22 February, Trump’s approval rating is at 39% among American voters. Further, only 41% approved of his handling of the economy overall, and just 32% on inflation.
WATCH: Donald Trump’s full ‘State of the Union’ speech
At the podium, Trump was seated between Vice President JD Vance and Speaker Johnson, who traditionally sit behind the president during the address. He was welcomed with cheers and a standing ovation from Republicans — while Democrats remained seated in protest, as per an AFP report.
Dozens of Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, boycotted Trump’s address on Tuesday, which was attended by victims of disgraced financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein seeking accountability.
(With inputs from agencies)
