Trump hails ‘golden age’ economy in record State of the Union speech

US President Donald Trump defended his economic record during a lengthy address to Congress on Tuesday, saying he brought a "golden age," describing the current period as a strong national performance while confronting declining approval ratings, policy disputes, and geopolitical uncertainty.

The speech, lasting one hour and 47 minutes, became the longest presidential address to Congress on record.

Trump used much of the opening hour to focus on economic themes, including inflation, markets, and tax policy, as his administration seeks to reassure voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.

“Our nation is back -- bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,” he said after taking the stage to chants of “USA, USA” from Republican lawmakers, while many Democratic seats remained empty due to organized boycotts and protests.

Economy takes center stage

Trump said his administration had curbed inflation, boosted stock markets to record highs, enacted sweeping tax cuts and lowered drug prices.

Trump tried to put a strong economic message as polling indicated weakening public approval.

However, economic data released days earlier showed the economy slowed more than expected in the previous quarter while inflation accelerated.

Although Trump declared inflation is “plummeting,” consumers continue to face elevated costs for groceries, housing, insurance, and utilities compared with recent years.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found only 36% of Americans approve of his handling of the economy.

Democrats are seeking to regain control of Congress in November, when all 435 House seats and roughly one-third of Senate seats will be contested.

Trump largely adhered to prepared remarks early in the address but adopted a sharper tone on several domestic issues.

He criticized immigration policy disputes and clashed verbally with Democratic lawmakers.

“You should be ashamed,” he told Democrats during a heated exchange over immigration enforcement funding.

Tariffs, foreign policy and political clashes

The president avoided direct criticism of the US Supreme Court despite its recent ruling striking down his tariff regime, calling the decision simply “unfortunate.”

He greeted justices attending the session with handshakes upon entering the chamber.

Foreign policy received relatively limited attention in the first 90 minutes of the speech.

Trump again claimed he had “ended” eight wars and rarely mentioned the Russia-Ukraine conflict, despite the anniversary of Russia’s invasion occurring the same day.

Addressing Iran, he said, “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” adding, “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.”

Tensions rose inside the chamber as Democratic lawmakers protested.

Representative Ilhan Omar shouted, “You have killed Americans!” while Trump was talking about immigration enforcement, and Representative Al Green was removed after displaying a protest sign.

Democratic rebuttal

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger delivered the Democratic response following the address, sharply criticizing the administration’s immigration policies and broader governance approach.

“Our president has sent poorly trained federal agents into our cities, where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who aspire to be Americans. And they have done it without a warrant... and they have killed American citizens in our streets. And they have done it all with their faces masked from accountability,” she said.

“Our broken immigration system is something to be fixed, not an excuse for unaccountable agents to terrorize our communities.”

She also criticized the administration’s foreign and economic posture, saying, “As the president spoke of his perceived successes tonight, he continues to cede economic power and technological strength to Russia, bow down to China, bow down to a Russian dictator and make plans for war with Iran.”

“In his speech tonight, the president did what he always does. He lied, he scapegoated, and he distracted. And he offered no real solutions to our nation's pressing challenges, so many of which he is actively making worse.”