Trump touts economic record in State of the Union; seeks reset ahead of midterms

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump touted his economic record during the longest State of the Union address in history on Tuesday, boasting that he had ushered in a "golden age" as he sought to project an aura of success at a fraught moment for his presidency.

Heeding ‌calls from advisers worried that his sagging approval ratings augur a challenging midterm election in November, Trump spent the first hour of his televised speech focused on the economy, saying he had curbed inflation, driven the stock market to record heights, signed sweeping tax cuts and lowered drug prices.

"Our nation is back -- bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before," he said after taking the stage to ‌cheers of "USA, USA" from his fellow Republicans in Congress, with dozens of empty seats on the Democratic side a reminder ⁠that many lawmakers boycotted the speech in favor of anti-Trump rallies outside.

The annual speech to Congress carried enormous stakes for the ⁠president, with his approval ratings slumping, anxieties ⁠rising over Iran and Americans frustrated that he has not done more to address the high cost of living.

At the outset, Trump was uncharacteristically disciplined, mostly appearing to ‌stick to the written script and eschewing his typical stream-of-consciousness digressions. But he flashed his combative side while discussing his immigration crackdown, exchanging shouted insults with several Democratic lawmakers.

While ⁠Trump declared that inflation is "plummeting," 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.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found only 36% of Americans approve of his handling of the economy. Democrats hope to seize control of both houses of Congress from Republicans in November when all 435 seats are on the ballot for the House of Representatives and about a third of the 100 seats in the Senate.

While ⁠he leveled some familiar attacks on his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, Trump held his fire when it came to the U.S. Supreme Court, which struck down his signature tariff ⁠regime on Friday.

Unlike the hours after the decision, when Trump insulted ‌the justices in deeply personal terms, the president shook hands with the four justices in attendance upon entering the House and simply called the ruling "unfortunate."

Trump finished his speech just before 11 p.m., after more than an hour and 47 minutes - breaking the record he set last year for the longest presidential address to Congress.

Though he has focused much of his energies in office on foreign policy, the topic got little attention during the first 90 minutes of his speech.

Trump 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.

Trump briefly laid out his case for a possible attack on Iran, saying he would not allow ‌the world's biggest sponsor of terrorism to have a nuclear weapon.

Even while assembling a massive military force in the Middle East, Trump has done little to explain to the American public why he might be leading the U.S. into its most aggressive action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.

In his ‌speech, Trump pointed to Tehran's support for militant groups, its killing of protesters and the ⁠country's missile and nuclear programs as threats to the region and the United States.

"The (Iranian) regime and its ⁠murderous proxies have spread nothing ⁠but terrorism and death and hate," the Republican president said about 90 minutes into his annual address to a joint session ‌of the Senate and House of Representatives.

He accused Iran of restarting its nuclear program, working to build missiles that "soon" would be capable ⁠of reaching the United States and of being responsible for roadside bombings ⁠that have killed U.S. service members and civilians.

Iranian state media have claimed that Tehran is developing a missile capable of reaching North America.

The run-up to Trump's address was overshadowed by the buildup of U.S. military forces in the Middle East and preparations for a possible conflict with Iran that could last for weeks if Tehran does not reach ⁠a deal to solve a longstanding dispute over its nuclear program.

Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with negotiators' failure to reach an ⁠agreement. "They want to make a deal, but we haven't ‌heard those secret words, 'We will never have a nuclear weapon,'" Trump said in his speech.

Iran says its nuclear research is for civilian energy production.

Trump also faulted the government in Tehran for the deaths of thousands of protesters during recent anti-government demonstrations, although the specific figure he cited - that 32,000 people had been killed - is much higher than most public estimates.

TRUMP, DEMOCRATS CLASH

When Trump turned to his favorite topic, immigration, he repeated the same rhetoric that animated his 2024 campaign, claiming undocumented migrants were responsible for a wave of violent crime despite studies showing that is not the case.

"You should be ashamed," he told Democrats, chastising them for refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security unless measures are taken to curb the aggressive tactics of immigration agents under ​Trump.

Opinion polls show a majority of Americans believe Trump's immigration crackdown has gone too far, after two U.S. citizens were shot dead by masked federal agents in Minneapolis.

As Trump praised his immigration enforcement, Democrat Ilhan Omar, who represents a Minneapolis U.S. House district, shouted in his direction, "You have killed Americans!"

Trump, who has falsely claimed ‌for years that election fraud in the U.S. is rampant, also attacked Democrats for not supporting a voter identification requirement.

"They want to cheat," he said. Democrats argue that the Republican-backed legislation would impose unnecessary burdens on voters and suppress turnout.

Democratic U.S. Representative Al Green was removed from the House chamber for the second consecutive year after waving a sign at Trump that read: "Black people aren't apes." The message ‌was a reference to a social media video Trump posted this month that included a clip depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama ⁠as apes.

The White House eventually took down the video, and ⁠Trump said a staffer posted the video. The 79-year-old Green, who is Black, was ​also ejected last year after shouting at Trump during his address to Congress.

Other Democrats offered quieter messages of protest. U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda, a Hawaii ⁠Democrat, wore a white jacket emblazoned with words like "affordability" and "healthcare."

A ‌number of Democratic women wore tags saying "release the files," a reference to the scandal surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. ​About a dozen Epstein accusers attended as guests of Democrats.

Befitting a former reality television star with a penchant for the dramatic, Trump bragged about all the "winning" the country was experiencing before introducing some other winners: the U.S. men's ice hockey team, which won a gold medal at the Winter Olympics on Sunday.

© Thomson Reuters 2026.