Trump's Marathon State of the Union Address Seeks to Reassure Anxious Voters
Facing the lowest approval ratings of his career, President Donald Trump on Tuesday delivered the longest State of the Union address in history, a 108-minute marathon speech aimed at assuaging voters anxious about the economy, foreign policy, and tariff turmoil. The former reality television star, known for his ability to command attention, appeared desperate to revive his political fortunes, swinging repeatedly from tedious to angry and back again.
New Proposals with Little Chance of Becoming Law
What new proposals did pop up in the speech – such as an idea to reform retirement accounts for workers who don't have 401(k)s – have little chance of becoming law. Most of the address dragged through his usual false claims, including assertions of falling prices, multiple wars settled, foreign investment brought in, and a complete fantasy description of international trade and tariffs.
Attempts at Unity and Bald-Faced Partisanship
Trump filled the remainder with attempts to use nonpartisan icons, like Medal of Honor recipients and the gold medal-winning U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey team, to prop up claims of American unity. Minutes later, he would return to bald-faced partisanship, sparring with Democrats who jeered his speech. "They want to cheat. They have cheated, and their policy is so bad that the only way they can get elected is to cheat," he raged at Democratic members sitting in the House chambers.
Continued Feuds and False Claims on Tariffs
Other sections of the speech continued his feuds, including with the Supreme Court, which last week struck down most of his beloved tariffs. "I used these tariffs, took in hundreds of billions of dollars to make great deals for our country, both economically and on a national security basis, everything was working well. Countries that were ripping us off for decades are now paying us hundreds of billions of dollars," he lied. In fact, the total amount of tariffs collected under Trump's unilaterally imposed tariffs was only $175 billion – all of which were collected by American importers. Several recent studies found that Americans bear the burden of between 90 and 95 percent of tariffs.
Misstatements on Iran Nuclear Weapons
Trump once again claimed he had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear weapons last June but then repeated threats that Iran would be struck again if it did not agree to a deal. "We wiped it out, and they want to start all over again, and are, this moment again, pursuing their sinister ambitions. We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven't heard those secret words: 'We will never have a nuclear weapon,'" he said. Trump likely meant "sacred words," which is what he told network TV anchors at a lunch Friday afternoon. And, in fact, Iran has said repeatedly that it was not building a nuclear weapon. Trump withdrew in his first term from an agreement that had been negotiated under former President Barack Obama that limited Iran's ability to make weapons-grade uranium and imposed on-site inspections.
Boasts on Extrajudicial Killings and Glossing Over Ukraine War
Trump then boasted about his program of extrajudicial killings – defined as war crimes internationally and murder in the United States – of suspected drug smugglers on the high seas. "You probably noticed that we very seriously damaged their fishing industry, also," he joked, smiling. "Nobody wants to go fishing anymore." Speaking on the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Trump essentially glossed over, saying only that he wanted to end the deaths but without blaming Russia's dictator Vladimir Putin for conducting the largest, deadliest war in Europe since World War II. Trump instead bragged about ending U.S. military aid to Ukraine. "Everything we send over to Ukraine is sent through NATO, and they pay us in full. They pay us totally in full," he said.
