A photo of the United States Capitol Building. Photo Courtesy of Senate Democrats under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
The president focused on the issues he has lost approval on, including immigration and the economy.
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By Hayden Randolph
WASHINGTON, Va. — On Feb. 24, President Donald J. Trump gave the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. The speech covered key issues, including immigration and the economy, and was recorded as the longest address of its kind in U.S. history.
Mentions of immigration issues spanned the entirety of the address. The president claimed that zero undocumented immigrants had entered the country under his administration. Trump also made claims about immigration relating to the Biden administration.
“Under Biden and his corrupt partners in Congress and beyond, it reached a breaking point with the green new scam, open borders for everyone,” Trump said. “They poured in by the millions and millions from prisons, from mental institutions. There were murderers, 11,088 murderers.”
According to The New York Times, the president seems to be misquoting federal data with these claims. Trump could be referencing data on noncitizens over multiple past administrations.
Trump praised his own tariffs for taking a burden off Americans.
“I believe the tariffs, paid for by foreign countries, will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love.”
However, these tariffs are largely paid for by the American people and not by foreign governments, according to The New York Times. The president called the decision to strike down these tariffs by the Supreme Court “totally wrong.”
Trump said the Republicans would protect resources for seniors.
“We’re also working to make it easier for Americans to save for retirement. And under this administration, we will always protect Social Security and Medicare,” Trump said. “They are not protecting it for our seniors.”
According to Fortune, since taking office in 2025, legislation pushed by the administration has lessened the financial lifespan for both Medicare and Social Security.
Trump honored the U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team for their win at the Winter Olympics. According to ABC News, this follows the controversial phone call the president had with the team when he told them he would “have to” invite the women’s team as well. The Women’s Hockey Team had also won gold at the Winter Olympics.
A list of accomplishments was intertwined with a series of insults hurled at Democrats. Trump called Democrats “crazy” for their stance on transgender care for minors and asked Democrats to stand for certain issues.
Democrats protested from the audience. According to NBC News, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., yelled, “You have killed Americans!” at the president from the audience. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, held a sign stating, “Black People Aren’t Apes!” The sign was a response to a Truth Social post by Trump depicting the Obamas as apes.
The Democratic Party’s response to the address was given by Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
“Is the president working for you?” Spanberger asked.
A statement from the University of Tampa College Democrats said that the speech was full of “empty promises” and “lies.”
“He promised we would be tired of winning, and yet it seems we are losing, losing allies, losing jobs, losing our homes, and losing our place in the world. The State of the Union is weak and perilous, and we peer ever further into the abyss.”
A statement from the University of South Florida College Republicans said the address was “strong and forward-looking.”
“These priorities resonate deeply with students across our campus who are concerned about inflation, job opportunities after graduation, and America’s standing in the world. As College Republicans, we remain committed to advancing these principles at USF, so everyone can participate in the American Dream.”
Conflicting opinions on the State of the Union direct focus onto the midterm elections taking place on Nov. 3, 2026.