In what ended up being a record-breaking speech, President Donald Trump pivoted from policy wins to partisan punches to special guest acknowledgments, all while doing what he does best: invigorating his base as he seeks to stir up opposition from Democrats.
His address lasted just under one hour and 50 minutes, making it the longest State of the Union address in presidential history. It was even longer than his one-hour-and-39-minute joint address to Congress last March, then marking the longest presidential address to lawmakers in recent history.
The president touched on almost every policy area he was expected to, winding from immigration to the economy to crime and foreign affairs. Through it all, Trump sought to paint a clear picture differentiating Republicans from Democrats.
The president asked members to stand several times to show their support for certain policies, such as immigration. When Democrats refused to stand or applaud, Trump admonished them.
“These people are crazy, I’m telling ya, they’re crazy,” Trump said at one point. “Boy oh boy, we’re lucky we have a country with people like this — Democrats are destroying our country, but we’ve stopped it just in the nick of time.”
For most of his remarks, Trump kept his eyes on the Republican side of the chamber — occasionally prodding Democrats to respond to his statements, with a handful taking him up on it. Some chose to shout back as others remained silent, shaking their heads in disapproval.
Here are six takeaways from the night.
Trump sets his sights on immigration and the economy
Throughout the speech, Trump sought to focus his attention on two policy issues he considers his strongest: immigration and the economy. And with both, Trump tried to position himself as the hero coming to the rescue.
The president painted a picture of a strong economy, faulting Democrats for leaving the country with high inflation and decrying former President Joe Biden as a “disaster.” Instead, Trump said he was able to bring the cost of living down and wages up.
Trump also touted his immigration policies, saying his administration has managed to lower the number of illegal immigrants crossing the border and cutting down on crimes committed by undocumented residents.
“We now have the strongest and most secure border in American history by far,” Trump said. “In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States. But we will always allow people to come in legally. People that will love our country and will work hard to maintain our country.”
Those remarks come as Trump looks to regain his footing on two key issues he once dominated on the campaign trail, especially amid polling that shows most Americans disapprove of the president’s handling of inflation, immigration, and the economy, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll.
Most obvious moment of bipartisanship: Honoring the US men’s hockey team
Despite moments of tension, there were a few occasions in which both parties rose to give applause. But the most unifying moment of the night was when the U.S. men’s hockey team made a cameo.
Trump invited the team to attend during a locker-room phone call with the athletes following the Olympics final game on Saturday, sending congressional leaders into a scramble to fit them somewhere in the House chamber. While they did not have seats to sit for the entire address, the team walked through the chamber to receive applause before exiting.
“Our country is winning again,” Trump said.
Loud chants of “USA! USA!” echoed through the chamber alongside a standing ovation by lawmakers in both parties. “To prove that point, here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation proud.”
During his remarks, Trump announced he would present Connor Hellebuyck, the goaltender for the men’s hockey team, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“Great athletes have gotten that,” Trump said, “and I thought he deserved it.”
Trump avoids personal attacks on justices despite tariff ruling
Despite railing against the Supreme Court over the weekend for overturning his global tariffs, Trump kept any frustration at bay when addressing the justices.
Four of the nine justices were present for the speech, including Chief Justice John Roberts as well as Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, and Elena Kagan. All of the justices except Kavanaugh ruled on Friday that Trump does not have the unilateral authority to impose tariffs without congressional approval.
While Trump called the ruling “unfortunate” and “totally wrong,” he refrained from any personal attacks against the justices. That comes after the president railed against the judges in a social media post last week, noting they were “barely” invited and that he “couldn’t care less if they come.”
Trump has since imposed other global tariffs through executive order, which the president says will not require congressional approval.
Democrats aim to keep protest subtle — but some rebel
Heading into the State of the Union, Democratic leaders implored their members to keep their protests subtle. In years past, members of the minority, regardless of which party, have sought to protest the speaking president — whether it be through wearing pins and scarves, holding signs, or even yelling directly at him.
Democratic leaders advised their members to take one of two options: either be silently defiant or engage in competing events.
More than a dozen Democratic lawmakers opted for the latter, participating in counter-programming on the National Mall or elsewhere. But at least one House Democrat took matters into his own hands, eventually leading to his removal from the House chamber.
Shortly after Trump entered the chamber, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, held up a sign reading: “Black People Are Not Apes.” The sign comes in response to a now-deleted social media post from Trump earlier this month of a video that ended with an image of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as monkeys — a post that members of both parties denounced.
At least three Republicans confronted Green to put the poster down, which the Texas Democrat refused. Green was later removed from the chamber, marking the second time he has been removed during a joint address after being escorted from Trump’s remarks last year.
Green was even censured last year after interrupting Trump’s speech last March.
A handful of Democrats began shouting at other points in Trump’s remarks, especially during his remarks on immigration and foreign policy, including Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar.
At one point, Trump lauded the end of eight different wars over the last year, prompting Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., to yell out: “What are you talking about?” and “It’s a lie!”
Trump calls on Congress to pass Sen. Mike Lee’s election bill
During his winding speech, Trump named only one specific piece of legislation that he implored Congress to pass this year: the SAVE America Act, Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s election integrity bill.
If passed, the bill would implement proof-of-citizenship criteria to register and it would require voters to produce photo identification when their ballot is turned in.
The SAVE America Act, in many different iterations and forms, has been floated in Congress for years. But pressure has been mounting in recent months as Lee has launched an all-out pressure campaign to force a vote in the Senate, where the bill has been stalled for over a year.
Trump again endorsed the legislation during his speech on Tuesday, claiming without substantial evidence that cheating is “rampant” in U.S. elections.
“Stop illegal aliens and others who are unpermitted persons from voting in our sacred American elections. Cheating is rampant in our elections, it’s rampant,” Trump said.
“We have to stop it, John,” he added, addressing Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
Thune has said he would schedule a vote on the SAVE America Act in the coming weeks, although it’s not yet clear when.
Questions remain on Iran
Trump briefly touched on Iran during his speech, refraining from sharing details about whether he would launch strikes against the country but maintaining he would “never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon.”
“Can’t let that happen,” he said, prompting a standing ovation — even from some Democrats, who mostly refused to applaud his remarks throughout the speech as a sign of protest.
Trump has said he will make a decision in the coming days on whether the U.S. will initiate strikes against the country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed top congressional leaders on the matter earlier in the day Tuesday.
Trump, however, didn’t make clear what his goals were for Iran: whether he would seek to dismantle its nuclear program, launch an attack to overthrow the regime, or something else. Instead, the president merely said he would try to “make a deal” with the country in order to “solve this problem through diplomacy.”