The State of the Union address is a mandatory, annual speech delivered to the United States Congress and the country given by the president. The address highlights significant reports, key issues and future policies and goals regarding the fundamentals of society, including economic and international relations.
The address is mentioned in Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution and states that the acting president “shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”
On Feb. 24, 2026, President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address, the first of his second presidential term. It spanned an hour and 47 minutes, breaking the record for the longest State of the Union address.
Trump addressed his disapproval of the Democratic Party, current economic action, immigration and warfare. He continuously defended the “security” and “success” that the United States is having, even referring to it as the “Golden Age.”
According to a transcript from PBS, Trump claimed, “Our country is winning again. In fact, we’re winning so much that we really don’t know what to do about it. People are asking me, ‘please, please, please, Mr. President, we’re winning too much…We’re not used to winning in our country until you came along, we’re just always losing…’And I say, ‘no, no, no, you’re going to win again.’”
Trump credited this success to himself, declaring, “We finally have a president who puts America first. I put America first. I love America. For decades before I came along, we had the exact opposite.”
Over the course of U.S. history, economic policies have become an increasingly influential factor in elections—the establishment of Reaganomics, Bill Clinton’s slogan, “It’s the economy, stupid,” and Obama’s election under a promise to stabilize the economy following the 2008 recession. During the address, President Trump denounced the previous administration’s economic accomplishments, claiming: “The Biden administration and its allies in Congress gave us the worst inflation in the history of our country.”
However, Biden inherited a contracting economy riddled with inflation and unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently released a report about the “economic recovery” post-pandemic. In October 2020, experts forecasted an unemployment rate of 6% and a GDP of 4% below the trend. However, GDP rose above the predicted expectation and the unemployment rate fell to 3.9% by December 2021, effectively bringing inflation back down.
The president further highlights his “wins” during the first year of his presidency through business regulations. “We ended DEI in America. We cut a record number of job-killing regulations, and in one year we have lifted 2.4 million Americans—a record—off of food stamps.”
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) applies to workplace regulations that eliminate discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, background, etc. Diverse companies produce 2.3 times more cash flow than companies that do not instate DEI. Aside from fiscal benefits, studies show that DEI creates a more productive environment by utilizing a variety of perspectives in decision-making, effectively generating a 19% increase in revenue.
The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally funded and state-administered program under the U.S Department of Agriculture. The cutting of SNAP benefits this past November placed a tremendous strain on food resources. For the last six decades, SNAP has provided nine meals for every one that food banks supplied, feeding over 42 million Americans a month.
A main point the president highlighted was his role in foreign policy and warfare. He claimed to be restoring safety for U.S. Citizens by protecting the nation and ensuring security abroad, even stating he ended eight wars this term. However, USA Today refutes that claim, stating that there were only six ceasefires or peace agreements that the U.S. was involved in since Trump began his second term. Not to mention, not all of the conflicts were considered wars, and other political parties did not acknowledge his influence in the deals.
He also discussed his immigration policies and disdain for illegal immigrants. He claimed, “We’re getting them the hell out of here fast. We don’t want ’em.” He claims the border is secure and that that is one of his main focuses.
Trump diminished others in the crowd for their differing viewpoints on immigration: “We can never forget that many in this room not only allowed the border invasion to happen before I got involved, but indeed, they would do it all over again if they ever had the chance. If they ever got elected, they would open up those borders to some of the worst criminals anywhere in the world. The only thing standing between Americans and a wide-open border right now is President Donald J. Trump and our great Republican patriots in Congress.”
Overall, there were a variety of reactions following this address, specifically regarding concerns about his ability to conduct his responsibilities, the lack of a legislative agenda and comprehensive morals. Multiple politicians in the room boycotted standing ovations, protested and shouted things like “USA!” throughout the address. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, held a sign that read “Black people aren’t apes,” directly drawing from Trump’s recent post of an AI video, which featured former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys.
Recent studies show that three in 10 Americans are concerned about Trump’s mental and physical capacity. A poll released ahead of Trump’s State of the Union Address shows that 30% of Republicans, Trump’s own party, and 61% of all Americans believe that President Trump has “become erratic with age.”
