President Donald Trump made the case that happy days are here again in the first State of the Union of his second term, but there was little talk of transition or pain.
“The state of our union is strong,” he declared. “Our country is winning again. We’re winning so much we really don’t know what to do with it.”
Thus, Trump dusted off his trademark “Tired of winning” catchphrase that dates back to his first presidential campaign a decade ago, this time with an extra flourish.
“People are asking me, ‘Please, please, Mr. President, we are winning too much, we can’t take it anymore, we are not used to winning,’” he said. “I say, ‘No, no, no, you are going to win again, you are going to win big.’”
While it is understandable that Trump would play up the positives, especially in a Democrat-depleted chamber with many opposition lawmakers boycotting, it is a risky strategy with the public still so dour about the state of the economy.
Trump’s economic approval rating, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, stands at just 40.8% while 55.6% disapprove. This has dragged down his overall job approval rating, which sits at 42.2% in the same average and is underwater by 14 points.
Polls have also suggested that many voters don’t think Trump is focused enough on the economy compared to other issues.
But the Trump State of the Union was a pep rally, with celebrations of Olympic athletes and repeated chants of “USA! USA!” He announced he would soon present Connor Hellebuyck, goalie from the gold medal-winning men’s Olympic hockey team, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The closest Trump came to conceding that all isn’t well was when he pointed out the dire conditions he inherited from his predecessor. Former President Joe Biden also tried to defend his stewardship of the economy, with a much more supportive media than Trump is ever likely to enjoy, but was unable to shift public opinion on the issue. The economy ended up being one of the top reasons Trump defeated Biden’s successor at the top of the 2024 Democratic ticket, then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump zinged the Democrats’ focus on “affordability,” blaming their policies for the inflation he inherited when he came into office. “You caused that,” he exclaimed. He later denounced Obamacare as “the Unaffordable Care Act,” blaming Democrats for high healthcare costs.
Trump described the past year as “a turnaround for the ages,” but added, “you’ve seen nothing yet.”
Trump did not just point to his success in securing a once-chaotic border, crime reductions in major cities, and an economy he described as “roaring,” but also hailed what he called a renewal of American patriotism in the country’s 250th year.
The president also defended the tax cuts in his so-called “big, beautiful” legislation, condemning the Democrats for voting against them. “They wanted large-scale tax increases to hurt the people instead,” he said.
The branding of the Republican megabill has been a problem, as many voters still dislike the measure or don’t know what is in it.
Republicans are going to be defending their fragile congressional majorities in this year’s midterm elections. Their success may be decided by whether the public sees the turnaround Trump described in his speech and is likely to continue to tout on the campaign trail in the coming months.
Trump’s hits on the Democrats were the only times he deviated from his generally positive tone. He called New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani both a “communist” and a “nice guy.” Even his reference to a “very disappointing” Supreme Court decision striking down his tariffs was restrained compared to his comments the day the ruling was handed down. Trump spoke as if his trade policy would be unaffected by the 6-3 decision.
Trump also did little to prepare the country for war with Iran, if one is coming. The closest was when he said they had yet to agree to his terms for a nuclear deal and were instead pursuing new weapons. “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” he said, “but I will never allow the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror … to have a nuclear weapon.” He added that no nation should doubt American resolve.
He nevertheless emphasized his peacemaking efforts in various hot spots around the globe, saying he had ended “eight wars.” One of them was the war between Israel and Iran. Trump also did not speak as if the U.S. was at war in Venezuela, describing Caracas as our “new friend and partner” now that ousted dictator Nicolas Maduro was gone. Enrique Marquez, freed from a Venezuelan torture center, was a surprise guest.
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If Trump thought Republican control of Congress was in danger, he did not give that impression — other than by overtly campaigning against the Democrats throughout the speech and repeatedly challenging them to stand and applaud various points he made.
“Every single vulnerable House Democrat should get comfortable re-watching the moment they revealed they’re nothing more than America-hating scums who stayed glued to their seats while President Trump called on protecting American citizens over criminal illegal immigrants,” the spokesman for the House GOP campaign said in a statement released before the address was even over. “The ads write themselves.”