On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump gave the State of the Union Address. During the address, he spoke about several topics and issues that he suggests are improvements for the United States of America, such as the economy and a heavier focus on immigration, when in reality, polls and data show that many Americans are displeased with high prices, the actions of ICE agents, the current state of the economy, and the job market, just to name a few things.
The run time of the event is the longest a president has spoken during the State of the Union Address—1 hour and 48 minutes. There were many key moments, but here are some of the most important takeaways.
Key Takeaways:
1. Trump insisted that the economy is in great standing, negating the economic difficulties that people are succumbing to.
Voters have suggested that the cost of living, prices of groceries, utility bills, and products are at an all-time high, a constant concern that has placed Trump and the Republican party in a risky position ahead of the midterm elections coming later this year. During this portion of the speech, the president proclaimed the stock market and lower gas as reflections of the economy being on the upward trend, failing to acknowledge how most voters truly feel.
An NPR report titled “Poll: Two-thirds of Americans say ICE has ‘gone too far’ in immigration enforcement” that was released on Feb. 5 highlights low approval ratings as voters cite Trump’s moves on tariffs and other policies as the cause of the current economic state of the US, suggesting that his decisions have exacerbated economic difficulties that Americans were already facing. Last night during his speech, Trump reinforced his decisions on tariffs and also criticized last week’s Supreme Court ruling that most of his tariffs were, in fact, illegal.
3. Public healthcare at risk
In regards to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), President Trump said the following: “I’m also confronting one of the biggest rip-offs of our times, the crushing cost of healthcare, caused by you, since the passage of the ‘Un- Affordable Care Act,’ sometimes referred to as Obamacare. Big insurance companies got rich. It was meant for the insurance companies. Not for the people.”
He went on to say that he is introducing the “great health care plan,” which he said will give people more agency to pay for their healthcare plan of their choice and take agency away from insurance companies, who don’t give Americans better options. Yet, the Affordable Care Act has, in fact, made health care more accessible to the general public, as nearly 50 million have used the ACA since 2014, according to data from the U.S. Department of Treasury.
His speech ultimately suggested that Obamacare is illegitimate as he questioned investments that stabilize public insurance and social programs such as Medi-Cal and Medicare, eventually contributing to the narrative of government health care spending as wasteful.
3. Harsh criticism against immigrant communities
The address frequently portrayed immigration, especially people who are undocumented and living in the U.S., as risks to public safety and the social safety net (social services used by the Americans). Trump advocated for increased enforcement, restoring support for Customs Border and Protections (CBP) funding, and enacting the SAVE Act. Also, the current administration has pushed forth rhetoric that suggests immigrants are linked to increased public benefit misuse, fraud, and crime which lacks sufficient evidence.
4. Federal restraints on transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and intersex+ rights (TGNBI+)
During his speech, Trump utilized isolated school incidents to justify his push for more federal and state restrictions to be implemented on gender-affirming care, a type of health care that impacts people of the TGNBI+ community. Trump specifically stated that support of TGNBI+ youth is dangerous and called supporters of TGNBI+ youth “crazy.” He also called for immediate bans on any measures that support TGNBI+ youth, despite parental consent and guidance from medical experts existing as policy safeguards.
