"Our nation is back - bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before," President Donald Trump said. (Photo courtesy: The White House)
Washington: President Donald Trump set a new milestone for the longest State of the Union address, speaking for about one hour and 48 minutes. Focusing on his agenda of "Making America Great Again", the speech came just over a year into his second term and a month before the midterm election.
In his speech, Trump talked about the first year in the office, which he claims to have been focused on economic revival, tougher border enforcement, and more assertive of the US as a superpower. Here are the key takeaways...
- Trump said he inherited a nation that had a stagnant economy, open borders, poor police, and military recruitment. Now, he said, the economy is booming, the borders are secure, and the police are stacked like never before.
- In the last nine months, zero "illegal immigrants" have entered the United States, said Trump, adding that the nation will allow people to enter the US legally.
- Core inflation is down to the lowest level in the last five years, and in the last three months of 2025, it was down to 1.75 per cent, he claimed. Further, gas prices have come down to $1.85 a gallon.
- The stock market has set 53 all-time record highs in a single year. In 12 months, $18 trillion in investments in the US were secured from all over the globe, he said.
- "I used tariffs to bring in hundreds of billions of dollars", said Trump. All countries are happy even with the tariffs, claimed Trump, while calling the US Supreme Court ruling scrapping the tariffs as unfortunate.
- The US President reiterated the claims of stopping eight wars, including conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia, and India and Pakistan.
- Trump will introduce a new law to make the acquisition of a driving licence stricter for immigrants. The President slammed "illegal aliens", giving examples of their crimes.
- Cheating is rampant in the elections, Trump said, adding that he should have a third term. Trump said all Americans must show proof of citizenship and voter ID at the time of voting.
- On Iran's turmoil, Trump stated that "32,000 protesters were killed" within their own country. He termed Iran as the world's number 1 sponsor of terror, adding that he can't let them have nuclear weapons.
