LIVE “This is America's Golden Age.” Donald Trump's announcement in a high-stakes speech to the US Congress
Trump's speech on Tuesday night has huge stakes for him and Republicans, given the president's declining popularity in polls ahead of November's midterm elections.
An “unfortunate” decision by the Supreme Court
Trump lamented the Supreme Court's ruling, which found the president exceeded his presidential authority by imposing global tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
“We've used these taxes, we've collected hundreds of billions of dollars, to make deals that are good for our country, both economically and nationally, it's been working well,” Trump said.
“They were robbing us so bad. You all know it. Everybody knows it, even the Democrats know it,” he added.
The president described the Supreme Court's ruling as “unfortunate” – this while four judges who attended the speech were sitting right in front of the president.
Trump claimed (wrongly, critics say) that the taxes did not produce “inflation” and generated “tremendous economic growth,” while calling the Supreme Court decision “disappointing.”
However, the president continued to promote his new 15% global tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act. “They're a little more complex, but they're probably better, leading to a solution that's going to be even stronger than before,” he said.
Trump has said these taxes will not require congressional approval; however, these taxes can only remain in place for 150 days before Congress must approve their extension.
“We win so much we don't know what to do”
The president, writes The Guardian, organized an extraordinary choreography: he introduced the US men's Olympic hockey team, which entered the House of Representatives on the steps of the press gallery.
“Here with us tonight is a group of winners who have just made this entire country proud,” Trump said, before the athletes emerged, hoisting their gold medals to thunderous applause from the crowd.
Trump said the U.S. women's Olympic hockey team will soon be coming to the White House. The women's team had declined the invitation on Tuesday morning.
Before introducing the team, Trump said: “Our country is winning again. In fact, we're winning so much we don't know what to do. People are saying to me, 'Please, Mr. President, we're winning too much. We can't take it anymore.'”
“A Golden Age”
US President Donald Trump opened his State of the Nation address on Tuesday night by declaring a “golden age of America” in an attempt to convince voters at a difficult time for his presidency and the Republican Party.
“Our nation is back — greater, better, richer and stronger than ever,” he said after taking the stage to cheers and chants of “USA, USA” from congressional Republicans.
Democratic Representative Al Green was removed from the House of Representatives for the second year in a row after he waved a sign at Trump that read: “Black people are not monkeys.”
The message referred to a clip Trump posted on social media this month, which included a sequence in which former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama were depicted as monkeys.
The annual address carries huge stakes for the president, given his declining popularity in the polls, growing concern about a conflict with Iran and Americans' struggles with the cost of living ahead of November's midterm elections.
The televised address to Congress, his second in 13 months since returning to the White House, gave Trump a chance to convince voters to keep Republicans in power.
Trump began his speech by praising the economy, saying inflation is “precipitating,” even as prices for food, housing, insurance and utilities remain significantly higher than they were a few years ago.
White House advisers and Republican campaign advisers have otherwise urged Trump to focus on Americans' economic concerns.
Trump's victory in the 2024 election was largely based on his promises to lower the cost of living, but voters are largely dissatisfied with his efforts so far. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only 36 percent of Americans approve of the way he is handling the economy.
