Donald Trump is delivering his State of the Union address, amid sagging poll numbers, a recent Supreme Court rebuke of his tariffs and the threat of launching military action against Iran.
Seizing the opportunity to reach a primetime audience across networks, the president traditionally goes long in his speeches to joint sessions of Congress. Last year, he went for nearly one hour, 40 minutes. And while much of what gets said has a limited life in news cycles, Trump has turned these speeches into a bit of a spectacle, peppering them with reality show-like moments. In 2020, he awarded Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and announced that one girl in the gallery would be awarded a scholarship; this year, members of the gold medal winning U.S. Olympic hockey team are expected.
Here’s the latest on this year’s speech:
Supreme Court Justices Show No Emotion As Trump Criticizes “Disappointing” Tariff Ruling
Members of the Supreme Court showed no emotion as Trump criticized the majority ruling against his authority to impose tariffs, delivering a blow to his economic agenda.
Trump called the ruling “disappointing” and “unfortunate involvement,” much more polite than his reaction on Friday, when he seethed and hurled insults at the justices and called the ruling a “disgrace.”
Some Democrats clapped in favor of the majority ruling.
Trump vowed to impose tariffs under a different authority, telling the chamber, “They are a little more complex but they actually are probably better.” He also said that “congressional action will not be necessary.”
On the Democratic side of the aisle, lawmakers are not brandishing signs, other than Rep. Al Green (D-TX), who was ejected for brandishing one that read “Black People Aren’t Apes.” Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) left after Trump hurled an insult at former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Trump Cheers On U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team
Early on in Trump’s addresses, the chamber erupted in chants of “USA! USA!” as members of the gold-winning U.S. Men’s Olympic hockey team stood up.
“Here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation proud. The men’s gold medal Olympic hockey team,” Trump said. He also said goalie Connor Hellebuyck would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
It tied into Trump’s theme of the speech, which was one of his superlatives, while embracing the 250th anniversary of the United States and American exceptionalism.
He opened his speech by touting his accomplishment at the border, the one issue where some polls show he still have majority support.
“We have the strongest and most secure border in history, by far,” Trump said, noting that in the lats nine months, “zero illegal aliens” have been allowed in.
He said, “Tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before, and a turnaround for the ages. We will never go back to where we were just a short time ago.”
Sitting right in front of Trump were four members of the Supreme Court, including Chief Justice John Roberts and justices Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh. Roberts, Kagan and Barrett were among the majority that voted against the president’s authority to impose tariffs, and the president responded by a series of insults.
Also in the chamber were Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who were among the lawmakers that Trump’s Justice Department attempted to criminally prosecute over a video they made reminding members of the military that they didn’t have to follow illegal orders. But a grand jury declined to bring the charges.
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