Trump makes the case for his foreign policy at State of the Union

Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday focused largely on domestic policy, but it also served as a briefing to a skeptical public about his foreign-policy agenda, including his posture toward Iran, his framing of the war in Ukraine, and his response to the 2018 Monroe Doctrine-style language he has used for the Western Hemisphere. The president sought to square his “America First” brand with an argument that U.S. military power should be used when threats require it, even as polls show many Americans question his approach.

Trump delivered the core message in a line he used to tie diplomacy to deterrence, saying, “As president, I will make peace wherever I can, but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must,” according to the Associated Press.

The speech also landed amid public concern about the economy and mounting wariness among people who once supported him that his foreign policy priorities have drifted away from home. In surveys from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted earlier this month and in January, 61% of U.S. adults said they disapprove of how Trump is handling foreign policy, while 56% said he has “gone too far” in using the U.S. military to intervene in other countries.

Summary

Iran: negotiations, but Trump raises the possibility of force

Trump used the address to explain why he is again discussing potential military action against Iran, framing it as connected to a continued effort to negotiate limits on Iran’s nuclear program. The Associated Press reported that Trump linked the renewed discussion to the timing after he said earlier that U.S. strikes had “obliterated” three Iranian nuclear facilities and left Iran with no choice but to make peace.

In his remarks, Trump said, “We wiped it out and they want to start all over again,” and argued that Iran was again pursuing “sinister ambitions,” adding, “We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: We will never have a nuclear weapon.”

Earlier Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that Iran’s position is fixed, writing: “Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear: Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon.” Trump said U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are scheduled to meet again on Thursday in Geneva with Iranian officials, while the Associated Press reported that the pathway to a deal appeared “murky” because Iran’s rulers would discuss the nuclear issue, while the U.S. and Israel also want to address Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for regional armed proxies including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.

Ukraine: Trump makes limited mention as Zelenskyy points to a June deadline

Trump also attempted to address the conflict in Ukraine, with Tuesday marking the four-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion. The Associated Press said Trump made scant mention of the war in his 108-minute speech, but he cited the “killing and slaughter between Russia and Ukraine, where 25,000 soldiers are dying each and every month,” and reiterated that he is working to end the war.

In the background to Trump’s remarks, the Associated Press reported that Russian and Ukrainian officials are negotiating in U.S.-mediated talks, but they remain at odds over issues including Russian demands that Kyiv cede Ukrainian territory still in its control and who would get the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, described by the AP as the biggest in Europe.

The Associated Press also reported that Trump appeared eager for a peace deal before the U.S. midterm elections despite the difficulty of the negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the White House has set a June deadline for the war’s end and that it will likely press both sides to meet it.

Venezuela and the Western Hemisphere: Maduro operation and Monroe Doctrine framing

Trump used the speech to highlight what he described as progress in Venezuela and expanded on his approach toward the Western Hemisphere more broadly. The Associated Press reported that Trump celebrated last month’s capture of Nicolás Maduro in an operation he described as audacious, saying the U.S. “just received from our new friend and partner, Venezuela, more than 80 million barrels of oil.”

The Associated Press said the Trump administration previously described orchestrating a sale of about 30 million to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil that had been stranded by a partial blockade imposed by the administration. Trump also paid tribute to a helicopter pilot wounded in the operation who nonetheless carried out the mission, and he paused to award the pilot the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Trump further introduced Enrique Márquez, described by the AP as a former political prisoner freed by the Venezuelan government last month following the U.S. operation. The Associated Press said Márquez was a presidential candidate in 2024 and had been a former member of the National Electoral Council.

The Associated Press reported that Trump’s action against Maduro, along with what the administration described as an increasingly aggressive posture in the Western Hemisphere aimed at eliminating drug trafficking and illegal migration, raised concerns for some in the region, even as it drew support from some smaller countries.

Trump framed the approach in reference to the Monroe Doctrine, describing rejection of outside influences and asserting U.S. primacy in what the administration calls “America’s backyard,” according to the Associated Press. The AP reported that U.S. forces, under Trump’s orders, have carried out dozens of military strikes on alleged drug-running vessels in the Caribbean, seized sanctioned oil tankers, and tightened the embargo of Cuba, and that Trump used that framing as the “Donroe Doctrine.”

“We’re also restoring American security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere, acting to secure our national interests and defend our country from violence, drugs, terrorism and foreign interference,” Trump said, according to the Associated Press.

Tariffs: Trump responds to Supreme Court decision striking down a 1977 authority

Toward the end of the address, Trump also addressed tariffs, describing the Supreme Court’s action on his use of a 1977 legal authority. The Associated Press reported that Trump ridiculed six justices, including two conservatives he appointed in his first term, who last week struck down his use of the 1977 authority for most of his tariff hikes imposed over the past year.

In the speech, Trump called the decision “an unfortunate ruling from the United States Supreme Court.” The Associated Press reported that Trump said Monday he threatened countries around the world to follow any tariff deals they have already agreed to, and he posted on social media that any country that “play[s] games” with the Supreme Court decision would face “a much higher Tariff, and worse, than that which they just recently agreed to.”

“The good news is almost all countries and corporations want to keep the deal that they already made,” Trump said Tuesday. He added that “The legal power that I as president have to make a new deal could be far worse for them and therefore they will continue to work along the same successful path we had negotiated before the Supreme Court’s unfortunate involvement.”

Associated Press writers Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela, and Colin Binkley, Jonathan J. Cooper and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to the reporting.