Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address in U.S. history on Tuesday, arguing to Congress and the public that the country is “winning so much” and that his economic agenda is translating into a homegrown boom. The Associated Press reported that Trump used the marathon speech—108 minutes, breaking the previous record by eight minutes set in his prior address to Congress—to try to reassure increasingly skeptical voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The administration’s overarching message, as described by AP, centered on convincing voters that the economy is stronger than many Americans believe while tying that claim to the case for Republicans to hold power. The speech largely avoided Trump’s usual bombast, AP said, though he intermittently veered into sharper, partisan attacks aimed largely at Democrats.
Trump punctuated the address with a series of surprise guest appearances. AP reported that the guests included U.S. military heroes and a former political prisoner released after U.S. forces toppled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Trump drew some of the loudest applause when he invited the Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team into the House chamber, and he introduced them with a remark that framed their reaction as a bipartisan moment.
During the event, Trump announced he would award the Presidential Medal of Freedom—described by AP as the nation’s highest civilian honor—to the team’s goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck. He also presented the Purple Heart to Andrew Wolfe, a National Guard member who was shot while deployed on streets in Washington, and AP said Wolfe made his first public appearance since the shooting during the speech.
The address also included confrontations inside the chamber as members shouted protests and Trump responded. AP reported that Democratic Rep. Mark Takano yelled “How about you first!” and that Rep. Rashida Tlaib called out, “You’re the most corrupt president!” as the president discussed halting insider trading by members of Congress. When some heckling continued, AP said Trump proclaimed, “You should be ashamed of yourselves,” and later told Democrats, “These people are crazy.” AP also reported that Democratic Rep. Al Green was escorted from the chamber early after unfurling a sign protesting with the words “Black People Aren’t Apes!”
On policy, Trump used the speech to defend immigration crackdowns and to press proposals affecting voting access. AP said he invited lawmakers from both parties to “protect American citizens, not illegal aliens” and championed efforts to limit mail-in ballots and tighten voter identification rules. AP reported that the president also defended tariffs and addressed their legal status after the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs at issue.
Trump told lawmakers he planned to press ahead with tariffs using “alternative” laws, AP reported, adding that “Congressional action will not be necessary.” He argued that foreign countries pay the tariffs, AP said, despite evidence cited by the report that costs are borne by American consumers and businesses. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan attended, and AP said Trump greeted them personally before the speech even after last week slamming Barrett for siding with the majority against his tariffs.
The speech spent relatively little time on efforts to lower everyday costs even as affordability concerns have become a political vulnerability for Trump, according to AP. The report said growth slowed in the last three months of last year and that tariffs could stoke higher prices later, raising fears that the approach could undercut job creation and economic momentum. AP reported that Trump blamed former President Joe Biden and Democratic lawmakers for rising prices and health-care costs and told lawmakers, “You caused that problem,” adding later, “They knew their statements were a dirty, rotten lie.”
Trump also used moments aimed at technology and consumer costs, AP said, including a pledge to press technology companies involved in artificial intelligence to pay higher electricity rates in areas where their data centers are located. AP further reported an off-script moment on prescription drug prices as Trump referenced his term timeline and prompted a chant of “Four more years!”
In foreign policy, AP reported that Trump addressed Iran as two U.S. aircraft carriers were dispatched to the Middle East amid tensions. He told lawmakers, “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” and then said he would not allow “the world’s number one sponsor of terror” to have a nuclear weapon. AP said Trump also recounted U.S. airstrikes last summer that pounded Tehran’s nuclear capabilities, praised a raid that ousted Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, and described a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza as part of his administration’s work.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who delivered the Democratic response to Trump’s speech, criticized the president’s immigration policies, federal government cuts and tariffs. AP reported Spanberger said that even after the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs days earlier, “the damage to us, the American people, has already been done,” and she described what she said was Trump’s plan for new tariffs as “another massive tax hike on you and your family.”