Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1426 EAT on Wednesday 25 February 2026

Donald Trump delivered a combative State of the Union address on Tuesday night, hailing what he described as an American “turnaround for the ages.”

At a time when polls suggest many in the United States are dissatisfied with the nation’s direction and with Trump’s leadership the president offered little indication of any shift in course.

Instead, with an eye on crucial midterm elections later this year, he presented a sales pitch to the country, mixing a patriotic rallying cry for loyal supporters with taunts aimed at political opponents.
The speech was marked by theatrical flourishes the kind of made-for-television moments the former reality TV host appears to relish.

Early in the address, Trump welcomed the US Olympic men’s hockey team to the gallery, prompting chants of “USA!” from Republicans while Democrats also rose to applaud.

Later, he highlighted military heroes, including a 100-year-old World War II veteran and a Coast Guard rescue swimmer credited with saving 165 people during last year’s Texas floods. The swimmer received the Congressional Medal of Honor, while the veteran was awarded the Legion of Merit for extraordinary heroism.

Although the address set a record for length, these moments helped maintain the evening’s momentum and reinforced the president’s broader theme of American patriotism and achievement.

The address opened on a familiar note. “Our nation is back,” Donald Trump proclaimed, describing the United States as the “hottest” country in the world. At one point, after accusing Democrats of fuelling an “affordability” crisis, he added: “We are doing really well.”

He cited rising incomes, a surging stock market, lower petrol prices, sharply reduced undocumented crossings at the southern border and easing inflation as evidence of progress.

“Our country is winning again,” he said.
Yet the president faces a political headwind: his approval ratings remain around 40 percent, and many Americans say they want stronger action to address their concerns.

Last month, Trump delivered a similar nationally televised address from the White House, highlighting many of the same statistics and themes, but it did little to shift public sentiment. His team now appears to be wagering that the far larger State of the Union audience — expected to run into the tens of millions — could change the dynamic.

Even so, the speech offered relatively little in the way of new policy.
Trump threaded the nearly two-hour address with a handful of proposals, including new retirement savings accounts aimed at working-class Americans and an arrangement with artificial intelligence companies to secure sufficient electricity for their operations in order to avoid higher consumer bills.

He also revived several familiar proposals, including a healthcare plan offering direct payments to help Americans cover insurance premiums, legislation requiring voters to prove citizenship, and a ban on issuing commercial driver’s licences to undocumented migrants.

The president further vowed to continue pursuing his sweeping tariff programme despite last Friday’s ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States striking down many of the duties he had imposed.

Three of the justices who ruled against him sat impassively in the front row. Earlier, Trump briefly shook hands with Chief Justice John Roberts — author of the court’s tariff opinion — though neither man appeared to smile.

In a speech frequently interrupted by cheers from Republicans, Donald Trump’s defence of tariffs drew murmurs from Democrats and uneasy silence from some Republicans, many of whom remain concerned about the policy’s economic costs and its potential political fallout.

If the tariff discussion drained some energy from the chamber, tensions rose sharply when Trump turned to immigration.

His warnings about what he described as the threat posed by “illegal aliens” triggered some of the loudest applause from Republicans, while Democrats responded with angry shouts and icy stares.

Immigration has long been one of Trump’s political strengths. However, his recent enforcement surge in Minneapolis — which resulted in the fatal shooting of two American citizens by federal agents — has significantly dented his standing on the issue.

The president made no reference to the killings or to the “softer approach” to enforcement he had previously suggested might be necessary in their aftermath. Instead, his speech — with its focus on crimes committed by undocumented migrants, including murders, accidents and corruption — appeared aimed at reclaiming the political advantage.

“The only thing standing between Americans and a wide-open border right now is President Donald J Trump and our great Republican patriots in Congress,” he said.

The remark served as a tacit reminder that in just over eight months, Americans will head to the polls in midterm elections that will determine control of both chambers of Congress.

As is typical in such congressional addresses, foreign policy took a back seat. Despite a significant build-up of American forces near Iran, Trump did little to make the case publicly for sustained US military action.

“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy, but one thing is certain: I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon,” he said, before moving on.

For now, the political winds appear to be blowing against the president. But Trump may be betting that public sentiment will shift.

He could be рассчитыing that Americans will begin to feel the economic benefits of his policies. Or he may believe national mood will brighten amid patriotic fervour during the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations this summer.

With its repeated tributes to military heroes and gold medal–winning hockey players in the gallery, the address suggested this is a political wager the president is willing to make.

Source: BBC

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