Clocking in at one hour and 47 minutes, Pres. Trump broke his own record set last year for the longest State of the Union address.
Under Article II Section three of the Constitution, the president is required to give a speech “from time to time” to Congress on things that he or she believes is necessary to fulfill and pass for them to then sign into law. Addresses tend to last 30 to 50 minutes, though Pres. Bill Clinton’s State of the Union speech tended to last longer than an hour. Every address except for three under George W. Bush has been more than 50 minutes.
At the beginning and end of his speech, Trump called on Americans to join in celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. as he promoted this to be the “golden age of America.” Trump also used the speech to honor individuals with medals and awards, including two military veterans who received the Medal of Honor, one of them who served as far back as World War II. Purple Heart awards were presented to two National Guard members who were victims of an attack in Washington D.C., and Trump also announced his plan to give the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the U.S. Olympic hockey goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck.
Toward the end of the speech, Trump suggested he wanted to give the medal to himself but said, “I’ve always wanted the congressional Medal of Honor, but I was informed I’m not allowed to give it to myself.”
Related to the Olympics and sports, Trump talked about looking forward to the 2028 Olympics being held in Los Angeles as well as the 2026 FIFA World Cup which is being held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
He also took shots at the Democratic Party over the current shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), for not supporting the SAVE Act which he claimed most voters support. He claimed that the Affordable Care Act was meant for insurance companies and not people and he called out former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for not supporting the Stop Insider Trading Act.
Trump discussed foreign policy, and claimed he “ended eight wars,” though some deals he helped broker have fallen through and some countries involved have said he had little to no role in the ending of their conflicts. He also went after the Supreme Court decision that struck down his tariffs with some justices in attendance.
Similar to the last State of the Union, there were interruptions from the audience. Al Green, of Texas, held up a sign that read “Black People Aren’t Apes” and was removed shortly after. The sign was a reference to an artificial intelligence video Trump posted to Truth Social which showed former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle as apes. Other House Democrats – including Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan – yelled over Trump’s rhetoric regarding immigrants. However, neither were removed like Green. Norma Torres of California held up pictures of Renee Good and Alex Pretti who were killed by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota.
About half of Congress’ Democrats refused to attend the State of The Union to protest the Trump administration’s policies. From Connecticut, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy spoke at the “People’s State of the Union” at the National Mall in Washington D.C., a counter protest to the State of The Union. Three out of the five members of Connecticut’s House of Representatives delegation did not attend.
John Larson of East Hartford also attended the National Mall rally, and in a press release he said, “I cannot in good conscience attend this year’s State of the Union and will instead join with Americans from across the country to speak out against this president’s failed leadership. We need to disband ICE and divert its funding to the issues keeping families up at night.”
Jim Himes, who represents districts in the southwest part of Connecticut, also attended the National Mall rally and said, “I will not legitimize this Administration’s gross unconstitutional overreach by participating in the President’s propagandist diatribe. Instead, I’ll be attending the People’s State of the Union, where my colleagues and I will focus on the issues that make life better for the American people.”
Jahana Hayes, whose district covers central and northwest Connecticut, also did not attend the State of the Union.
In her response to the speech, Abigail Spanberger, the newly-elected governor of Virginia, asked the audience multiple questions about issues facing Americans, focusing her speech topics on affordability, healthcare and ICE.
“Tonight, as we watched our nation’s lawmakers gather for a joint session of Congress, we did not hear the truth from our President,” said Spanberger. “So, let’s speak plainly and honestly, and let me ask you three questions: Is the President working to make life more affordable for you and your family? Is the President working to keep Americans safe — both at home and abroad? Is the President working for YOU?” U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, of California, delivered a response in Spanish.
