Trump says he inherited a 'nation in crisis', claims 'turnaround for the ages' in State of the Union speech

In a 108-minute speech that shattered the record for the longest State of the Union address in American history, President Donald Trump touted his administration as having achieved a "turnaround for the ages." During his speech, the President claimed that he inherited a "nation in crisis" from the Biden administration, but his administration was able to bring in sweeping changes, heralding the U.S. towards its "golden age." 

"When I last spoke in this chamber 12 months ago, I had just inherited a nation in crisis, with a stagnant economy, inflation at record levels, a wide open border, horrendous recruitment for military and police, rampant crime at home, and wars and chaos all over the world," Trump said, adding, "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." Trump then went on to highlight steps taken by his administration to control illegal immigration, ensure "world peace”, and boost the American economy. 

In terms of illegal immigration, the President asserted that "today our border is secure, our spirit is restored, inflation is plummeting, incomes are rising fast, the roaring economy is roaring like never before, and our enemies are scared, our militaries and police are stacked." Asserting that America is "respected again, perhaps, like never before," Trump added, "After four years, in which millions and millions of illegal aliens poured across our borders totally unvetted and unchecked, we now have the strongest and most secure border in American history by far." He claimed that zero illegal immigrants have crossed the border in the past nine months.

Stating that his administration was able to bring down inflation to its lowest ever, President Trump touted his "America First" policies, claiming that energy costs had been significantly slashed. To exemplify this statement, Trump said, "Gasoline... is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states," adding that in some parts of the country, he had seen prices go down to even $1.85. The President also claimed that mortgage rates have been the lowest in four years, with the annual cost of a typical mortgage being down by almost $5,000. "Low interest rates will solve the Biden-created housing problem while at the same time protecting the values of those people that already own a house," Trump said. 

Trump also defended his controversial use of tariffs, a large part of which were recently deemed unconstitutional and struck down by the Supreme Court. Calling the Supreme Court's decision "a very unfortunate ruling", Trump said, "I used these tariffs, took in hundreds of billions of dollars to make great deals for our country both economically and on a national security basis." The President said that despite the ruling, almost all countries and corporations "want to keep the deal that they already made."

Regarding global stability, the President reiterated his claim of having stopped eight wars and "obliterating" Iran's nuclear program. Trump said that he was able to stop many of the wars because of his tariff policies. "Our country has never been stronger. In my first 10 months, I ended eight wars, including Cambodia and Thailand, Pakistan and India—would've been a nuclear war, 35 million people said the Prime Minister of Pakistan would've died if it were not for my involvement," the President said.  

President Trump also used his address to lean into cultural and domestic initiatives, most notably celebrating the U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey team's gold medal win and touting the "Trump Accounts", tax-free investment accounts for children funded by private donations. He also called on Congress to pass the "Save America Act" to mandate voter ID and proof of citizenship, while vowing to "ban large Wall Street investment firms from buying up single-family homes". "The golden age of America is upon us... and our future will be bigger, better, brighter, bolder, and more glorious than ever before," Trump said. However, despite the President's triumphant tone, many of the figures and successes cited throughout the evening—from the claim of low gas prices to providing the greatest tax cuts in American history—were significantly exaggerated or based on misleading data, as per independent analysts.