U.S. President Donald Trump said in his first State of the Union address of his second term at the U.S. House chamber in the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on the 24th, local time, that "America is back, bigger, greater, wealthier and stronger than ever," adding, "We will keep getting better and better. This is America's golden age right now."
Trump said, "In five months, we will mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, the greatest milestone in U.S. history." In the State of the Union under the theme "America at 250: a strong, prosperous and respected nation," he highlighted his achievements one by one.
This speech is Trump's first official State of the Union of his second term. The State of the Union is where a U.S. president reviews political, economic and diplomatic achievements over the past year and announces to Congress and the public the administration's plans for the coming year. Although Trump spoke at a joint session of the House and Senate on Mar. 4 last year, this is his first time in his second term standing at the State of the Union rostrum.
Trump said, "A year ago when I spoke here, I inherited a nation in crisis amid a stagnant economy, the highest inflation on record, wide-open borders, severe staffing shortages in the military and police, rampant crime, and wars and chaos around the world," adding, "But in just one year we achieved a transformation no one has ever seen and delivered a timeless shift."
He continued, "Today our borders are more secure, morale has been restored, inflation is down and incomes are rising fast. The economy is booming more than ever," adding, "Our adversaries fear our military."
He also defended his immigration policy, which has faced criticism after two Americans were killed in January in a shooting by immigration enforcement agents. Trump said, "For a long time, hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants came across the border without even being vetted, but our border is now the most secure in history," adding, "Not a single undocumented immigrant has come in over the past nine months."
He added, "The influx of deadly fentanyl fell 56% in one year, a record," and "last year's homicide rate also declined by the largest margin in history." He also said, "Just as Washington, D.C., has now become the safest city in Korea, Los Angeles (LA) will become safe as well."
On the economy, he emphasized, "Over the past 12 months our administration lowered core inflation to the lowest level in more than five years, and in the last three months of 2025 it fell to 1.7%," adding, "The stock market set 53 records over the year." He also mentioned that the Dow Jones broke through 50,000 for the first time early this month.
He did not leave out remarks on tariff. On the 20th, the Supreme Court ruled that the reciprocal tariff Trump imposed last year on major trading partners under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) exceeded presidential authority. Trump said, "Because of tariff we earned hundreds of billions of dollars and signed many agreements. Countries that plundered Korea for decades are now paying tens and hundreds of billions of dollars to (the United States)," adding, "But four days ago the Supreme Court handed down an unfortunate decision."
Trump said, "The good news is that almost all countries and corporations are trying to honor the agreements they signed with the United States," adding, "They also know that as president I have the legal authority to make new deals with them (other countries) that could be much worse for them."
He added, "We could impose a tariff by using other alternative laws," and "Even if it may be somewhat complicated, we will use other laws to impose a tariff through a verified process without congressional approval."