February 25, 2026 | 12:30 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - US President Donald Trump delivered his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, touting increased economic output and reduced immigration numbers, and praising National Guard deployments and the US men's ice hockey team.
In a record-long speech focused largely on domestic issues, Trump told Congress that "our nation is back" with an economy "roaring like never before."
He claimed that "American oil production is up by more than 600,000 barrels a day" and that "natural gas production is at an all-time high because I kept my promise to drill, baby, drill," applauded at regular intervals by Republican lawmakers.
On immigration, Trump boasted that the United States now has "the strongest and most secure border in American history," claiming that, previously, "millions and millions of illegal aliens" had been entering the country unchecked.
As if to demonstrate the extent to which he believes the country is "winning," Trump welcomed into the chamber the US men's ice hockey team which has just won gold at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina in Italy, awarding goaltender Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Trump Blasts Iran
Turning to foreign policy, Trump called Iran "the world’s number one sponsor of terror" and said he would "never" allow it to obtain a nuclear weapon.
"They've already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas," he said, before claiming, without evidence, that the Iranian military was "working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America."
Amid rising tensions over Tehran's nuclear program, Trump insisted: "My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy."
Elsewhere, Trump hailed a "bright new beginning for Venezuela" after US special forces abducted President Nicolas Maduro in a January raid, which Trump claimed had impressed world leaders.
While Trump received regular standing ovations from his Republican supporters, Democrats in the chamber generally remained seated, standing only for the hockey team and when Trump asked all lawmakers to stand if they agreed that "the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens."
Democrats Confront Trump
Around 50 seats in the chamber remained empty as some Democrats opted to boycott the address, while some of those that did attend heckled Trump as he spoke.
After repeating his oft-repeated claim that he has "solved eight wars," Michigan congresswoman Rashida Tlaib shouted: "It's a lie." And when Trump praised the recent ICE deployments in Minnesota, representative Ilhan Omar shouted: "You've killed Americans."
Earlier in the address, Democratic representative Al Green had brandished a handwritten sign reading "Black people aren't apes!" in reference to a racist video depiction of Barack and Michelle Obama, which had been shared by Trump. He was subsequently ejected.
With Trump's recent immigration crackdown and the release of the Epstein files still fresh in the memory, some Democratic members of Congress had invited guests to highlight both issues.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York invited the mother of a school student who is being held by immigration authorities, while Representative Maxine Dexter of Oregon gave up her place to Epstein survivor Lisa Phillips.
Phillips said she was "just hoping for some type of acknowledgment" from the president during his address and insisted: "We’re not stopping until all the files are released."
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