On Feb. 24, United States President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union Address at the House of Representatives Chamber in Washington. Donald Trump’s speech was the longest in history, spanning one hour and 48 minutes. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Vice President J.D. Vance, First Lady Melania Trump, Second Lady Usha Vance, congress and four of the Supreme Court justices were in attendance of the speech.
The State of the Union Address is a speech given by the president to all members of the U.S. Congress that takes place between January and February every year. This speech is used as a platform for the president to address Congress and the American people with their full plan for the country in the new year. The State of the Union Address has been in practice since George Washington gave the first address in 1790. Both the First Lady and the Speaker of the House are allowed to invite 24 guests each. Melania Trump invited Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and leader of Turning Point U.S, a far-right organization. Additionally, each member of congress is given the ability to bring one guest. Multiple Democratic members of Congress brought victims of Jeffery Epstein to address Donald Trump’s alleged connection to him. Donald Trump invited the U.S. Men’s Hockey team after their gold medal win at the Olympics and the team received a bipartisan round of applause a they entered the chamber.
To begin his address, Donald Trump described the country as better than before. He also spoke about how the U.S. will have its 250th Independence Day this year, celebrating the country’s fight for liberty, progress and triumph. Later in his speech, Donald Trump addressed his future plans for the country this year and what he has done since his inauguration in January of 2025. Donald Trump discussed his administration’s decisions to end Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Many found it to be controversial because DEI protects minorities against discrimination in the workplace.
Donald Trump stated that after having millions of illegal immigrants cross the border into the U.S. during the presidency before him, he and his administration had taken the necessary actions and created one of the strongest and most secure borders in the world. Moreover, Donald Trump commentted on how legal immigrants are always welcome into the U.S., describing them as hard-working individuals who will help love and maintain the country.
In his address, Donald Trump stated that the Biden Administration left the country with the worst inflation that it had ever faced. Donald Trump also claimed that so far in his presidency, he has deflated prices for gasoline, stating that he had seen gas prices at their lowest in four years. He also talked about how he lowered American mortgages by almost $5,000 since his first year in office. After 12 months, Donald Trump states, he has secured commitments for more than $18 trillion from across the globe.
Donald Trump highlighted many of his plans for the nation for the rest of the year. He addressed several issues that came up throughout the duration of time leading up to and during his current presidency. For the rest of his presidency, Donald Trump plans to strengthen the country’s border and immigration policies, extend tax cuts and reduce federal bureaucracy.
