Trump Lays Out Midterm Agenda at State of the Union

President Donald Trump is giving the first State of the Union address of his second term on Tuesday.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will give the Democratic Party response following Trump’s speech. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) will deliver the party’s response in Spanish.

“I thought Tlaib and Omar and a few others really brought shame upon their party and upon themselves. I mean, the antics were outrageous,” he told reporters following Trump’s speech.

“He had focused on a lot of things,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.). “That’s why the speech was so long. He’s had a lot of successes.”

Burchett said he thought the president did a good job, specifically recalling mentions of energy independence, banning insider trading, and “celebrating incredible Americanism.” He said he was disappointed at the way his Democratic colleagues behaved.

“I was disappointed that the Democrats didn’t cheer for things like home ownership and things like that,” he said. “But I guess when you’re a Marxist, that’s what you get.”

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) also noted how lawmakers from both chambers behaved during the speech.

“You got to see really clearly who wants to work with this president to get the country back on track and lower costs, and who wants to just try to promote chaos and block things and raise taxes,” he said, noting the Democratic lawmakers stood up and applauded their efforts to block tax cuts during the speech.

Meanwhile, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) came to the defense of his fellow Democrats, saying that he thought his caucus was respectful and he did not see anything out of the ordinary.

“I mean, yes, people were frustrated, and they have every right to show their frustration,” he said. “But in the end, a lot of people were clapping when it made sense to clap.”

“Our president has sent poorly trained federal agents into our cities where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who aspire to be Americans, and they have done it without a warrant,” she said. “They have ripped nursing mothers away from their babies.

“Let’s speak plainly and honestly,” she said. “And let me ask you, the American people watching at home, 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?”

Before closing his speech, the president said he had one more “living legend” to honor.

Williams was a fighter pilot in World War II, serving in Korea and Vietnam. He flew more than 220 missions in 1952, Trump said.

“Royce was in the dogfight of a lifetime, a legendary dogfight, flying through blizzard conditions,” the president stated during his address. “His squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter planes.”

This encounter became Williams’s first aerial combat of the war.

Despite being outnumbered, outgunned, and injured, Trump said the Navy pilot took down four enemy fighters while taking 263 bullets to his own plane.

“His story was secret for over 50 years. He didn’t even want to tell his wife, but the legend grew and grew,” Trump said. “Tonight, at 100 years old, this brave Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves.”

First Lady Melania Trump adorned Williams with the Medal of Honor in the gallery.

Slover was maneuvering a CH-47 Chinook troop transport helicopter when he and his co-pilot were struck by a burst of machine-gun fire.

“Eric was hit very badly in the leg and hip, one bullet after another. He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces,” Trump said.

Despite his wounds, Slover continued to bring the helicopter to its landing point, allowing the assault force to proceed with the mission to capture Maduro.

“The success of the entire mission and the lives of his fellow warriors hinge on Eric’s ability to take searing pain,” Trump said.

Ruskin rescued 165 people amid the devastating, deadly Texas floods last summer that killed more than 130 people.

“It was Scott's first ever rescue mission—young guy, but very brave, very, very top, always top in his class,” the president said.

One of those individuals that Ruskin saved was 11-year-old Millie Kate, who is also a guest at Trump’s speech tonight.

She was at summer camp in central Texas when floodwaters swept through the area.

“I kept my promise to drill, baby, drill.”

Trump touted his support for fossil fuel production, nuclear energy, mining, and mineral processing, as well as environmental regulation roll-backs.

Domestic oil production is up more than 600,000 barrels a day, the president said. The United States has received more than 80 million barrels from “our new friend,” Venezuela, he said.

Wolfe was in the House chamber to accept the award.

“School officials in Virginia sought to socially transition her to a new gender, treating her as a boy and hiding it from her parents,” the president said.

Sage ran away from home, confused by school officials who told her she could use the male bathroom, a male name, and male pronouns while at school, the president said.

A judge refused to return Sage to her parents because they didn’t agree that their daughter was their son, Trump said, adding that the teenager was then put into an all-boys school.

She suffered greatly, the president said.

“But today, all of that is behind them because Sage is a proud and wonderful young woman with a full-ride scholarship to Liberty University,” Trump said during his speech, which was followed by a standing ovation.

No states should be allowed to take children away and encourage them to transition to a new gender against their parents’ will, Trump said.

The bill would require people to present two forms of identification in addition to a Social Security card to register to vote.

“Why would anybody not want voter ID? One reason is because they want to cheat. There’s only one reason,” Trump said.

“I’m inviting every [legislator] to join with my administration and reaffirming a fundamental principle. If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support. The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens.”

The Democrats in the House chamber did not stand.

The president blamed Democrats for shutting down the Department of Homeland Security, saying they “have cut off all funding.”

Trump, who called for defunding sanctuary cities—which shield illegal immigrants from federal immigration authorities—told the Democrats that they should be ashamed of themselves.

“We will ensure justice for your magnificent daughter, Iryna,” Trump said.

The killing, captured on camera in Charlotte, sparked intense criticism over why the suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., was on the street despite 14 prior criminal arrests.

The Trump administration has pointed to the killing to argue that local leaders, judges, and policies in Democratic-led cities are failing to protect residents from violent crime.

Dalilah drew applause when she smiled and waved in her father’s arms. Trump called her a “fantastic inspiration.”

Tech companies can “build their own power plants as part of their factory, so that no one's prices will go up and, in many cases, prices of electricity will go down for the community,” he said.

Trump is pitching a new plan for the government starting next year to provide up to $1,000 to people without employer sponsored retirement accounts who put in the same amount of money or more.

It’s not clear how the president would fund this match or what it would cost.

“How about you first!” Rep. Mark Takano, a California Democrat, yelled after the president expressed surprise that the Democrats joined in the standing ovation.

“You’re the most corrupt president!” Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, also yelled.

Fifteen companies agreed to offer some medications, and all new medications, to U.S. customers at the lowest prices available in any developed country.

“Although [it] started four months ago, I am officially announcing the war on fraud to be led by our great Vice President JD Vance,” he said.

While celebrating the economic record in his administration’s first year, the president said the high court issued a “very unfortunate ruling.”

“All Democrats, every single one of them, voted against these really important and very necessary massive tax cuts,” Trump said.

That exceeds what his administration had initially projected in the days after the U.S. military carried out a stunning raid in Venezuela’s capital last month and captured then-leader Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuela’s oil industry produces roughly 1 million barrels a day. The country has the world’s largest proven oil reserves.

Chants of “USA! USA!” broke out. Some Democrats also gave a standing ovation.

Some of those accomplishments included decreasing the flow of fentanyl across the border by 56 percent, a historic decline in the nation’s murder rate, and a complete halt to the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States for the past nine months.

Trump also mentioned that core inflation dropped to 1.7 percent in the last three months of 2025, and the annual cost of a new mortgage has dropped almost $5,000.

Hegseth chatted and laughed with generals. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick mingled with senators. Transportation Secretary Scott Duffy enthusiastically shook the hand of Rep. Al Green, approaching and speaking with a group of Democratic senators.

Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) followed alongside the rest of the senators in attendance.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said that he is not attending Trump’s speech due to what he said is the president’s disrespect for the institution. “These aren’t normal times,” he said in a statement.