Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump claimed in his State of the Union address on February 24 that he had ushered in “the golden age of America,” despite sagging approval ratings and deepening voter frustration ahead of November’s midterm election.
Heeding calls from Republican lawmakers worried they could lose their congressional majority later this year, Trump spent the first hour of his televised speech focused on the economy, saying he had slowed inflation, driven the stock market to record heights, signed sweeping tax cuts and lowered drug prices, according to a Reuters report.
Trump sought to blame his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, for high prices, but opinion polls show voters hold Trump responsible for not doing more to ease an affordability crisis after he campaigned relentlessly on the issue. “Our nation is back — bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,” Trump said after taking the stage to cheers of “USA, USA” from fellow Republicans in Congress, with dozens of empty seats on the Democratic side a reminder that many lawmakers skipped the speech for anti-Trump rallies outside.
Trump’s speech lasted approximately an hour and 47 minutes, breaking the record he set last year for the longest presidential address to Congress.
Democratic Party response Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat whose decisive victory in November was an early midterm warning sign for Republicans, delivered her party’s official response, criticizing Trump for abandoning struggling Americans. “Is the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family?” she said. “We all know the answer is no.” As Trump praised his immigration enforcement, Democrat Ilhan Omar, who represents a Minneapolis U.S. House district, shouted in his direction, “You have killed Americans!”
Democratic US Representative Al Green was removed from the House chamber after waving a sign at Trump that read, “Black people aren’t apes.” Other Democrats offered quieter messages of protest.
