Wednesday 25 Feb 2026
US President Donald Trump during his first State of the Union address of his second term to a joint session of Congress, which focused on the economy, tariffs and foreign policy. (Photo/AP)
President Donald Trump began his first State of the Union address of his second term to a joint session of Congress, focusing on the economy, tariffs and foreign policy.
In his remarks, Trump has highlighted what he described as his administration's economic actions and trade strategy, declaring: "Our nation is back — bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before."
He said: "Today our borders are secure, and we will deliver better and better and better results. This is the golden age of America."
The US president has pointed to his closure of the US border, the state of the US economy and a drop in crime at the top of his address.
"Today, our border is secure, our spirit is restored. Inflation is plummeting, incomes are rising fast. The economy is roaring like never before, and our enemies are scared. Our military and police are stacked, and America is respected again," Trump said.
He said he had inherited "a real crisis with a stagnant economy, record inflation and wide-open borders" and added: "We will not return to the situation we were in. Our borders today are secure."
Border security and immigration focus
Trump claimed that no undocumented migrant had been allowed into the United States over the past nine months and said the flow of the drug fentanyl across the border has fallen by a record 56 percent in one year.
Trump again criticised Somali Americans in Minnesota, framing the remarks as part of what he described as a crackdown on fraud.
He referred to "the Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota," saying that "importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right here to the USA, and it is the American people who pay the price and higher medical bills, car insurance rates, rent, taxes and, perhaps most importantly, crime."
Critics have previously described similar remarks as racist.
The administration has repeatedly tied legal immigration to fraud and pressure on social welfare systems, citing this as justification for suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 countries.
Trump also called on lawmakers to pass the SAVE Act, legislation that would create new identification requirements for voters.
Trump claimed that "cheating is rampant in our elections. It's rampant."
Claims of ending wars
Repeating his claim that he has ended wars, Trump said he had concluded eight conflicts during the first 10 months of his term, including the genocide in Gaza.
"I ended eight wars during the first 10 months of my presidency, including Gaza," Trump said.
He added that all living and deceased ones were returned under the Gaza ceasefire agreement his administration negotiated.
"All hostages, alive and dead, were returned under the Gaza ceasefire agreement that we negotiated," he said, adding that the Palestinian resistance group Hamas worked "side by side with Israel to recover the remains of the dead hostages in Gaza."
"And of course, the war in Gaza, which proceeds at a very low level, it's just about there," Trump said, describing the ceasefire as a success.
Even though Trump claimed he ended the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza, Israeli forces have continued to carry out attacks in the enclave since the ceasefire began in October, killing more than 600 Palestinians during that period.
Israel has also continued to severely restrict access to humanitarian aid, which was meant to enter the territory in large quantities under the agreement.
Trump said his administration is "working intensively to end the war in Ukraine" and added: "I will pursue peace wherever possible, and I will never hesitate to confront threats facing America wherever necessary."
Tariff defiance
Trump said the US "just received from our new friend and partner, Venezuela, more than 80 million barrels of oil," framing access to energy resources as part of his economic achievements.
On trade, Trump called a recent US Supreme Court decision striking down large swathes of his tariffs "unfortunate", but said he will rely on alternative statutes to keep tariffs in place without consulting Congress.
"Just four days ago, an unfortunate ruling from the United States Supreme Court, it just came down. Very unfortunate ruling," Trump said, noting his tariffs will remain under "fully-approved and tested alternative legal statutes".
"Congressional action will not be necessary," he added, as he depicted tariffs as a long-term effort to correct decades of imbalanced trade relations whilst critics say higher consumer prices have been the result.
Addressing artificial intelligence infrastructure, Trump said major technology companies constructing large data centres would be required to provide their own power.
"We're telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs," he said, describing the move as a "pledge".
___
Source: TRT
