REUTERS/via SNO Sites/Evelyn Hockstein

U.S. President Donald Trump points during the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 24, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

“The state of the union is strong,” President Donald Trump said in the opening of his historic State of the Union Address. 

On the night of Feb. 24, President Trump delivered the first State of the Union (SOTU) Address of his second presidential term. This address, the longest ever delivered, covered a wide range of aspects of the state of the United States, from economics to religion to foreign policy. 

Throughout, Trump failed to take accountability for the many shortcomings and regressions which have taken place under his administration. The truth is: that state of the union is not strong. The American people are heavily divided, the President’s approval rating on both sides of the political spectrum is at a historic low and the injustices occurring almost daily serve to illustrate the disarray of the nation. 

That’s not to say the night was all bad, though. This SOTU also made history as dozens of congressional democrats chose not to attend in protest, many opting instead to rally outside of the Capitol, and those who did attend remained seated for the majority of the address. For the second consecutive year, democratic Texan Representative Al Green was removed from the address. This year, for holding up a sign reading “Black people aren’t apes,” and last for shouting during the address. This year’s sign was a response to an X post by the President which depicted former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama as gorillas. Blatantly racist behavior like this is in no way acceptable, and to see it from the President is deeply appalling. Notably, as Green was being escorted out, cameras were quick to cut away from the Representative, resulting in many viewers missing his message. This display of resistance offers the people hope for an upturn in American politics, especially with the upcoming midterm elections.

Before Trump’s speech began, the display of fanfare from the members of congress was already atrocious. As members of the cabinet walked in, the display began as congresspeople leaned in for selfies, but this was highly amped up for the President. As he walked through the chamber, Trump was pulled in for dozens of selfies from adoring republican members of Congress. There were over five minutes of silence between Trump’s entrance to the chamber and the beginning of his speech which were filled with his selfie-lined walk to the podium and the subsequent, seemingly unending, applause. This drove home the disconnect between the branches of government, as the executive branch was made to seem like a celebrity, and the Congressional Republicans their adoring fans. 

The address itself had a greater focus on the achievements of individual Americans rather than the achievements of the government for the nation as a whole. On top of this, there was nearly no mention of plans for the future. Trump did make some vague remarks about policies and movements to come, but no specifics about their execution were given, and the end goals of them were vague. Two standout plans were the “Vance-led war on fraud,” with the end goal of ending tax fraud, and a further push to eliminate insider trade. Both of these plans have garnered widespread support in addition to the widespread opposition. While neither plan sounds bad in theory, the proposed execution of the prior is what serves to raise some eyebrows. Trump’s tax fraud plan has been targeted at democratic states, such as Minnesota, California, Massachusetts and Maine. Ultimately, this plan seems less about uncovering corruption and more about taking money from blue states. Trump’s insider trading plan, too, is favorable. This plan would prevent members of Congress with stock market insight from taking advantage of investments. This plan is highly favorable, but it is also majorly hypocritical considering Trump’s use of his Presidential terms to make his family more affluent. 

The night was also full of attacks, as Trump called out Congressional Democrats, political opposition, former President Joe Biden, various governors and many others who the President doesn’t see eye-to-eye with. This was a clear reminder to all audiences that the President is an instigator. He spent the night making claims in order to get extreme reactions from both sides of the aisle, successfully. Though his goal of garnering attention was successful, his incessant shifting of the blame for his shortcomings reads as a lack of accountability, making the President seem all the more immature. His continued attacks at the former President while over a year into his term create a very childish front–not a good look for a President to have. 

The proposed policy which most stood out is the “SAVE America Act,” a plan to require voter ID and reduce absentee ballots. Throughout the years, acts with a similar ring have been proposed, and some states have implemented their own voter ID requirements, but the bottom line of these policies is that they’re disenfranchisement. For those Americans who cannot afford to fund a form of ID–because they’re not the most accessible–they won’t be able to vote. Many have made the argument that voter ID requirements serve as a form of poll tax, and this sentiment clearly holds some truth. Unless obtaining a voter ID can be a free process, this act should not be passed. 

Sprinkled between all of this, smaller, irrelevant, untrue jabs were made. From claims of forced governmental gender transition to a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it remark about replacing federal income tax with tariffs, the President’s lack of awareness of the state of the country was on full display. It is abundantly clear that Trump has next to no understanding of the social or economic happenings of the nation, and it’s appalling. 

Ultimately, resoundingly, the state of our union is not strong.