An entry with great fanfare into the hemicycle of the House of Representatives, followed by a record speech lasting one hour and forty-seven minutes: Donald Trump took advantage of the traditional State of the Union speech to parliamentarians to paint, on Tuesday February 24, an idyllic picture of the United States, a little over a year after his return to power.
“After only one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved an unprecedented transformation and historic turnaround”declared the American president in his general policy speech delivered in front of an omnipresent family clan, including the first lady, Melania Trump. “Our country is back (…) Inflation is falling, incomes are growing quickly, the economy is thriving like it has never been before.he said again to the applause of the elected representatives of the Republican Party chanting « USA, USA, USA ».
Jostled by the Supreme Court, mistreated in the polls, threatened with an electoral sanction in November during the midterm elections which could reduce his room for maneuver in the event of loss of control of his party in Parliament, Donald Trump had a lot to do to convince the Americans that “golden age” promised during his inauguration is within reach.
“War against fraud” in social assistance
In his speech, he listed his record on immigration, ensuring that the border had not “never been so safe”. He announced that his vice president, J. D. Vance, was now responsible for leading the “war on fraud” to social assistance, which he attributed to migrants and localized in certain states, all Democratic.
“The importation of these crops through uncontrolled immigration and open borders creates these problems right here in the United States. And it’s the Americans who pay the price.”he accused, making a link with the increase in medical costs or even the increase in crime. “You should be ashamed”he said to the Democrats, who remained seated when he applauded his policy of fighting illegal immigration.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, praised the relations established with the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, and affirmed that the United States had received more than 80 million barrels of oil from this country, “our new friend and partner”. Since the capture by the United States on January 3 of Nicolas Maduro, Washington has strived to control the exploitation of the South American country’s enormous hydrocarbon reserves.
The Republican brought into the Congressional gallery the former candidate for the Venezuelan presidency, Enrique Marquez, 62, who was one of the first political prisoners released in January as part of the releases announced by the Venezuelan authorities.
Iran‘s “sinister ambitions”
Donald Trump also mentioned Iran, while Washington’s allies and rivals were watching for any clue about the intentions of the unpredictable commander in chief who has massed significant military resources in the Middle East. He thus accused Tehran of having “developed missiles that can threaten Europe and [les] bases [militaires américaines] » and to search “to build missiles that could soon reach the United States.”
“They had been warned not to attempt in the future to reconstitute their weapons program, particularly nuclear weapons. Yet they continue and (…) are currently pursuing their sinister ambitions”he added, affirming that his ” preference “ moves towards a resolution of this latent conflict “through diplomacy”. “We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we have not yet heard these key words: ‘We will never have nuclear weapons'”added the American president.
Before judges of the Supreme Court, Donald Trump estimated “very regrettable” their decision to invalidate a large part of the customs taxes with which it has hit the United States’ trading partners. Four of the nine judges of the institution, which the Republican violently criticized, were in the front row for his speech. He shook their hands when he arrived. The president’s tone was clearly more measured than in the hours following the decision on Friday. He then accused the highest court in the country of having given in to “foreign influences”calling the judges who ruled against his tariffs« idiots » and of “poodles” in the service of the left « radical ».
Donald Trump also asked Congress to approve his electoral fraud reform, which requires every voter to present identification to be able to vote; a thorny subject in the United States where millions of people of voting age do not have such a document. “I ask you to approve the “Save America Act” [la loi “sauver l’Amérique”]to prevent illegal aliens – and other undocumented people – from voting in our sacred American elections”he said, adding that “cheating is rampant in our elections”an unfounded allegation that he often repeats.
Men’s hockey team celebrated after Olympic title
The American president praised the United States men’s ice hockey team, which has just won Olympic gold. “Our country has found the path to victory”he repeated symbolically, before bringing the players into the hemicycle. With their gold medals around their necks, they were cheered at length by parliamentarians from both camps in a rare display of political unity, one of the highlights of an evening which did not offer many. “It’s the first time I’ve seen them get up », noted Donald Trump to the attention of elected Democratic officials. The Republican affirmed that he would soon welcome to the White House the women’s team, also Olympic champions, who had chosen not to attend his speech.
In addition to the hockey team, Donald Trump invited Erika Kirk, widow of pro-Trump influencer Charlie Kirk, assassinated in September 2025 and whose White House, in tune with the Christian right, made a « martyr ».
More than thirty Democratic parliamentarians who decided to ignore Donald Trump’s speech successively spoke in the evening in front of the Capitol. “We refuse to stand idly by when our country is pushed to the brink”defended the young Pennsylvania representative Summer Lee, in front of an audience of dozens of people.
In total, around half of Democratic parliamentarians shunned the presidential speech, according to the media Axios. Other elected Democrats have invited victims of former financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 before his trial for sex crimes and to whom Donald Trump was close, into the building.
At the start of the speech, an African-American Democratic elected official, Al Green, held up a sign reading “Black people are not monkeys”before being expelled, referencing a racist video shared in February by Donald Trump depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, as monkeys.
