‘From a “Dead Country” to the “Hottest”: Trump’s Bold Claims in State of the Union’

Washington:
US President Donald Trump delivered an assertive and celebratory assessment of his first year back in the White House, declaring the arrival of what he called a “golden age of America” during his annual State of the Union address.

Addressing a joint session of Congress, Trump said he had inherited a struggling nation but had overseen a dramatic revival.

“Members of Congress and my fellow Americans, our nation is back — bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,” he said. “One year ago we were a dead country; now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world.”

The president pointed to inflation, fuel prices and employment as signs of improvement, adding, “The state of our union is strong.”

Trump contrasted investment figures under the previous administration with his own record. “In four long years, the last administration secured less than $1 trillion in new investment. In just 12 months, we’ve secured commitments of more than $18 trillion pouring in from across the globe,” he said.

He described his broader vision as building a nation “where every child has the chance to reach higher and go further — where government answers to the people, not the powerful — and where the interests of hard-working American citizens are always our first concern.”

“That is the debt we owe to the heroes who came before us — and the promise we must keep as America approaches its 250th year,” he added.

The president also criticized Democrats for opposing his economic agenda. He noted that his push for what he called the largest tax cuts in American history passed with Republican support alone.

“All Democrats — every single one — voted against it,” Trump said, accusing them of favoring tax increases.

On healthcare, Trump targeted the Affordable Care Act, arguing that it drove up costs and benefited insurance companies. “I want to stop payments to big insurance companies and instead give that money directly to the people so they can buy better healthcare at a lower cost,” he said.

Despite the confident tone, the address comes at a politically delicate moment. Trump faces challenging approval ratings, and Republicans hold only a narrow majority in the House — raising concerns within the party about potential losses in upcoming elections that could stall his legislative agenda.

Still, Trump struck a defiant note, calling his first year of a second term “a transformation like no one has ever seen before — a turnaround for the ages.”