Trump touts a ‘roaring economy’ in his State of Union as Americans continue to struggle
In a speech riddled with insults toward his Democratic opponents — and punctuated by a heated exchange with several lawmakers over his expulsion campaign — Trump insisted that the “affordable” message that helped Democrats win off-year elections in Virginia, New Jersey and New York last year was their own creation.
“They have caused and created the price increases that all of our citizens must endure,” he said, turning his gaze toward the Democratic side of the House. “You’re the one who caused this problem!” »
He added that Democrats “knew their statements were a dirty, rotten lie.”
Saikat Chakrabarti, a progressive Democratic candidate for a San Francisco-based House seat, said in an interview before the speech that Trump has accelerated the economic challenges facing American workers rather than restoring prosperity.
“He campaigned on bold, sweeping economic changes, lowering prices, ending our forever wars, and all we’ve seen since he took office is he’s accelerated that decline,” said Chakrabarti, who is one of several candidates vying for the seat that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, is leaving open with her impending retirement.
At one point Tuesday night, as Trump boasted about closing the U.S. border with Mexico and continuing his mass expulsions, he sparked perhaps the fiercest exchange between a president and members of Congress during a joint session in modern history filled with examples of interruptions.
Trump said Democrats should be “ashamed” for not running when he said: “The first duty of the United States government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”
Representatives Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, and Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, responded: “You killed Americans!”
Federal agents killed U.S. citizens Renee Nicole Goodman and Alex Pretti last month in Minneapolis, which Omar represents in the House, during a Trump administration immigration crackdown that repeatedly turned violent.
“You should be ashamed!” Omar shouted at Trump.
Trump began on a more nonpartisan note, bringing the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team into the gallery above the House floor to a standing ovation from both sides of the aisle and chants of “USA!” » He also gained bipartisan support when he called on Congress to pass a law banning lawmakers from stock trading.
But that measure, along with others proposed by Trump Tuesday night, would force Congress to legislate at a time when narrow partisan margins, bitter political divisions and the upcoming midterm elections have conspired to stall Congress.
As Trump spoke, lawmakers remained deadlocked over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, whose funding authorization expired in the middle of the month.
