President Donald Trump opened and closed his State of the Union address on Tuesday with nods to Philadelphia and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
That anniversary, Trump said, will mark 250 years of “liberty and triumph, progress and freedom, in the most incredible and exceptional nation ever to exist on the face of the Earth.” The entire country will celebrate the anniversary, but eyes will be on Philadelphia as the birthplace of the America.
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In concluding his speech, which lasted a record 1 hour and 47 minutes, Trump circled back to the nation’s roots.
“From the sun kissed shores of Florida to the endless fields of the Dakotas and from the historic streets of Philadelphia to right here in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C., the Golden Age of America is upon us,” Trump said. “The revolution that began in 1776 has not ended; it still continues because the flame of liberty and independence still burns in the heart of every American patriot.”
Trump often used the speech to defend his approach to the economy and immigration. In praising the Working Families Tax Cut Act, his sweeping tax relief law enacted last summer, Trump pointed to Megan Hemhauser. The Northeastern Pennsylvania woman homeschools her children during the day and bartends at night while her husband works overtime, Trump said. He said her family will receive an extra $5,000 in tax benefits this year, “cutting her tax bill in more than half.” Hemhauser, a mother of two, also was present at Trump’s rally in Mount Pocono in December.
Throughout the speech, Trump criticized Democratic lawmakers and held firm to his stance against immigration. He called for funding to be reinstated to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Lawmakers had refused to fund DHS after the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, where ICE agents killed two people. Trump, though, did not mention Minnesota in his address.
Trump also urged Congress to pass legislation that would require people to show a photo ID when voting and to present proof of citizenship when registering. And he called for lawmakers to pass bills that would bar lawmakers from trading stocks based on insider information and ban undocumented immigrations from receiving commercial drivers licenses. But he otherwise did not lay out a legislative agenda.
Trump brought up sports several times, including the FIFA World Cup, which will hold several matches in Philadelphia this summer. Trump also boasted about the 2028 summer Olympics, which will be held in Los Angeles, and brought out Olympic men’s hockey team, which won the gold medal game in Milan. Their appearance was among the few moments that brought members of both political parties to their feet.
Some Democratic lawmakers skipped the State of Union, including Rep. Dwight Evans, whose district spans much of Philadelphia, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, who represents Delaware County and portions of Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D), who is often seen in sweats, dressed up for the occasion and shook Trump’s hand as he entered.