Trump touts a 'roaring economy' in his State of Union as Americans continue to struggle

Declaring "a turnaround for the ages," President Donald Trump offered a version of America's standing in his State of the Union address Tuesday night that is at odds with the perceptions of the electorate.

Declaring "a turnaround for the ages," President Donald Trump offered a version of America's standing in his State of the Union address Tuesday night that is at odds with the perceptions of the electorate.

Wearing a red power tie with a flag pin on the lapel of his navy suit and speaking to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber, Trump rolled off a list of statistics and policies to support his view that the nation is "back bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before" — a "golden age of America."

A "roaring economy," Trump said near the start of his record-breaking 1-hour, 47-minute speech, "is roaring like never before."

He vowed to maintain unilateral tariffs on foreign goods despite an adverse Supreme Court decision, promising that "these powerful, country-saving, peace-protecting tariffs will remain in place under fully approved and tested alternative legal statutes." Four of the justices, including three who voted for what he called "a very unfortunate ruling," were in the chamber for Trump's speech. He said the levies, which most economists say are paid for primarily by Americans, will eventually replace the income tax.

Trump touted popular policies in his controversial 2025 tax cut, from eliminating taxes on tips for wage workers to investment vehicles for newborns dubbed “Trump accounts.”