5 takeaways from Trump's State of the Union address

President Trump hit familiar notes on immigration and culture in his speech Tuesday night, but he largely underplayed the economic problems that voters say they are most concerned about. Analysis Politics 5 takeaways from Trump's State of the Union address February 25, 20264:08 AM ET Domenico Montanaro President Trump delivers his State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Only one president in U.S. history has gone before Congress during a State of the Union address and said that the state of the union was "not good." It wasn't President Trump on Tuesday. It was Gerald Ford in 1975 with the country facing similar economic problems to today's, including high prices. People continue to say that prices and the cost of living are their top concerns, and they blame Trump's policies, particularly his tariffs, for making things worse. But Trump ignored those economic warts, instead boasting that "our nation is back" and that it had achieved a "turnaround for the ages." Sponsor Message Politics Read NPR's annotated fact check of President Trump's State of the Union It all amounted to a fairly standard Trump speech. It hit familiar notes on immigration and culture, was wide-ranging and record-setting — the longest spoken State of the Union address in recent history at 1 hour and 48 minutes — and had a usual amount of Trump showmanship. Here are five takeaways from what Trump had to say in this midterm election year: 1. Trump ignored the difficulties people are facing with the economy. Voters have been saying for a long time that prices and the cost of living are their top concerns. It's largely what has landed Trump and the Republican Party in a precarious position ahead of this year's midterm elections. Politics Poll: Most say the state of the union is not strong and the U.S. is worse off And yet, Trump largely ignored the economic hardships many are feeling. He gave a rosy outlook, touting the stock market and lower gas prices. But the reality is, it's just not how voters are feeling, and Trump did not have an "I feel your pain" moment in this speech. Trump's approval ratings are at or near record lows, and voters are blaming his policies, particularly his tariffs, for making things worse. In this speech, he doubled-down on those tariffs. With the Supreme Court justices sitting just feet away, he criticized their ruling last week that many of his tariffs were illegal. He said he had come up with "alternative" legal justifications for keeping them in place. Sponsor Message 2. Trump's midterm message is… not new There was no novel political message from the president in this speech. Trump talked a lot about his political hobby horses: the woes of immigration, crime and the culture wars. He tried to hit a reset button on immigration, focusing on border security and crimes committed replete with gory anecdotal details. It's a tactic that's long been employed by Trump, the GOP and conservative media to advocate against immigration, particularly when data doesn't back up allegations of higher levels of crime committed by those in the country without legal status. Trump's message worked in 2024, but two very important things have changed: (1) he owns the economy now, and people don't feel great about it and (2) he has a record now on immigration. And while people have said in polling that they are in favor of deportations, they're not happy with how his administration has gone about them — especially since most of those rounded up have no criminal record — and after two Americans were killed by federal officers in Minnesota in January. 3. There was no legislative agenda. State of the Union addresses can sometimes descend into laundry lists of things the president wants Congress to accomplish. Not this speech. There were only about half a dozen specific things Trump asked Congress to do: "Codify" Trump's attempts to lower drug prices, though it's unclear how.Pass the "Stop Insider Trading Act" that would restrict the Wall Street trading of members of Congress and their spouses.Pass what Trump is calling the "Delilah Law" that would ban commercial licenses for immigrants in the country without legal status.Restore funding for the Department of Homeland Security. After the killing of the two Americans in Minnesota, Democrats refused to authorize new funding for DHS, leading to a partial government shutdown. Pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote. Proven instances of fraud, including by noncitizens, are very rare, but Trump claims there is "rampant" cheating. It's something he has used to justify his 2020 election loss, and it's a claim he could use to cast doubt on this year's outcome — if Republicans lose. Sponsor Message While those are certainly consequential, they don't add up to a major legislative push. That's not surprising, though, since Trump has spent the better part of the last year trying to consolidate power in the White House. 4. The Democratic response had a wide range. State of the Union speeches have turned from stai