Tariffs, rift dominate State of Union speech

United States President Donald Trump used his 2026 State of the Union address to portray his tariff agenda as the centerpiece of what he called a historic economic turnaround, dismissing a recent Supreme Court ruling against his approach while lashing out at Democrats for their refusal to applaud his policies.

In a record 108-minute-long speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night that focused heavily on domestic issues, the Republican president declared the start of a "golden age", describing his first year back in office as a sweeping economic and social turnaround.

The address came as the 2026 midterm elections drew closer, offering Trump a prime-time platform to tout his record, lay out his agenda and try to shape voters' views well before they decide in November whether Republicans will keep control of Congress.

Ahead of the speech, a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found Trump underwater with the public, with 39 percent approving and 60 percent disapproving of his job performance.

He also received more disapproval than approval on the economy (57 percent versus 41 percent), tariffs (64 percent versus 34 percent), and the overall state of the economy since January 2025, with 48 percent believing it has gotten worse, while 29 percent said it has improved, according to the survey results published on Tuesday.

In his address, Trump claimed tariffs had generated hundreds of billions of dollars from countries that he said were "ripping us off for decades".

Speaking before Supreme Court justices in the audience, he called the court ruling "just four days ago" as "very unfortunate" but said the duties would continue under alternative statutes.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Friday that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the president to impose sweeping tariffs.

Trump also revived a long-running claim that foreign countries pay the tariffs, saying the duties "paid for by foreign countries" could, over time, "substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax", reducing the tax burden on US citizens.

However, economists generally have noted that a tariff is a US import tax collected from US importers, with costs largely borne at home through higher prices and squeezed margins.

An analysis on the 2025 tariffs published by researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Feb 12 showed that most of the tariffs — 94 percent in the first eight months — were initially paid for by the US, and only 6 percent by foreign exporters, contradicting the administration's claim that foreign countries "pay" the tariffs.

A few minutes into the speech, Democratic Representative Al Green of Texas, who was also removed during Trump's address last year, was escorted from the chamber after unfurling a sign of protest that read "Black People Aren't Apes!"

Earlier this month, Trump's social media account shared a video that depicted former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as primates in a jungle. That post was later deleted after bipartisan criticism, with some Republicans and Democrats calling the imagery racist and offensive.

The address was frequently punctuated by Trump's sharp rebukes of Democratic lawmakers, most of whom, unlike his Republican allies, remained seated or did not applaud during his remarks.

In one instance, after stating the government's first duty is to protect US citizens rather than illegal aliens, he said to the seated Democrats, "Not standing up, you should be ashamed of yourself."

He later echoed this sentiment when some Democrats remained seated following the story of a young woman killed by a repeat offender, asking the chamber: "How do you not stand? How do you not stand?"

A rare moment of bipartisan unity occurred when Trump vowed to halt insider trading by members of Congress, calling for the passage of the "Stop Insider Trading Act".

He expressed surprise when Democrats joined Republicans in standing up to applaud the proposal, admitting that he "can't believe it" and specifically asking, "Did Nancy Pelosi stand up if she's here?"