WASHINGTON: Donald Trump delivered his first “State of the Union” address of his second term before a joint session of the United States Congress, outlining his administration’s domestic and foreign policy priorities. According to international media reports, the speech was held early Wednesday ahead of the November midterm elections. Trump highlighted efforts to reduce crime, curb migration, and improve economic indicators, describing his administration’s performance in these areas as “successful.” He also criticized some Democratic members of Congress, calling them “crazy” for not standing during portions of his speech. Several Democrats boycotted the session and instead held a separate event outside the Capitol titled “State of the People.” Trump aimed at lawmakers over the failure to pass funding for the Department of Homeland Security to address what he described as illegal immigration. The U.S. economy is facing volatility, and critics have partly attributed the situation to the administration’s broad trade tariffs. Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down some of those tariffs. During the address, Trump also honored two members of the U.S. National Guard who were wounded in a shooting incident in Washington, D.C., awarding one of them the “George Washington” medal. On foreign policy, Trump said he would “never” allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, calling it the world’s “largest state sponsor of terrorism.” He defended his previous administration’s policies, including the U.S. airstrike in Iraq that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, but added that he would prefer to resolve differences with Tehran through diplomacy. The speech was attended by members of both chambers of Congress the House of Representatives and the Senate though a number of Democratic lawmakers did not participate.
