What to make of Trump's State of the Union address?
US President Donald Trump has praised his government's policies in his State of the Union address. He declared that the US border was secure, the economy was booming and America's enemies were afraid, speaking of a new "golden age for America". Commentators take a closer look at his speech and criticise a lack of clarity on foreign policy.
The facts tell a different story
As much as Trump repeats that he "wins, wins, wins," Berlingske takes a different view:
“He has just lost the punitive tariff dispute in the Supreme Court. He has spectacularly lost the battle on the ICE front in Minnesota and seriously jeopardised support for his tough immigration policy. He has lost the trust of many people who believed he prioritised the economy and the living conditions of ordinary Americans. His Justice Department lost the Epstein case. And yes, he also got a beating over Greenland.”
Cold shower for the less wealthy
Trump is ignoring the financial difficulties of normal citizens, Mediapart explains:
“This represents a burden for households which, when it comes to paying for their health, don't have the feeling that they're 'consuming'. If you factor in the costs for housing and financial services, you get an increase in expenditure of just over one percent of GDP for 2025. ... Americans can hardly be happy with the current situation. Especially since most of the growth goes to capital owners and thus to the richest. ... Donald Trump's denial of any purchasing power problems and his unrealistic talk of a rapidly growing economy can only be disappointing for a population that is struggling just to be able to afford healthcare and pay their bills.”
Allies now irrelevant
In Trump's world view the US is on its own, writes Newsweek Polska:
“Neither Ukraine nor the Nato allies heard anything on Tuesday that might allay their fears about Trump's policies. The US president made no mention of the importance of alliances, international cooperation or institutions - he portrayed global reality as if the United States were acting alone, without important alliances and the obligations that come with them.”
Hopes for clarity unfulfilled
Trump left out certain crucial topics, The Irish Times criticises:
“Four years to the week since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Trump pointedly declined to voice support for Kyiv but pointed with pride to the fact that European countries now bear the full cost of military aid. And those seeking clarity on American intentions toward Iran, where US forces have been massing in the largest regional build-up since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, will have been disappointed. ... Most striking was the absence of any mention of China, Washington's principal adversary, despite the tariffs ruling delivering a further blow to an already misfiring strategy towards Beijing.”
Unconvincing bluster
Český rozhlas comments:
“Of course, no one expected Trump to admit to Congress after a year in office that his country is not doing well. On the contrary, he began his speech by claiming that he had achieved a 'turnaround for the ages' since Joe Biden left the White House, and boasted with cherry-picked, pseudo-positive statistics. But explaining to Americans that they're actually better off than they think didn't work for Biden and it won't work for Trump either. And the fact that Trump's State of the Union address was the longest ever won't change that.”
Reverence for institutions destroyed
El País is outraged:
“His hollow discourse, filled with resentment, became definitively partisan when he authoritatively demanded that all members of congress stand up if they agreed with the statement 'The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens'. The Democrats remained seated. ... It's hard to get used to the fact that the reverence with which American democracy had previously treated its institutions has been destroyed. A political system is measured not just by its laws, but also by its rituals with which everyone can identify. The State of the Union address was one of those rituals, but Donald Trump has now hijacked it with his crudeness.”