In a State of the Union address that will likely be remembered for its theatrical flair and political sparring, Donald Trump took center stage on Tuesday night, delivering a nearly two-hour speech punctuated by emphatic standing ovations and sharp political jabs. Entering to a chorus of cheers, whistles, and eager selfies from lawmakers, Trump signaled a combative new phase of his presidency, declaring, “Our nation is back, bigger, stronger, and better than before.” He boldly proclaimed this era as the “golden age of America,” drawing enthusiastic responses from his Republican supporters.

However, the proceedings quickly descended into chaos when Democrat Al Green was removed from the chamber for displaying a racially charged sign. Tensions escalated as members of the progressive group known as “The Squad,” including Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, labeled Trump a “murderer” in response to recent fatal incidents involving ICE agents and protestors. Unfazed, Trump retaliated against what he termed “crazy” liberals, doubling down on his “America First” ideology that bolstered his political resurgence.

The president lauded ICE operations nationwide, celebrated economic achievements, and criticized a Supreme Court ruling that nullified his key tariffs. “After just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before,” Trump asserted, describing the progress as a “turnaround for the ages.” He also shared his conditions for easing tensions with Iran, emphasizing that the words he needed to hear from Tehran were, “We will never have a nuclear weapon.” In a rare public appearance, First Lady Melania Trump was accompanied by their son, Barron, as the President’s adult children looked on, underscoring familial solidarity.

He warned that ‘importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right here to the USA.’ Cameras panned to a distraught Omar – who is Somalian and represents Minneapolis – as Trump tore into the compatriots in her home state who have become enemy number one in his immigration crackdown. The president said that Vice President JD Vance is leading the efforts to crackdown on fraud in Minnesota after widespread schemes were exposed earlier this year. It led to the deployment of immigration enforcement agents to Minneapolis where two protesters were shot dead by federal agents in recent months. During Trump’s speech, Aliya Rahman, a guest of Omar known for her past encounter with federal immigration agents in Minneapolis – was removed from the chamber. Authorities have not yet clarified why she was asked to leave.

Texas Democrat Green was ejected from Trump’s landmark address, in a repetition of last year’s State of the Union. Green held a sign reading ‘Black people aren’t apes,’ referencing a recent social media post by Trump featuring an AI video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as primates. Trump kept walking as GOP Senators Markwayne Mullin and Roger Marshall moved swiftly to stand in front of Green, blocking his sign from view. Green, a long-serving member of the Congressional Black Caucus, was swiftly ushered out of the House Chamber as Republican lawmakers erupted in heckles.

Trump got a standing ovation when he called on Congress to pass a bill banning lawmakers from stock trading. ‘They stood up for that. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Did Nancy Pelosi stand up, if she’s here? I doubt it. Pass the stop insider trading act without delay,’ he said. Trump demanded bipartisan support to pass a law that would disqualify lawmakers, along with their spouses and dependent children, from purchasing individual stocks. As the President made his case at the State of the Union, most Republicans in the chamber rose to their feet to applaud him, as well as some Democrats, including Elizabeth Warren. Trump then paused to take a jab at his longtime political enemy: ‘Did Nancy Pelosi stand up? Doubt it.’ Speaker Mike Johnson could be seen chuckling as Trump grinned and mocked Pelosi. Pelosi has long faced allegations of insider trading tied to the remarkable growth of her stock portfolio during her time in Congress.

Trump touched on the topic of future plans with Iran, explaining that is it still his goal to solve the problem through diplomacy, but that it still hasn’t come to fruition. ‘For decades it has been the policy of the United States to never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon… they have already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas and they are working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America after Midnight Hammer,’ Trump said. He said he still hasn’t heard those ‘secret words’ from Iran, that they will stand down from developing their nuclear capabilities. ‘But one thing is certain, I will never allow the worlds number one sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon,’ he explained. Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and son–in–law Jared Kushner are due in Geneva on Thursday for a third round of negotiations with Iranian counterparts. But talks to avert all-out war with the Islamic regime are rapidly deteriorating. Trump has ramped up his threats in an effort to bend Iran into a deal to end its nuclear program, but so far Tehran has refused America’s zero-enrichment demand.

Trump shook hands with the Supreme Court justices on his way to the podium, a pointed gesture given his furious public assault on their tariffs ruling days earlier. In attendance were Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Amy Coney Barrett. The remaining five justices decided to skip Trump’s remarks for a second year in a row. ‘Just four days ago, an unfortunate ruling from the United States Supreme Court. It just came down, very unfortunate ruling,’ Trump said. However, he did not appear deterred by it. ‘Congressional action will not be necessary. It’s already time–tested and approved,’ he said. The court’s rejection comes despite the President having the benefit of a conservative majority. He appointed three Supreme Court Justices in his first term – Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. But despite the Court’s 6–3 rightward lean, Gorsuch and Barrett ruled against the President on Friday, while Kavanaugh penned the dissent in support of Trump. The president was furious. He claimed that ‘foreign influence’ and political machinations scared the justices into ruling against him. He called an emergency press briefing at the White House where he called Amy Comey Barrett and Neil Gorsuch traitors and an ’embarrassment to their families.’ He said he was ‘ashamed’ of them and claimed they were ‘disloyal to the Constitution.’ Trump complained that conservative justices are not as loyal as liberal ones are to Democratic presidents. The Court ruled that Trump was overreaching his executive powers when it came to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

The entire United States Olympic men’s hockey team was present at Trump’s speech, fresh off their victory over Canada. Trump paraded the gold medal winners in as his special guests, the team pumping their fists to ‘USA’ chants. Trump welcomed the US Hockey team to a standing ovation. ‘Here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation proud,’ Trump said. Trump announced that US men’s Olympic hockey team goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. ‘I will soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor, which will be given and which has been given to many athletes over the years,’ Trump said. ‘But when I say many, not too many, like 12, it’s called the highest civilian honor in our country, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.’ He said the American women’s team would soon be coming to the White House. Democrats inside the room refused to stand up for the team, sparking fury across social media. However, they did stand up when Trump later announced the women’s Winter Olympics team would visit the White House. Referring to his political rivals, Trump quipped: ‘That’s the first time I’ve ever seen them get up and actually not all of them did get up.’

Trump drew cheers when he announced the US had imported more than 80 million barrels of Venezuelan oil following the operation that removed Nicolas Maduro from power and into a New York prison cell. ‘We just received from our new friend and partner, Venezuela, more than 80 million barrels of oil,’ Trump said. ‘American oil production is up by more than 600,000 barrels a day,’ Trump said. ‘American natural gas production is at an all-time high because I kept my promise to drill, baby, drill.’ Trump, addressing the affordability crisis, said that gas prices were now down to less than $2.30 a gallon in most states. ‘Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 in some states under my predecessor, was quite honestly a disaster,’ said Trump.