Summary
Trump’s speech to Congress was a campaign-style tirade filled with falsehoods, personal grievances, and attacks on Democrats.
He exaggerated economic issues, blamed Biden for inflation, and misrepresented Social Security data. He renewed imperialist rhetoric about annexing Greenland and the Panama Canal while distorting U.S. aid figures to Ukraine.
Trump spent more time on culture war issues than policy, vowing to end “wokeness.” He also falsely claimed his legal troubles were political persecution.
Meanwhile, markets reeled from his new tariffs, which he dismissed. The speech showed deep partisan divides and his continued reliance on misinformation.
Every time he said something like “it’s never been done before, until I did it”, I’m reminded that sensible guardrails prevented previous presidents from overreach.
Trump has been actively removing those safeguards, regulations, and guardrails.
So, when he boasts, it’s worth keeping that context in mind.