President Trump’s first swipe at Democrats during his first official State of the Union of his second term was a dig related to taxes and their opposition to his signature ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’
‘Together, we’re building a nation where every child has the chance to reach higher and go further, where government answers to the people, not the powerful, and where the interests of hardworking American citizens are always our first and ultimate concern,’ Trump told Congress on Tuesday night.
‘That is the debt we owe to the heroes who came before us. And that is the promise we must keep to America for our 250th year last year. I urge this Congress to begin the mission by passing the largest tax cuts in American history, and our Republican majorities delivered so beautifully. Thank you Republicans.’
Trump then took his first direct shot at Democrats.
‘All Democrats, every single one of them voted against these really important and very necessary massive tax cuts,’ Trump said. ‘They wanted large scale tax increases to hurt the people instead. But we held strong. And with the great big beautiful bill, we gave you no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security for our great seniors.’
Trump went on to point out that interest on auto loans are tax deductible for ‘the first time’ but ‘only if the car is made in America.
Democrats were scheduled to hold five counter events Tuesday night in opposition to Trump’s speech and several skipped the speech entirely, including Sens. Adam Schiff and Ruben Gallego.
One Democrat, Congressman Al Green, was ejected from the speech for the second year in a row after holding up a sign that said ‘Black people aren’t apes’ in all capital letters as Trump arrived.
Trump’s speech was littered with standing ovations from Republicans in the audience, including several optimistic moments near the start.
‘This is the golden age of America,’ Trump said near the beginning of his remarks.
‘When I last spoke in this chamber 12 months ago, I had just inherited a nation in crisis, with a stagnant economy, inflation at record levels, a wide open border, horrendous recruitment for military and police, rampant crime at home, and wars and chaos all over the world. But tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before and a turnaround for the ages. It is indeed a turnaround for the ages.’