Trump hails ‘golden age’ in State of the Union as voters sour on economy

US President Donald Trump boasted in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that he had ushered in "the golden age of America," seeking to project an aura of success despite sagging approval ratings and deepening voter frustration ahead of November's midterm election.

Heeding calls from Republican lawmakers worried they could lose their congressional majority later this year, Trump spent the first hour of his televised speech focused on the economy, saying he had slowed inflation, driven the stock market to record heights, signed sweeping tax cuts and lowered drug prices.

But it was unclear whether his rosy assessment would assuage Americans' anger about the cost of living. Trump sought to blame his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, for high prices, but opinion polls show voters hold Trump responsible for not doing more to ease an affordability crisis after he campaigned relentlessly on the issue.

"Our nation is back -- bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before," Trump said after taking the stage to cheers of "USA, USA" from fellow Republicans in Congress, with dozens of empty seats on the Democratic side a reminder that many lawmakers skipped the speech for anti-Trump rallies outside.

The annual speech to Congress came at a fraught moment for Trump's presidency, with polls showing a majority of Americans have soured on his performance and his signature tariff policy foundering after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down most of his import taxes.

For much of the speech, Trump was uncharacteristically disciplined, mostly appearing to stick to his prepared remarks and eschewing his usual stream-of-consciousness digressions. But he flashed his combative side while discussing his immigration crackdown, exchanging shouted insults with several Democratic lawmakers.

The former reality television star injected plenty of spectacle into the event. At one point, he bragged about all the "winning" that the US has experienced during his term, before introducing some other winners: members of the US men's ice hockey team, who entered the chamber wearing the gold medals they won at the Winter Olympics on Sunday.

He declared that the team's goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck, would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of half a dozen medals handed out to various guests with typical Trumpian fanfare.

The 79-year-old Trump's speech lasted approximately an hour and 47 minutes, breaking the record he set last year for the longest presidential address to Congress.

TRUMP, DEMOCRATS CLASH

When Trump turned to his favourite topic, immigration, he repeated the same rhetoric that animated his 2024 campaign, claiming undocumented migrants were responsible for a wave of violent crime despite studies showing that is not the case.

"You should be ashamed," he told Democrats, chastising them for refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security unless measures are taken to curb the aggressive tactics of immigration agents under Trump.

Opinion polls show a majority of Americans believe Trump's immigration crackdown has gone too far, after two US citizens were shot dead by masked federal agents in Minneapolis. As Trump praised his immigration enforcement, Democrat Ilhan Omar, who represents a Minneapolis U.S. House district, shouted in his direction, "You have killed Americans!"

Trump, who has falsely claimed for years that election fraud in the US is rampant, also attacked Democrats for not supporting a voter identification requirement.

"They want to cheat," he said. Democrats argue that the Republican-backed legislation would impose unnecessary burdens on voters and suppress turnout.

Other Democrats offered quieter messages of protest. US Representative Jill Tokuda, a Hawaii Democrat, wore a white jacket emblazoned with words like "affordability" and "healthcare".

A number of Democratic women wore tags saying "release the files," a reference to the scandal surrounding late convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein. About a dozen Epstein accusers attended as guests of Democrats.