|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| |
Golden
Age or
Hot Air?
Highlights
and
Lowlights
from
Trump's
SOTU
Ashley
Roberts
-
Capitol
Hill
Tell Us
USA News
Network
WASHINGTON
-
President
Donald
Trump
delivered
his 2026
State of
the
Union
address
on
February
24,
declaring
a
"golden
age of
America"
while
touting
economic
gains,
border
security
and
foreign
policy
successes
amid
heated
partisan
exchanges
and
Democratic
pushback.
Independent
fact-checkers
identified
numerous
exaggerated
or false
claims
in the
speech,
particularly
on
investments,
tax
cuts,
immigration
and
fraud.
Key
Highlights
Trump
celebrated
what he
called
the
"most
secure
border
in
American
history,"
claiming
zero
illegal
immigrants
admitted
in the
past
nine
months,
and
demanded
full DHS
funding
restoration
after a
Democratic-linked
shutdown.
He also
highlighted
$18
trillion
in
global
investment
commitments,
the end
of eight
wars and
new Most
Favored
Nation
drug
pricing
deals
that
would
make
U.S.
prescription
costs
the
world's
lowest.
The
president
urged
passage
of the
SAVE
America
Act for
voter ID
and
citizenship
proof to
stop
"rampant
cheating,"
boasted
of the
"One
Beautiful
Bill" as
the
largest
tax cut
ever and
accused
Minnesota's
Somali
community
of
pillaging
$19
billion
in
taxpayer
funds.
He
promised
fraud
elimination
would
balance
the
federal
budget
overnight
and said
tariffs
paid by
foreign
countries
would
replace
income
taxes.
Republicans
gave
standing
ovations
to calls
prioritizing
citizens
over
immigrants,
while
Democrats
largely
sat,
prompting
Trump to
say they
should
be
"ashamed."
Tensions
peaked
when
Rep.
Ilhan
Omar
interrupted,
shouting
that
Trump
had
"killed
Americans"
amid
references
to ICE
operations.
Fact-Checking
Major
Claims
$18
Trillion
in
Investments:
False.
White
House
figures
list
$9.7
trillion
in
announcements,
but
analyses
show
much of
it
includes
vague
pledges,
trade
deals or
prior
plans—not
new
investments.
Largest
Tax Cut
in
History:
False.
The "One
Beautiful
Bill"
ranks
sixth-largest
per the
Tax
Foundation;
it
provides
relief
but not
record
scale.
Zero
Illegal
Immigrants
in 9
Months:
Partially
true but
misleading.
Border
encounters
dropped
sharply,
but some
migrants
are
still
released
by ICE
after
Border
Patrol
processing.
Somali
Community
Fraud:
Lacks
evidence.
The $19
billion
figure
misinterprets
a
prosecutor's
statement;
no
verification
supports
community-wide
pillaging.
SAVE
America
Act Ends
Mail
Voting/Cheating
Rampant:
Misleading.
It adds
ID and
proof
requirements
but
retains
limited
mail
options;
widespread
fraud
claims
remain
unfounded.
Ended 8
Wars:
Misleading.
Listed
conflicts
like
Serbia-Kosovo
or
Congo-Rwanda
either
didn't
occur
anew or
persist
despite
unratified
deals.
Tariffs
Paid by
Foreign
Countries:
Misleading.
U.S.
importers
pay
tariffs,
passing
costs to
consumers;
they
won't
replace
income
taxes.
No Tax
on
Social
Security:
False.
Provides
deductions
for
seniors
but
millions
still
pay
taxes on
benefits.
Fraud
Elimination
Balances
Budget:
False.
Annual
fraud
losses
($233-521
billion)
are far
below
the $1.8
trillion
deficit.
MFN Drug
Pricing
Lowest
Worldwide:
Misleading.
Agreements
aim to
tie
prices
to lower
international
rates
but
implementation
lags and
savings
are
uncertain.
Democratic
Response
and
Aftermath
Virginia
Gov.
Abigail
Spanberger
countered
that
families
don't
feel the
"golden
age,"
blaming
Trump's
tariffs
for
higher
household
costs
and
criticizing
immigration
focus
over
affordability.
Fact-checks
amplified
divides,
with
outlets
noting
Trump's
pattern
of
exaggeration
amid
midterm
pressures.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I
HI TECH NEWS
I
SPORTS
I
