How America Achieved a Historic Turnaround

Members of Congress, I present the President of the United States.

Thank you. Speaker Johnson, Vice President Vance, the First Lady, the Second Lady, members of Congress, and my fellow Americans, our nation is back. Bigger, better, richer, and stronger than ever before. In less than five months, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence. This is the golden age of America.

A Nation Transformed

When I last spoke here 12 months ago, I inherited a nation in crisis: a stagnant economy, record inflation, an open border, rampant crime, and global chaos. But tonight, after one year, we have achieved a transformation and a turnaround for the ages. We will never go back.

Today, our border is secure. Our spirit is restored. Inflation is plummeting. Incomes are rising fast. The roaring economy is roaring like never before. Our enemies are scared. Our military and police are stacked. And America is respected again, perhaps like never before.

Securing Our Border and Our Streets

After four years where millions of illegal aliens poured across our borders, we now have the strongest and most secure border in American history. In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States. But we will always allow people to come in legally. The flow of deadly fentanyl across our border is down by a record 56% in one year. Last year, the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history—the lowest number in over 125 years.

Economic Resurgence

The previous administration gave us the worst inflation in our country's history. But in 12 months, my administration has driven core inflation down to the lowest level in more than five years. In the last three months of 2025, it was down to 1.7%. Gasoline, which reached over $6 a gallon, is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states. In Iowa, I saw $1.85. Mortgage rates are the lowest in four years and falling fast. The annual cost of a typical new mortgage is down almost $5,000 since I took office.

The stock market has set 53 all-time record highs since the election, boosting pensions and retirement accounts. In four years, the last administration secured less than $1 trillion in new investment. In 12 months, I secured commitments for more than $18 trillion pouring in from all over the globe. We were a dead country. Now, we are the hottest country anywhere in the world.

We have added 70,000 new construction jobs in a very short time. American oil production is up by more than 600,000 barrels a day. We just received from Venezuela more than 80 million barrels of oil. American natural gas production is at an all-time high because I kept my promise to drill, baby, drill. More Americans are working today than at any time in our country's history. One hundred percent of all jobs created under my administration have been in the private sector. We ended DEI in America. We cut a record number of job-killing regulations. In one year, we have lifted 2.4 million Americans—a record—off of food stamps.

The State of Our Union is Strong

For all these reasons, I say tonight, the state of our union is strong. Our country is winning again. We are winning so much. To prove that point, here with us tonight is the men's gold medal Olympic hockey team. They beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime. I congratulated Team USA. I told the team I would soon be presenting goalie Connor Hellebuyck with our highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Every single one of them voted yes.

I'm also pleased to say the next time the Olympic torch is lit, it will be here in America for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. We also have the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming. So this will be a year to celebrate our country and the heroes who have kept it free.

Honoring American Heroes

Men like Buddy Tagert. At age 17, he volunteered to defend America in World War II. He fought bravely in the Battle of Manila, was badly wounded, and helped liberate an internment camp in the Philippines 81 years ago this month. He earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. Tonight, he is in the gallery, looking forward to July 4th, 2026, his 100th birthday. Buddy, you're a brave man, and we salute you.

Even in times of challenge, the spirit of 1776 has always shone through. Last July 4th, floodwaters tore through a summer camp in central Texas, rising 26 feet in minutes and claiming many lives. Eleven-year-old Millie Kate McLean prayed to God as waters threatened to sweep her away. Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskamp descended from a helicopter. It was his first rescue mission. He lifted Millie Kate and 164 others to safety. Tonight, they are here together, reunited for the first time. Petty Officer Ruskamp, I am awarding you the Legion of Merit for Extraordinary Heroism.

From 1776 to today, every generation has stepped forward. Now it's our turn. We're building a nation where every child has a chance, where government answers to the people, and where hardworking citizens are our first concern. That is the promise we must keep for our 250th year.

Tax Cuts for American Families

Last year, I urged Congress to pass the largest tax cuts in American history. Our Republican majorities delivered. Every Democrat voted against these massive tax cuts. They wanted tax increases. But we held strong. With our bill, we gave you no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security for our seniors. We also made interest on auto loans tax-deductible for the first time, but only if the car is made in America.

Recently in Pennsylvania, I met Megan Hemhauser, a devoted mom who homeschools her children and waits tables at night. Her husband works overtime. Megan is here tonight. With no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and the expanded child tax credit, she and her husband will take home more than $5,000 extra this year, cutting her tax bill by more than half. Megan, please stand. We're fighting for you.

Trump Accounts for American Children

Under our bill, parents can also activate their children's brand-new Trump Accounts—tax-free investment accounts for every American child. Millions will be funded courtesy of the U.S. Treasury and private individuals like Michael and Susan Dell, who have donated $6.25 billion to fund Trump Accounts for 25 million American children. With modest contributions, these accounts could grow to over $100,000 by the time a child turns 18. To invest, go to trumpaccounts.gov.

The Power of Tariffs

One primary reason for our stunning economic turnaround—the biggest in history, where the Dow Jones broke 50,000 four years ahead of schedule and the S&P hit 7,000—was tariffs. I used tariffs, taking in hundreds of billions of dollars. Countries that ripped us off for decades are now paying us. There was no inflation, tremendous growth. The big story was how I called the economy correctly and 22 Nobel Prize winners in economics didn't. They got it totally wrong.

Just four days ago, an unfortunate ruling came from the United States Supreme Court. But the good news is almost all countries and corporations want to keep the deals they made. They know the legal power I have to make a new deal could be far worse for them. So, despite the ruling, these powerful, country-saving tariffs will remain in place under fully approved alternative legal statutes. Congressional action will not be necessary. As time goes by, I believe tariffs paid by foreign countries will substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax.

Moving forward, factories, jobs, investment, and trillions of dollars will continue pouring into the United States because we finally have a president who puts America first.

Lowering Costs for Americans

For decades before I came along, everything was stolen and rigged to drain wealth from hardworking people. Under the previous administration and its corrupt partners, it reached a breaking point with the Green New Scam, open borders, and record inflation that cost the typical family $34,000. Now, the same people who voted for those disasters suddenly use the word "affordability," knowing they caused the high prices. Our policies are rapidly ending them. Prices are plummeting. The price of eggs is down 60%. The cost of chicken, butter, fruit, hotels, automobiles, and rent is lower today than when I took office. Even beef is coming down significantly.

Healthcare and Prescription Drug Reform

I'm also confronting one of the biggest rip-offs: the crushing cost of healthcare. Since the passage of the unaffordable care act, big insurance companies have gotten rich, with stock prices soaring 1,200% and even 1,700%. That's why I introduced a great healthcare plan. I want to stop all payments to big insurance companies and instead give that money directly to the people so they can buy their own healthcare at a much lower cost. My plan requires maximum price transparency. I did that in my first term, and the Democrats immediately terminated it. Now I'm bringing costs way down.

I'm also ending the wildly inflated cost of prescription drugs. Under my just-enacted Most Favored Nation agreements, Americans who paid the highest prices in the world will now pay the lowest price in the world for drugs. Price differences are 300, 400, 500, 600% and more. All available at trumprx.gov. Here tonight is the first customer, Katherine Rener. For five years, she struggled with infertility and turned to IVF. One drug cost her $4,000. A few weeks ago, she logged onto Trump RX and got it for under $500—a reduction of much more than $3,500. Katherine, we are all praying for you. Now I'm calling on Congress to codify my Most Favored Nation program into law.

Powering the Future

Many Americans are concerned that energy demand from AI data centers could drive up electric bills. Tonight, I'm pleased to announce I have negotiated the new Ratepayer Protection Pledge. We're telling major tech companies they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs. They can build their own power plants as part of their factories so that no one's prices will go up, and in many cases, electricity prices will go down substantially for the community. This is a unique strategy. We have an old grid; it could never handle this amount of electricity. So I'm telling them to build their own plants. This will ensure their ability to get electricity while lowering prices for you.

Protecting Homeownership

Another pillar of the American dream under attack is homeownership. With us tonight is Rachel Wiggins, a mom of two from Houston. She placed bids on 20 homes and lost all to gigantic investment firms that paid all cash and turned houses into rentals. Stories like this are why last month I signed an executive order to ban large Wall Street firms from buying up single-family homes. Now I'm asking Congress to make that ban permanent. We want homes for people, not for corporations.

Strengthening Retirement Security

We're also working to make it easier for Americans to save for retirement. Under this administration, we will always protect Social Security and Medicare. Since I took office, the typical 401(k) balance is up by at least $30,000. Yet half of working Americans do not have access to a retirement plan with employer matching. To remedy this, I'm announcing that next year my administration will give these workers access to the same type of retirement plan offered to federal workers. We will match your contribution with up to $1,000 each year.

As we ensure all Americans can profit from a rising stock market, let's also ensure members of Congress cannot corruptly profit from using insider information. Pass the Stop Insider Trading Act without delay.

The War on Fraud

When it comes to corruption plundering America, there's been no more stunning example than in Minnesota, where members of the Somali community have pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American taxpayer. The number is much higher. California, Massachusetts, Maine, and other states are even worse. This corruption shreds the fabric of a nation. So tonight, I am officially announcing the War on Fraud, to be led by our great Vice President, J.D. Vance. If we find enough fraud, we will have a balanced budget overnight.

The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery and lawlessness are the norm. Importing these cultures through open borders brings those problems here. The American people pay the price in higher bills, insurance rates, and crime. We will take care of this problem.

Justice for Victims

Delilah Coburn was only 5 years old in June 2024 when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer plowed into her stopped car at 60 miles per hour. The driver was an illegal alien let in by the previous administration and given a commercial driver's license by open-borders politicians in California. Doctors said Delilah would never walk or talk again. But against all odds, she is now in first grade learning to walk. She's here with her dad, Marcus. Delilah, please stand. You are a great inspiration. That's why tonight I'm calling on Congress to pass the Delilah Law, barring any state from granting commercial driver's licenses to illegal aliens.

Yesterday at the White House, I hosted Americans who lost loved ones to illegal immigration—the angel moms and families our government betrayed and media ignored. In 2023, a 16-year-old cheerleader, Elizabeth Medina, was supposed to perform in a Christmas parade but never arrived. Her mother found her dead in a bathtub, stabbed 25 times. Her killer was a previously arrested illegal alien. Her heartbroken mother is in the gallery to remind everyone why we are deporting illegal alien criminals at record numbers. We're getting them out fast.

Protecting American Sovereignty

We can never forget that many in this room allowed the border invasion to happen and would do it again if they had the chance. The only thing standing between Americans and a wide-open border now is President Donald J. Trump and our great Republican patriots in Congress.

As we speak, Democrats have cut off all funding for the Department of Homeland Security. They have instituted another shutdown. They have closed the agency responsible for protecting Americans from terrorists and murderers. Tonight, I'm demanding the full and immediate restoration of all funding for border security and homeland security.

A Call to Action

The State of the Union gives Americans a chance to see what their representatives believe. So tonight, I'm inviting every legislator to join in reaffirming a principle. If you agree, stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. You should be ashamed if you don't stand. That is why I'm also asking you to end deadly sanctuary cities that protect criminals and enact penalties for officials who block the removal of criminal aliens. And perhaps most importantly, I'm asking you to approve the Save America Act to stop illegal aliens and unpermitted persons from voting. Cheating is rampant. All voters must show voter ID. All voters must show proof of citizenship. And no more crooked mail-in ballots except for illness, disability, military, or travel. This polls at 89%, including Democrats. Even the new mayor of New York City said if you apply to shovel snow, you need two forms of ID and a Social Security card. Yet they don't want ID for voting. Both parties overwhelmingly agree. Congress should unite and enact this common-sense, country-saving legislation now. The reason they don't want it is because they want to cheat. We're going to stop it.

Protecting Families and Children

Here is one more opportunity to show common sense. In the gallery are Sage Blair and her mother, Michelle. In 2021, Sage was 14 when school officials in Virginia sought to socially transition her to a new gender, treating her as a boy and hiding it from her parents. Sage ran away and was found in a horrific situation. A judge refused to return her to her parents because they did not state their daughter was their son. Sage was thrown into an all-boys home and suffered terribly. But today, Sage is a proud young woman with a full-ride scholarship to Liberty University. Sage and Michelle, please stand. Thank you for your bravery. Surely we can all agree: No state can be allowed to rip children from their parents' arms and transition them against the parents' will. We must ban it immediately. These people are crazy. Democrats are destroying our country, but we've stopped it just in time.

The First Lady's Work

No one cares more about protecting America's youth than our wonderful First Lady. Over the past year, she championed AI legislation, advanced an executive order on foster care, and helped secure $30 million to launch the Melania Trump Foster Youth to Independence Initiative. Students and educators have joined her efforts in the Presidential AI Challenge. Tonight, we welcome Sierra Burns and Everest Neveront. Thank you both. And Melania, thank you.

Faith and Freedom

I'm proud to say during my time in office, there has been a tremendous renewal in religion, faith, Christianity, and belief in God, especially among young people. A big part of that was my great friend Charlie Kirk. Last year, Charlie was violently murdered by an assassin and martyred for his beliefs. His wife, Erica, is with us tonight. Erica, please stand. In Charlie's memory, we must reaffirm that America is one nation under God and reject political violence.

Justice and Public Safety

Above all, unleashing America's promise requires keeping our communities safe. We have made strides, yet dangerous repeat offenders continue to be released. We are honored by Ana Zoretska. In 2022, she and her beautiful daughter, Iryna, fled war-torn Ukraine to live near Charlotte, North Carolina. Last summer, 23-year-old Iryna was riding home on a train when a deranged monster—arrested over a dozen times and released through no-cash bail—slashed a knife through her neck and body. She died instantly. She escaped a brutal war only to be slain by a hardened criminal set free in America. Mrs. Zoretska, I promise we will ensure justice for Iryna. I'm asking Congress to pass legislation to ensure violent repeat offenders are put behind bars and stay there.

Starting last summer, I deployed the National Guard and federal law enforcement to restore order to our most dangerous cities: Memphis, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C., where we have almost no crime anymore. Crime in Washington is now at the lowest level ever recorded. Murders in D.C. this January were down close to 100% from a year ago. One brave service member who helped was 20-year-old West Virginia Army National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckram. After a deployment, she voluntarily extended