Views of Trump’s State of the Union address among area officials split along party lines

Views of the address among area officials were split along party lines.

President Donald Trump declared during Tuesday’s marathon State of the Union that “we’re winning so much,” saying he’d sparked a jobs and manufacturing boom at home while imposing a new world order abroad — hoping that offering a long list of his accomplishments can counter approval ratings that have been falling.

Trump started his address by claiming that the United States is in a “golden age” and highlighting some of his accomplishments in the first year of his administration. As he spoke, the division in Congress was evident as Republicans chose to stand and clap for the president, while Democrats stayed in their seats for most of the address.

“Our nation is back — bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,” Trump said as he started his address.

State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll Township, expressed excitement about Trump’s address, stating that she was impressed with all the progress the nation has made since Trump returned to office.

“The things that have just happened in one year are astounding,” Bartolotta said. “I don’t think any other presidents ever accomplished this much in 12 months. It really is amazing.”

Bartolotta said she’s happy about the curbing of illegal immigration, the decrease in costs that Trump highlighted and initiatives like the Delilah Law that would add restrictions to who can get a commercial driver’s license.

“The Delilah Law, I think, is something that is a no-brainer to me,” Bartolotta said. “And that’s the no driver’s licenses to illegals. That’s vital. If you’re not here legally, you shouldn’t be getting a driver’s license anyway. I don’t even know how that occurs. You don’t have legal documentation. You shouldn’t be given the privilege of driving our roadways.”

Bartolotta added that she has co-sponsored similar legislation in the state Senate that would require an understanding of English for CDL drivers.

U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, was part of the group of House Democrats that boycotted the speech and gave a response on behalf of the Working Families Party.

“So let’s start with a simple truth: What we are witnessing from our government is authoritarianism,” Lee said in her address. “Any response that doesn’t acknowledge that truth is a disservice to Americans who deserve and need honesty right now.

“I listened to Donald Trump’s speech tonight. While Trump and his friends profit off his presidency, he’s gaslighting us. He wants to convince working families that we’re better off under his regime.”

Lee added that Trump has not helped Americans in their day-to-day lives.

“For millions of Americans, affordability is out of reach,” she said. “Trump has driven up the unemployment rate, cutting thousands of federal jobs across the country. Everything he does is making Americans less safe at home and abroad. He’s bringing us to the brink of wars in the Middle East and South America.”

One of Trump’s main objectives was to convince increasingly wary Americans that the economy is stronger than many believe, and that they should vote for more of the same by backing Republicans during November’s midterm elections.

Although the president described a growing economy, AP-NORC polling shows that most Americans don’t think the country is doing well economically. About two-thirds of U.S. adults continue to say the country’s economy is “poor.”

Republicans are the exception, about 6 in 10 say the economy is good. But even within Trump’s own party, a significant share — about 4 in 10 — describe it as poor.

The president also highlighted success in handling illegal immigration in the United States. Still, an APNORC poll conducted in early February found that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of the way he’s handling immigration, down from 49% last March.

Trump also stated that he inherited a stagnant economy, but the numbers show the opposite. U.S. gross domestic product rose 2.8% in 2024 after adjusting for inflation. That’s a stronger pace of growth than the 2.2% achieved last year during the start of Trump’s second term.

The president put forward a new plan to give a modest boost to help some Americans save for retirement if they do not have a retirement account through their workplace, in which their employer matches contributions to the fund.

Starting next year, he said, his administration would let those Americans access the same retirement accounts as federal workers and would match their contribution up to $1,000.

Trump did not offer details about how he would put the program in place and did not indicate if he would ask Congress to pass the program and fund it.

The president also boasted of having tamed inflation and said he has the economy humming, given that the Dow Jones Industrial Average recently exceeded 50,000 points for the first time.

Such gains, however, don’t feel tangible to those without stock portfolios. There are also persistent fears that tariffs stoked higher prices, which could eventually hurt the economy and job creation. Economic growth slowed in the last three months of last year.

Despite disagreements between the president and Democrats, some of his policy initiatives did receive positive applause from Democrats. One of the president’s initiatives that received bipartisan applause was a call for legislation banning lawmakers from trading stocks based on insider information.

Lee, however, doesn’t trust Trump’s stock trading suggestions.

“He talked a big game about banning stock trading, but wants to exempt himself so he can keep on cashing in,” she said.

Trump also received bipartisan applause when he denounced political violence of any kind, especially after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Trump tried at points to appeal to bipartisan patriotic sentiments, introducing a series of surprise guests that included U.S. military heroes; a former political prisoner released after his administration toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Nicolás Maduro; and the Olympic gold-medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team.

“Our country is winning again. In fact, we’re winning so much that we really don’t know what to do about it. People are asking me, ‘Please, please, please, Mister President, we’re winning too much. We can’t take it anymore,’” Trump said before introducing the team.

The hockey players, wearing their medals and sweaters that said “USA” in large letters, drew a bipartisan standing ovation. Trump pointed to the Democratic side of the chamber and quipped, “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen them get up.”

A warning to Iran

Trump’s address came as two U.S. aircraft carriers have been dispatched to the Middle East amid tensions with Iran. Trump said, “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy.”

“But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror — which they are, by far — to have a nuclear weapon,” he added.

The president also recounted U.S. airstrikes last summer that pounded Tehran’s nuclear capabilities, and lauded the raid that ousted Maduro in Venezuela — as well as his administration’s brokering of a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

Less mentioned was Trump’s having strained U.S. military alliances with NATO, thanks to his push to seize Greenland from Denmark and his failure to take a harder line with Russian President Vladimir Putin in seeking an end to its war in Ukraine. Tuesday marked the fourth anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Trump calls tariff decision ‘an unfortunate ruling’

Trump championed his immigration crackdowns and his push to preserve widespread tariffs that the Supreme Court just struck down. He drew applause only from Democrats while describing the high court’s overturning his policies, which he called “an unfortunate ruling” while insisting “everything was working well” before it came down.

The president vowed to plow ahead, using “alternative” laws to impose the taxes on imports and telling lawmakers, “Congressional action will not be necessary.” He also made a bold prediction, suggesting that some day tariffs would “substantially replace” the modern income tax system. Trump argued that the tariffs are paid by foreign countries, despite evidence that the costs are borne by American consumers and businesses.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.