President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address, opens new tab to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, a potentially pivotal moment as the White House seeks to firm up support among Republican voters ahead of November’s midterm election.
Trump spoke against a backdrop of rising tensions with Iran and voter frustration with the high cost of living.
Trump put dollars and cents at the heart of his speech, suggesting his aides, who have been pushing him for weeks to speak more about the economy, have prevailed for now.
He offered a broad-based sweep of kitchen-table economic issues – housing, healthcare, utility bills, crime, retirement – but he again stopped short of acknowledging that many Americans are still struggling with the high cost of living, including food and house prices.
Trump promised that his healthcare proposals to reduce drug prices and make federal payments directly to people would be cost-saving. He insisted that the tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court were generating revenue and were being restored under different legal authority.