Trump’s most partisan State of the Union ever still appeals to unity

President Donald Trump gave one of the best — and most strident — speeches of his career on Tuesday when he delivered the first State of the Union of his second term.

Trump always excels in these set-piece performances. He knows how to use the whole room as an instrument — even the halls behind the chamber, where troops returning home sometimes wait to surprise tearful spouses.

On Tuesday, it was the gold-medal-winning men’s hockey team waiting in the wings, almost stealing the show when they emerged to a raucous standing ovation.

President Donald Trump gave one of the best — and most strident — speeches of his career on Tuesday. AP

Even some Democrats broke their stony silence to stand.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen them get up,” Trump quipped. “And actually, not all of them did get up.”

Trump is pursuing his own gold medal: holding Congress in the midterms, a rare achievement for a sitting president.

He took jabs at Democrats all night, drawing a clear distinction between the two sides.

He attacked them for their government shutdowns. He slammed them for voting against tax cuts in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” — prompting another rare ovation from Democrats, who applauded themselves.

Trump also recounted some of his early successes.

His first — which even critics acknowledge — is securing the border.

He took jabs at Democrats all night, drawing a clear distinction between the two sides. REUTERS

Illegal migration had slowed to “zero,” Trump noted, leading to a steep drop in drug smuggling and crime. He added: “We will always allow people to come in legally, people that will love our country.”

The president also discussed his work to end wars — sometimes through diplomacy, sometimes through force.

If there is any chance of a deal with Iran — a question that hung over the Capitol — it is because Trump showed the world that his threats are credible.

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He also noted: “We ended DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] in America.”

He dared Democrats to support voter ID, after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani required ID to shovel snow.

He also expressed his disappointment in the decisions of the Supreme Court justices before him, especially the recent tariff case.

The president also discussed his work to end wars — sometimes through diplomacy, sometimes through force. REUTERS

(He stopped short of the low mark set by President Barack Obama in 2010, who berated the justices bitterly over the Citizens United ruling in his State of the Union, as Chuck Schumer leapt to his feet).

He traded barbs with members of the “Squad,” notably Ilhan Omar, who heckled him angrily. “You should be ashamed of yourself,” he replied.

And he honored victims of Democrats’ policies, including Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee murdered by an ex-convict. Her mother wept in the gallery.

Partisanship aside, President Trump had two major tasks.

First, he had to convince Americans that the economy is improving.

Second, he had to reassure Americans about growing instability, especially after clashes with ICE in Minneapolis.

Whether he succeeded on those points will await post-speech polls. Yet he made the most passionate case he could.

On the economy, Trump noted that growth is solid; inflation is slowing; and unemployment is low.

He also recounted some of the many ways he has lowered costs, without help from a stubborn Federal Reserve — especially gas prices, and core inflation.

And he also cited some of his new programs, such as the Trump savings accounts that will help today’s children build wealth.

Partisanship aside, President Trump had two major tasks. AP

When it came to “affordability,” Trump argued that it was Democrats whose policies had raised costs for Americans.

“You caused that problem,” Trump told Democrats in the chamber.

On unity, as pugnacious as he was, Trump managed to appeal to the “union” in the State of the Union — a feeling he hoped to inspire directly from the American people, not from the divided audience in front of him.

He noted that this year is America’s 250th, and looked ahead to months of celebration. He promised a successful 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

He invited Americans to “reject political violence of any kind,” and to embrace our deep history, our broad identity, and our bright future. REUTERS

He invited Americans to “reject political violence of any kind,” and to embrace our deep history, our broad identity, and our bright future.

No one can do that like a president — and no one can do it like this president.

Instead of platitudes on bipartisanship, Trump emphasized national heroes — heroes like U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer Petty Officer Scott Ruskan, who saved nearly 200 people in last summer’s Texas floods.

Democrats chose Abigail Spanberger, the new governor of Virginia, to deliver the response. Trump could hardly have asked for a better foil.

Spanberger ran as a moderate, but has governed as a radical. She is Exhibit A in Trump’s warning to voters ahead of the midterms.

But the president’s message in the record-long State of the Union, partisan though it was, aimed higher. Trump told Americans: Let us celebrate ourselves, this year above all others.

He reminded us: We are a great country, founded in glory, and inspired by new heroes, every day.

Joel Pollak is the opinion editor of the California Post. Follow him @joelpollak.