Democrats were not happy with President Donald Trump’s State of the Union remarks on implementing voter ID requirements and the SAVE America Act.

A dial test administered by Lee Carter, the president of Maslansky & Partners, showed Democrats taking a serious dive when the president spoke about the issue. During his speech, Trump asked lawmakers to pass the SAVE America Act in order ‘to stop illegal aliens and others who are unpermitted persons from voting in our sacred American elections.’ He decried allegedly ‘rampant’ cheating in American elections.

‘It’s very simple. All voters must show voter ID. All voters must show proof of citizenship in order to vote. And no more crooked mail-in ballots except for illness, disability, military or travel. None,’ Trump said.

‘Why would anybody not want voter ID? One reason, because they want to cheat,’ Trump added, referring to Democrats. ‘They make up all excuses. They say it’s racist. They come up with things. You almost say what imagination they have! They want to cheat, they have cheated, and their policy is so bad that the only way they can get elected is to cheat.’

While Democrats reacted negatively, Republicans had a positive response to Trump’s call for the passage of the SAVE America Act. While Independents did not react as positively as Republicans, their line in the dial test remained above the Democrats.

The group monitored by Carter, which included 29 Democrats, 41 Republicans and 30 Independents, had mixed reactions to a number of moments in Trump’s speech. Carter found that the most polarizing issue of the night was gender policy. One of the president’s special guests was Sage Blair, a young woman whose family filed a 2023 lawsuit alleging that Appomattox County High School staff socially transitioned her and treated her as a boy without her parents’ knowledge.

‘But surely we can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents’ will,’ Trump said. ‘We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately.’

When the president saw that Democratic lawmakers in the chamber did not stand at that remark, he ripped them as ‘crazy.’

Supporters in the focus group reacted mostly positively to the gender policy remarks, saying things like ‘Protect children. Crazy people there’ and ‘If someone wants to change gender, they should do it as an adult. Period.’ Meanwhile, critics in the group slammed the president, with one saying that it was ‘a bold-faced lie’ and that Trump was taking ‘every opportunity to divide the country.’

Despite the disparate reactions on the issues of voting and gender, there were some moments in which people of opposing views overlapped, both in favor and against the president. 

Many supporters and opponents expressed concerns about Trump’s tone during the speech, the dial test showed. Carter noted that some supporters were unhappy with the president’s jokes, remarks about the Supreme Court and mentions of former President Joe Biden. Meanwhile, the president’s critics said the tone was ’embarrassing,’ ‘divisive’ and ‘selfish.’

While there were many moments that caused disagreement among Americans across the political spectrum, there were points of unity in the speech. Republicans and Democrats had positive responses when Trump awarded the Purple Heart to Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and deceased Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom. Wolfe and Beckstrom were shot by a gunman who ambushed them last year in Washington, D.C. Wolfe was critically injured in the attack, and Beckstrom was killed. Her parents accepted the award in their daughter’s honor.

Another unifying moment came when Trump brought out the U.S. men’s hockey team, which just scored a historic overtime victory against Canada in the Olympics. Carter noted that the president’s critics were pleased with the recognition of the Olympians, with one calling it a ‘nice moment.’

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President Donald Trump warned in his State of the Union address that Iran has ‘sinister ambitions’ with its nuclear program and that the U.S. has not yet heard from Tehran that it will ‘never have a nuclear weapon.’ 

The remarks come as the U.S. and Iran are gearing up for another round of negotiations on Thursday.  

‘After Midnight Hammer, they were warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons program and, in particular, nuclear weapons. Yet they continue starting it all over. We wiped it out, and they want to start all over again and are at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions,’ Trump said Tuesday, referencing the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last summer. 

‘We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words, ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon,’’ Trump added. ‘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. Can’t let that happen.’ 

‘For decades it had been the policy of the United States never to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Many decades. Since they seized control of that proud nation 47 years ago, the regime and its murderous proxies have spread nothing but terrorism and death and hate,’ Trump also said during his speech. ‘They’ve killed and maimed thousands of American service members and hundreds of thousands and even millions of people with what’s called roadside bombs. They were the kings of the roadside bomb. And we took out [Iranian Gen. Qassim] Soleimani. I did that during my first term. Had a huge impact. He was the father of the roadside bomb.’ 

‘And just over the last couple of months with the protests, they’ve killed, at least, it looks like 32,000 protesters in their own country. They shot them and hung them. We stopped them from hanging a lot of them, with the threat of serious violence. But this is some terrible people. They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America,’ Trump said.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said following Trump’s address that, ‘No one should be fooled by these prominent untruths.’ 

‘Whatever they’re alleging in regards to Iran’s nuclear program, Iran’s ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January’s unrest is simply the repetition of ‘big lies,’’ Baghaei claimed on X. 

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Iran lashed out after President Donald Trump put the regime on notice in his State of the Union address, delivering a forceful warning about Tehran’s ambitions while world leaders largely stayed silent in the immediate aftermath of the speech.

Speaking amid the largest deployment of U.S. aircraft and warships to the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq War buildup, Trump said he wanted to resolve tensions with Iran through diplomacy while accusing Tehran of expanding its missile capabilities.

‘They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas,’ he said. ‘And they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.’

‘My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,’ Trump added. ‘They want to make a deal. But we haven’t heard those secret words: we will never have a nuclear weapon.’

‘But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror… to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen.’

Trump argued that previous U.S. action, including the ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’ strike in June, had severely degraded Iran’s capabilities but warned the threat had not disappeared.

‘We wiped it out and they want to start all over again and are at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions,’ he said.

Tehran sharply rejected Trump’s claims about its missile and nuclear programs. According to The Associated Press, Iranian officials characterized U.S. statements as propaganda while stopping short of closing the door on diplomacy ahead of the Geneva talks.

The Times of India reported that Iranian officials warned that any U.S. military strike, even a ‘limited’ one, would be treated as aggression and met with a decisive response.

The exchange underscored the widening gap between public rhetoric and ongoing diplomatic efforts as Washington and Tehran prepared for another round of nuclear talks in Geneva.

Trump also linked his foreign policy agenda to broader regional security efforts, pointing to recent operations in the Western Hemisphere and the U.S. campaign against drug cartels.

‘We’re also restoring American security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere, acting to secure our national interests and defend our country from violence, drugs, terrorism, and foreign interference,’ he said. ‘Large swaths of territory in our region, including large parts of Mexico… have been controlled by murderous drug cartels. That’s why I designated these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations… We’ve also taken down one of the most sinister cartel kingpins of all. You saw that yesterday,’ he said, referring to the operation that killed Mexican drug lord El Mencho.

European coverage portrayed the speech as assertive and confrontational, with analysts watching closely for implications for NATO coordination, Ukraine policy and trade relations. Reporting emphasized Trump’s linkage between diplomacy and military readiness, as well as the administration’s broader posture toward alliances and deterrence.

‘NATO countries… have just agreed, at my very strong request, to pay 5% of GDP for military defense rather than the 2%,’ Trump said during the address, presenting the move as evidence of shifting burden-sharing within the alliance.

Across global media, one theme emerged clearly: the address appeared primarily geared toward domestic political messaging while still carrying international signaling effects.

Trump repeatedly tied American military power to deterrence, telling lawmakers the United States would ‘never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must,’ while emphasizing a broader strategy of ‘peace through strength,’ according to Reuters coverage of the speech.

Foreign policy analysts cited in international reporting described the address as reinforcing a transactional approach to global security, with diplomacy presented as conditional and backed by force.

For Tehran, the message was unmistakable. Trump framed the nuclear issue as non-negotiable in outcome, as the next round of negotiations is set to start in Geneva on Thursday.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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President Donald Trump delivered a sweeping State of the Union address Tuesday night, promoting new policy proposals on retirement savings, energy infrastructure and congressional ethics while touting his administration’s record on border security, the economy and global military operations. 

But despite the wide-ranging speech — which included calls for a congressional stock trading ban, a new 401(k)-style retirement option and ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran — several areas were notably absent or only briefly addressed.

The omissions matter in 2026 as the administration heads into a pivotal year marked by record federal debt levels, cooling job growth, intensifying great-power competition with China and ongoing global instability. 

With Congress narrowly divided and international tensions high, the State of the Union offered a key opportunity for the president to outline how his second-term agenda will address long-term fiscal sustainability, labor market momentum and U.S. strategy abroad — questions that remain central to lawmakers, markets and U.S. allies.

National debt and deficit

Despite emphasizing economic growth and vowing to root out fraud, the president did not lay out a detailed plan to address the nation’s $38.56 trillion debt or the long-term solvency of Social Security and Medicare.

Trump’s ‘big, beautiful Bill,’ 2025 tax and spending legislation, is projected by the Congressional Budget Office to add another $4.2 trillion to the deficit throughout the next decade.

The Supreme Court’s recent ruling striking down his universal tariffs creates a $2 trillion revenue gap that the president didn’t address. He claimed ‘alternative statutes’ would fill it, but there’s potential for courts to strike down those as well. 

The issue also has prompted concern within Trump’s own party. 

Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., while praising the president’s address, warned afterward that the national debt poses an ‘existential threat’ that must be addressed to preserve economic stability for the next 250 years.

‘The state of our Union is more indebted than ever,’ said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. ‘The Supreme Court has opened a massive revenue hole of nearly $2 trillion (with the tariff ruling) that the Administration and Congress must fill.’

Trump proposed a new ‘war on fraud’ task force Tuesday night, to be led by Vice President JD Vance, claiming that rooting out corruption —specifically targeting the Somali community in Minnesota — could recoup enough stolen taxpayer funds to ‘balance the budget overnight.’

The debt carries heightened urgency in 2026 as interest payments approach $1 trillion annually and lawmakers face looming deadlines on entitlement trust fund solvency and future budget negotiations.

Job growth

‘The roaring economy is roaring like never before,’ Trump boasted during the speech. ‘More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country.’

But the president failed to touch on 2025’s lagging job growth: the labor market added 181,000 jobs in all of 2025, much fewer than the 1.46 million jobs that were added in 2024.

Economists note that while headline job totals can mask fluctuations, the sharp deceleration in hiring relative to 2024 highlights a labor market that has softened even as other economic indicators remain positive.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed Trump ‘mocked’ affordability issues and failed to note weak job numbers. 

‘Trump didn’t simply ignore the affordability crisis. He mocked it yet again. The average Americans sitting at their table trying to figure out how they’re going to pay that damn bill, was furious that he said, ‘it doesn’t matter.” 

‘He bragged last night about job creation,’ Schumer said. ‘Well, job creation is is at its lowest point in over 20 years outside of a recession, its lowest point in 20 years. And he brags about it.’

China and the Indo-Pacific 

While Trump used his address to declare a ‘Golden Age’ of security, the world’s most significant geopolitical theater — the Indo-Pacific — hardly was mentioned. 

Despite a record-breaking $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan just two months ago and a planned high-stakes visit to Beijing in April, the President did not once mention Taiwan, the South China Sea or a broader regional strategy by name.

While Trump mocked ‘Chinese technology’ in the context of the Venezuelan raid, he offered no public reassurance to allies in Tokyo, Canberra, Australia, or Taipei, Taiwan, which are navigating Beijing’s expanding military reach. 

The omission follows a pattern established in the 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) released in January, which for the first time in a decade scrubbed direct references to Taiwan’s security. 

Though the U.S. has long held a policy of strategic ambiguity — refusing to say whether it would come to Taiwan’s defense if China invaded — some analysts have detected a fragile detente between the U.S. and China.

The absence is notable in 2026 as Washington prepares for high-level talks with Beijing and regional allies closely monitor U.S. commitments amid rising cross-Strait tensions and expanding Chinese naval activity.

Cuba and the embargo 

Despite a marked escalation in U.S. policy toward Cuba, Trump made no reference to the island, the longstanding embargo or recent moves to tighten economic pressure.  The omission is noteworthy given how central Havana has become to broader U.S. policy in the Western Hemisphere.

Under Trump’s second term, the administration significantly has reinforced sanctions and pressure on Cuba, moving beyond the decades-old embargo to block crude oil and fuel supplies that left the island largely without vital energy imports after Venezuelan shipments dried up, contributing to widespread blackouts and worsening humanitarian conditions.

In late January, Trump issued an executive order declaring a national emergency on Cuba and authorizing tariffs aimed at halting the supply of oil to the island.

Caribbean leaders also highlighted the regional consequences of U.S. policy on Cuba at a major summit this week, warning that the fuel and economic crisis could have broader security and migration implications across the Caribbean basin.

Russia-Ukraine: referenced but little detail 

Trump did touch on the war in Ukraine in his State of the Union, framing an ambition to ‘end’ the conflict as part of his foreign policy narrative. But he offered no detailed outline of how the administration plans to achieve that goal or how U.S. diplomacy, military aid or leverage with European allies will be marshaled to bring it about — leaving a key foreign policy challenge largely undefined for the nation.

‘We’re working very hard to end the ninth war, the killing and slaughter between Russia and Ukraine, where 25,000 soldiers are dying each and every month — think of that, 25,000 soldiers are dying a month.’

 The speech came on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

The lack of detail stands out in 2026 as the war enters its fifth year and European allies look to Washington for clarity on long-term security guarantees and reconstruction support.

The White House did not immediately respond when reached for comment. 

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There’s a new House GOP effort to censure Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, circulating after he was removed from President Donald Trump’s primetime address for the second year in a row.

Green was ejected from Trump’s State of the Union on Tuesday night minutes after it began. The Texas progressive held up a sign that read ‘Black people are not apes’ in all capital letters as Trump entered the House chamber, and remained standing and holding the sign as the president began speaking.

Rep. Mike Rulli, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital that his office was now looking for other House lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to support a censure resolution against Green.

‘His shenanigans at the State of the Union were uncalled for,’ Rulli said on Wednesday. ‘We can’t really put up with that kind of conduct in Congress. Something had to be done.’

‘I’m looking for as many co-sponsors from our conference as possible. And I’m reaching across the aisle for anyone over there that was embarrassed by their own guy.’

Rulli’s resolution, first obtained by Fox News Digital, said Green’s protest constituted a ‘breach of conduct.’

The text also noted that it ‘was the second time in less than a year that the Representative from Texas had to be removed from the chamber by the Sergeant at Arms due to unpatriotic disruptions that violated numerous House rules related to decorum.’

The House of Representatives voted to censure Green in March 2025 for his last protest, which included waving his cane and shouting over Trump as he attempted to give his speech.

At the time, ten Democrats joined Republicans in passing that resolution.

Green told reporters on Tuesday night after being removed from the House for a second time, ‘I refuse to tolerate this level of hate that the president is in fact putting into policy. We must take a stand against this level invidious discrimination.’

‘I wanted him to know, and I wanted them to see it and hear it. Up close. But judging from the expression on his face, he got the message. He saw it,’ Green said.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., did not commit to holding a vote on a censure resolution when asked about the prospect after Trump’s speech but said he would defer to the will of his lawmakers.

‘Al Green was removed pretty quickly. I don’t know if censure is going to be appropriate. I’ll let our colleagues decide that,’ Johnson said. ‘The point of a censure, is to bring someone to the House floor and bring shame upon them for their actions. I think they showed the American people shame already.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Green’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back.

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The one-year anniversary of FBI Director Kash Patel’s term has arrived. As a badge of honor, Patel is under constant attack by partisan Democrats and other conspiracy theorists – including even some whackjobs on the right. Contrary to these smears, Patel has boldly and decisively led back the FBI to where it should be: the premier law enforcement agency in the world.

Patel, after many long days of work to ensure our American athletes and dignitaries remained safe at the Olympic Games in Italy, got invited into the locker room of the men’s U.S. hockey team after their gold medal triumph over Canada. Because this was the first gold for the American men since the Miracle on Ice team in 1980, this became a significant moment. Patel, justifiably, allowed himself to enjoy the historic moment of American patriotism and pride. The athletes clearly enjoyed the presence of a senior U.S. official (and fellow hockey player), which became even more significant when Patel called President Trump to praise the gold medal-winning U.S. team.

Democrats, who are quicker to defend a sitting Democrat U.S. senator splitting margaritas with an alleged human-trafficking and wife-beating illegal immigrant than a senior U.S. government official celebrating a U.S. gold medal with American Olympians, predictably attacked Patel for his appearance in the postgame locker room. To anyone with a pulse, it’s obvious too many of today’sDemocrats are nothing more than dreadful, anti-American Marxists losers. It’s hard to imagine anything lower than knocking a senior U.S. official for celebrating an iconic U.S. victory at the Olympics.

In response to the Patel (and America) haters, this is a good time to educate America about Trump FBI Director Kash Patel’s unprecedented success in his first year.

On Sept. 10, 2025, a degenerate assassinated Charlie Kirk. Thousands of Americans attended the event on the Utah campus. The FBI, under Patel’s leadership, took command. Within two days, law enforcement took into custody 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. His father turned Robinson in after the Patel FBI broadcast images, cultivated from many sources of video surveillance, to the public. Robinson now awaits the swift justice he richly deserves. Despite the ravings of online conspiracy instigators, there are almost no unanswered questions in the Kirk case, thanks to Patel’s quick and decisive leadership.

Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro became a primary culprit in the mass-importation of illicit drugs into the United States. Last month, the Patel FBI — with the assistance of military special forces—arrested Maduro and his wife at their fortress in Caracas. U.S. forces quickly scooped up the Maduros and took them out of Venezuela with no American casualties. They now sit in a Brooklyn jail. They faced a 2020 federal indictment but remained free for the entirety of the Biden administration. This operation adds to Patel’s record of over 2,100 kilos of fentanyl seized (up 31%), enough to kill 150 million Americans, and the disruption of 1,800 gangs and criminal enterprises, a 210% increase year over year.

The FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list represents the worst of the worst in terms of fugitives. Murderers, pedophiles, drug kingpins, and terrorists make up most of its occupants. Under Patel’s leadership, six of the Ten Most Wanted are now captured, collectively on the run for over 50 years, which exceeds in one year all such captures during the Biden administration (four in four years). Drug traffickers like Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympian who made the list, garner a lot of media attention when captured, but other barbarians are off the streets thanks to Patel’s leadership.

Just last month, Alejandro Rosales Castillo’s turn came to face justice. This coward hid in Mexico for nearly a decade after murdering a 23-year-old co-worker in Charlotte, North Carolina. Cindy Rodriguez Singh, another monster, met the same fate. Singh allegedly murdered her 5-year-old child and fled to India. Thanks to Patel’s FBI, she got captured in New Delhi less than two months after her addition to the list. Overall, arrests under Patel’s FBI are up 197% year-to-year, and over 6,000 child victims have been located, a 22% increase year over year. Dedicated ‘crimes against children’ operations like Restore Justice, Enduring Justice, and Relentless Justice resulted in 730 arrests and over 450 victims identified.

For years, the domestic terrorists who comprise Antifa have wreaked havoc on American cities. On July 4, 2025, two dozen of them allegedly attacked the Prairieland Detention Center, an ICE holding facility in Alvarado, Texas. The domestic terrorists allegedly fired upon ICE agents, and a responding police officer almost lost his life after one terrorist allegedly shot him in the neck.

It is crucial to remember into what the FBI had degenerated during the Biden administration. The Biden DOJ wasted massive FBI resources for years hunting down every individual who had taken a selfie in the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, even if the individuals had not acted violently. Other FBI resources went toward investigating parents at school board meetings and mass-attending Catholics out of supposed concerns the parents and devout Catholics became domestic terrorists.

Biden Special Counsel Jack Smith spent over $50 million in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to imprison President Trump. Prosecutors use law enforcement to conduct investigations, and Smith had the FBI at his disposal. Even before Smith’s arrival in November 2022, the FBI had raided President Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago under orders from Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland.

No longer is the FBI wasting its resources. Under Patel’s leadership, agents are not targeting pro-life Christians; they are capturing foreign drug kingpins and narco-terrorist leaders. Agents are not investigating parents at school board meetings; they are bringing to justice parents who murdered their children. Agents are not wasting years on January 6; they are spending time bringing violent Antifa domestic terrorists to justice and capturing assassins like Tyler Robinson in short order. Agents are not participating in Jack Smith’s witch hunt; they are investigating the perpetrators of the unprecedented, republic-ending Obama and Biden lawfare.

Special operations and surge initiatives, like Summer Heat, have resulted in nearly 9,000 arrests in just three months, while over 450 human traffickers have been identified (up 23% year over year), and espionage arrests are up 35% year over year. Patel has led a rapid turnaround of the FBI from a decaying and weaponized agency back to the one that, growing up, Americans respected. For that, Patel deserves immense credit.

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A majority of the U.S. Supreme Court’s justices were absent from President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address Tuesday night — a conspicuous move coming just days after the high court struck down his signature global tariff policy.

Only Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Associate Justices Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett attended the speech. Justices Samuel Alito., Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson were not present.

The absences followed a 6–3 Supreme Court decision ruling that Trump’s sweeping tariff plan exceeded presidential authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act — a major setback for the administration’s economic agenda.

In the wake of the ruling, Trump sharply criticized the justices who sided against him, saying he was ‘ashamed of certain members of the court’ and accusing them of lacking ‘the courage to do what’s right for the country.’ His criticism included members of the conservative bloc, among them two justices he appointed during his first term.

Supreme Court justices are not legally required to attend the State of the Union. Invitations are extended as a matter of tradition, and participation is left to individual discretion. Those who do attend typically enter the House chamber together in their black judicial robes and sit prominently in the front row — a visual symbol of the judiciary’s coequal status alongside the executive and legislative branches.

Still, attendance has long been uneven, reflecting discomfort within the judiciary about appearing at what has increasingly become a partisan spectacle.

Alito has not attended a State of the Union since 2010, when he famously shook his head and appeared to mouth ‘not true’ as then-President Barack Obama criticized the Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Months later, Alito said publicly that sitting through the address made him feel like ‘the proverbial potted plant,’ and he suggested he would not return in the near future.

Roberts at the time described the political atmosphere surrounding the address as ‘very troubling,’ and questioned whether it remained appropriate for the justices to attend if the event had devolved into what he characterized as a political ‘pep rally.’ Despite those concerns, Roberts has attended every State of the Union since becoming chief justice in 2005.

Thomas has also largely stayed away in recent years. After attending President Obama’s first address in 2009, he did not return, later describing the experience as uncomfortable for members of the judiciary given the partisan reactions inside the chamber.

While some justices have consistently opted out — including past members of the court — others have continued to attend as a matter of institutional tradition.

Fox News’ Shannon Bream and Bill Mears contributed to this report. 

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Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., wore a round button to the State of the Union address that read ‘F— ICE,’ referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

She also wore a message that read, ‘STAND WITH SURVIVORS RELEASE THE FILES,’ in an apparent reference to materials pertaining to the late Jeffrey Epstein. Other lawmakers could be seen wearing that message during the speech as well.

Tlaib was seated next to Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a fellow member of the progressive cadre of lawmakers known as the ‘Squad.’ 

The two shouted during the president’s address. They also departed the speech early, reports indicate.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Wednesday morning.

President Donald Trump’s administration has been working to crack down on illegal immigration. 

But some politicians, including Tlaib, have called for the abolition of ICE.

‘ICE has no place in Michigan. This is an unaccountable and violent agency that terrorizes and brutalizes our communities every day,’ Tlaib said in a statement earlier this month.

‘We have all watched as ICE agents execute American citizens in broad daylight and detain and deport our immigrant neighbors with no regard for their wellbeing, right to due process, or the myriad other laws and court orders restricting their illegal operations,’ she said in the statement.

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Presidential speechwriters sharply split late Tuesday after President Donald Trump delivered a record-breaking State of the Union address, drawing praise from allies and prompting early exits from some Democrats.

During his address, Trump focused on immigration enforcement, economic concerns and global trade issues as he occasionally sparred with Democrats like Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who, along with fellow ‘Squad’ member Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, left the chamber early, while Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was booted after waving a sign condemning a recent Trump social media post.

Gene Hamilton, a former deputy White House counsel who has written speeches, told Fox News Digital that Trump delivered a ‘resounding speech’ and ‘could not have been more clear about the current state of our great nation.’

‘A vision of hope, prosperity, and strength, driven by strong borders, a strong economy, and a love of country.’

Hamilton said the speech was ‘juxtaposed’ against a swath of the Democratic caucus in the chamber that ‘wouldn’t even stand for the provision that the government’s first duty ‘is to protect American citizens, not illegal immigrants’.’

‘Donald Trump saved this country with his election in 2024. His administration will keep working every day to deliver real wins for the American people,’ said Hamilton, who worked in the first Trump administration and now works with America First Legal.

On the other side of the political spectrum, former Biden speechwriter Dan Cluchey told Fox News Digital that Trump did ‘less than zero to dispel the notion that he is living in his own reality.’

Asked if Trump succeeded in addressing the immigration crisis and affordability criticisms well enough, Cluchey said that while Americans endure ‘skyrocketing grocery, energy, and health costs, rising unemployment, and an economy that is growing more slowly today than in any year under President Biden, his only play is to tell families not to believe their own pocketbooks.’

‘[That] doesn’t work,’ said Cluchey, who co-hosted a SOTU watch party and speechwriting workshop across town at Georgetown University during Trump’s speech.

Asked about Trump’s ability to convey what he believed to be his administration’s successes, Cluchey said that dynamic ‘doesn’t really work when the claims you fabricate don’t square with people’s real lives.’

‘A willingness to lie brazenly about anything and everything has some utility when you’re campaigning, but it doesn’t hold up when you’re governing — and people are actually living through the constant stream of chaos, cruelty, and ineptitude,’ Cluchey said.

Cluchey added that Trump did not do enough to combat his critics, saying he instead came across as ‘self-obsessed and delusional as he always does.’

Unlike Hamilton, Cluchey believed Trump failed to change any minds in America with his remarks.

Hamilton separately countered that Trump did indeed reiterate that he has delivered on campaign promises.

‘For all the haters and ‘black-pillers’ who run their mouths incessantly, just one year of President Trump’s successes has dwarfed the accomplishments of entire administrations that preceded him,’ he said.

Michael Ceraso, a Democratic strategist with a background in speechwriting who worked with presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, offered a slightly different perspective, saying that as a Democrat, he wants a president who works toward collaboration and not someone who ‘speaks in monologues.’

‘As a voter, I may not like him. I may find his long form exhausting. But when he speaks, he never wavers from American exceptionalism,’ Ceraso said.

‘I see someone protecting our cities against those he deems a threat to democracy, revving up the economy, managing global partners, and defeating terrorism.’

Ceraso said, however, he misses former President Barack Obama and his message of intellectualism, curiosity and togetherness.

‘As a voter, I believe both parties are bad for this country.’

‘So I go with the guy who entertains me,’ Ceraso said.

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Many conservatives quickly took to social media to praise President Trump’s State of the Union speech, which lasted just under two hours, energizing Republicans and riling Democrats.

‘It’s not just an excellent speech, it’s mostly POTUS himself,’ conservative radio host Mark Levin posted on X. ‘ He’s a truly historic leader. I know it drives DC nuts. Who cares.’

‘Trump is a colossus; an amazingly patriotic speech,’ FOX Business Senior Correspondent Charles Gasparino posted on X. 

‘This is the best State of the Union Address I’ve ever seen,’ conservative commentator Buck Sexton posted on X. ‘Not just by Trump. By any President.’

‘President Trump’s State of the Union put America’s greatness on full display—celebrating our war heroes, everyday heroes, and Olympic champions,’ former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy posted on X. 

‘The President delivered a home run State of the Union tonight,’ GOP Rep. Chip Roy posted on X. 

Democrats on social media struck a different tone, with many prominent faces of the party bashing the president as the speech developed, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom who accused Trump of ‘destroying the country’ and posted ‘that was boring.’

‘That State of the Union speech by Trump was humiliating for both him and the Republican Party,’ liberal influencer Harry Sisson posted on X. ‘He rambled incoherently and Republicans clapped like seals the whole time no matter what was said. I’m glad military heroes were honored, but he lied the entire time.’

Trump’s speech, which was the longest State of the Union in history, focused on what he called a ‘turnaround for the ages’ in the United States during his second term. 

Trump invited a swath of various guests to the speech, including everyday Americans, Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, the U.S. men’s hockey team fresh off their gold medal win, military members who acted heroically in the time of crisis and families who have suffered tragedy at the hands of illegal immigrants.

Trump’s speech came as the GOP prepares to defend its majority in the House and Senate as the November midterms loom, and also as the nation prepares to celebrate its 250 years of independence.

‘This July 4th, we will mark two and a half centuries of liberty and triumph, progress and freedom in the most incredible and exceptional nation ever to exist on the face of the earth. And you’ve seen nothing yet,’ Trump said. ‘We’re going to do better and better and better. This is the golden age of America.’

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report
 

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