President Trump delivered a nearly two-hour State of the Union address, promoting his economic agenda and defending recent U.S. action related to Iran while saying he prefers diplomacy. He vowed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The speech set a record at about 1 hour 48 minutes and included heated moments on the House floor, including Rep. Al Green being escorted out and heckling from Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivered the Democratic rebuttal.
Trump Delivers Record-Length State of the Union, Vows to Block a Nuclear Iran
Live updates: Trump delivers record-setting State of the Union speech
President Donald Trump delivered a record-setting State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, laying out an ambitious agenda that combined policy accomplishments with notable setbacks. The speech ran about an hour and 48 minutes, making it the longest State of the Union on record.
Key Themes
Mr. Trump emphasized his signature economic priorities and defended recent U.S. military action related to Iran while stressing a preference for diplomacy. He told lawmakers:
"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 to have a nuclear weapon."
The address surpassed former President Bill Clinton's 2000 speech (about 1 hour, 28 minutes) and was also longer than Mr. Trump's address to Congress last year (roughly 1 hour, 40 minutes), which was not technically a State of the Union.
Moments on the House Floor
The evening featured tense exchanges: Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) was escorted from the chamber shortly after the speech began; Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) heckled the president over immigration policy. Several Democrats opted to attend alternate events in protest.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivered the Democratic Party's official rebuttal.
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