Trump delivers State of the Union address, discussing immigration, economy, and crime issues

On February 24th, local time, U.S. President Trump delivered his first State of the Union address for his second term in Congress. Trump primarily discussed issues such as border security, immigration, the economy, and crime.

It is reported that dozens of Democratic lawmakers were absent from Trump’s speech. House Democratic Leader Jeffries recently urged Democratic members to either attend in silent protest or participate in other activities. Over 20 members had previously announced they would attend a rally called “People’s State of the Union” at the National Mall in Washington on the evening of the 24th.

This speech comes at a time when Trump’s two key policies—tariffs and immigration—are facing setbacks. On the 20th, the U.S. Supreme Court announced a ruling that the U.S. International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the president to impose large-scale tariffs. Trump subsequently signed an executive order to end some of the tariff measures. Prior to this, due to violent law enforcement by federal immigration officers that resulted in the shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota, Congress’s Democrats and Republicans failed to reach a consensus on temporary funding for the Department of Homeland Security, leading to a partial government shutdown starting on the 14th. (CCTV News)