“Our Country Is Back”: the Tycoon proclaims America’s “Golden Age” in his State of the Union address

“Our country is back.” With these words, delivered at the outset, Donald Trump set the tone for his State of the Union address before Congress, turning the institutional occasion into a forceful political assertion of the achievements of his first year in office. The president spoke for more than one hour and forty-five minutes -according to reports, one of the longest speeches in the event’s recent history - alternating economic data, promises of security, and attacks on judges and the Democratic opposition. The central message was repeated several times: “Our country is back, bigger, stronger, and wealthier than ever before. We are not going back: this is America’s golden age.”

Much of the speech was devoted to the economy, a key battleground of Trump’s political campaign. “I inherited the highest inflation in history - but in just a few months we brought it down,” he declared, crediting his administration with cooling price growth.

The president cited falling gas prices and mortgage rates dropping to their lowest level in four years as tangible signs for American families. It was an optimistic narrative aimed at reinforcing the idea of a country on the rebound and of leadership capable of quickly reversing course.

The more controversial passages were not absent. Trump called “an unfortunate decision” the Supreme Court ruling that struck down some of his tariffs, strongly defending the use of duties as a tool of economic and negotiating policy: “I used tariffs to make great deals,” he said, reiterating that protectionist measures remain central to his trade strategy.

On security and immigration, the president claimed a hardline approach. “Not a single illegal migrant entered in the last year,” he asserted, presenting border control as one of the most significant achievements of his term. The remark drew mixed reactions among Democrats, some of whom remained visibly cool during the address, and confirmed how the immigration issue remains one of the defining pillars of Trumpism.

In foreign policy, the tycoon reaffirmed a stance of firmness: “I will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” he declared, reiterating the United States’ commitment to countering any atomic development by Tehran. The message was directed as much at allies as at international adversaries.

Among the most solemn moments, the president urged the country to “reject every form of political violence,” in a passage dedicated to the domestic climate and the tensions that have marked American public life in recent years. It was a call for unity that nonetheless came within a speech largely characterized by strongly identity-driven and divisive tones.

At the end of the address came the opposition’s response. Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger accused the president of presenting a distorted version of economic reality, arguing that “Americans are paying the price of tariffs” and that the benefits he claimed are not as widespread as described.

The State of the Union address thus became a political manifesto: a celebration of achievements, a promise of continuity and renewed momentum, but also a new line of demarcation with the opposition and with part of the institutions. “Our country is back,” Trump repeated. A statement that encapsulated the entire rhetorical framework of the evening: America as a restored power, guided - according to the president’s words - toward a new “golden age.”

Andrea Pelucchi