This Wednesday, March 5th, Donald Trump attended the State of the Union (SOTU), giving his address on the condition of the United States. Those who watched the televised speech were both shocked and confused about what he had to say about the United States. The State of the Union is when the president of the United States annually delivers a speech about the nation’s current state. The president’s speech could be about numerous topics, such as the nation’s budget, economy, laws, agenda, progress, etc.
President Trump has repeatedly suggested taking over Greenland with either military force or coercion and had a specific message to the people of Denmark, saying that we’re going to “get it one way or another”, listing reasons why America would be welcoming to Greenland. Recent polling has shown that 85% of Greenlanders do not want their home to be on US soil. Guess we aren’t going to get it “one way or another”.
Most people who watched the speech from home enjoyed it, saying they “liked it.” The poll shows that 51% of the viewers were Republicans, 27% were independents, and 20% were Democrats. Most of the viewers agreed with the many topics the president discussed. About 76% of the speech viewers agreed with President Trump, while 23% disagreed.
According to The American Presidency Project, the president’s speech lasted one hour and forty minutes, the longest it has been since 1964.
Those who watched the televised speech were shocked and confused about what he had to say about the United States. People who watched the speech from their homes were quick enough to fact-check as much of it as they could, if not the entire speech.
Most of what he had to say about specific topics was either misleading, false, or partially true. Trump brought up that the number of children contracting autism disorder went from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 36 children, which has been labeled as misleading. Sure, the autism rate has been growing. However, they have been growing for decades before he appeared to make this statement.
Trump made false statements on various topics, such as “21 million people ‘pouring’ into the United States under
Biden’s control”. The number of people who have gone from Mexico to the United States is lower than the figure Trump referenced in his meeting. Most encounters that have occurred were placed on the southern border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported they encountered 11 million undocumented migrants in 2021 and 2024, the time of Biden’s presidency. The number combined consists of those who came here illegally, those who went with the government’s permission, those who arrived by sea, those who came here via plane, and those who came to the United States that met Biden’s criteria during his presidency. Border Patrol estimates that 1.7 million migrants have successfully evaded apprehension since 2021. The numbers aren’t as close to Trump’s “21 million”. Some who have escaped have done so successfully without being caught by officials.
Trump also discussed topics with a bit of truth, such as the lowest record of illegal crossings at the border in February. The number of people who crossed the southern border in the first month of President Trump’s term has plummeted to a level not seen in 25 years. In February, Border Patrol recorded around 8,450 apprehensions along the Mexican border. The Biden Administration recorded over 8,000 apprehensions in 24 hours in 2023.
What baffles Americans is his statement about the government spending “$8 million making mice transgender”. He mentioned the transgender community in his address, even though trans people make up 1% of the population, which is around 2.3 million people. Right at the beginning of the speech, he brings up signing an executive order declaring the federal government will only acknowledge two sexes, male and female. Those who participate in sports and are identified as transgender are to be banned. There’s evidence of biological women being injured by transgender individuals.
An example is Taylor McNabb. Taylor McNabb, a former high school volleyball player, was spiked in the face by a male opponent, causing long-lasting injuries to McNabb. The impact of the ball caused partial facial paralysis, impaired vision, as well as anxiety and depression. Since her incident, McNabb and other athletes like Riley Gaines, a former swimmer turned political activist, have been fighting to “protect women’s sports”.
