Democrats cool to Trump pushing SAVE Act election bill in voter dial
Democrats were not happy with President Donald Trump‘s State of the Union remarks 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.” GOP WARNS DEMOCRATS USING DHS SHUTDOWN TO STALL SENATE VOTER ID PUSH 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.” INDEPENDENTS LOVED MOMENT TRUMP INTRODUCED TEAM USA MEN’S HOCKEY TEAM, VOTER DIAL SHOWS 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 American 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 Specialist 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, while Beckstrom was fatally shot. Beckstrom’s 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.”
Trump says Iran pursues ‘sinister ambitions,’ hasn’t told US that Tehran ‘will never have a nuclear program’
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.” IRAN’S SHADOWY CHEMICAL WEAPONS PROGRAM DRAWS SCRUTINY AS REPORTS ALLEGE USE AGAINST PROTESTERS “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.” LEAVITT SAYS TRUMP CHOOSES DIPLOMACY FIRST FOR IRAN, BUT REMAINS ‘WILLING TO USE’ LETHAL FORCE IF NECESSARY “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.
Thomas criticizes Supreme Court majority for ‘needlessly’ expanding precedent in unanimous decision
Justice Clarence Thomas criticized the majority opinion in a Tuesday Supreme Court ruling that he says “needlessly” expanded court precedent on trial issues. Thomas made the argument in a concurring opinion to a unanimous decision the court released regarding the extent to which a trial judge can restrict interaction between a defendant and his attorneys during a trial recess. The facts of the case, Villareal v. Texas, relate to the trial testimony for David Villarreal, who was defending himself against murder charges in Texas. During the trial, Villareal’s testimony was interrupted by a 24-hour overnight recess, and the judge in the case instructed Villareal’s attorneys not to “manage his testimony” during the recess. TRUMP’S TARIFF REVENUES HIT RECORD HIGHS AS SUPREME COURT DEALS MAJOR BLOW The judge clarified, however, that the order was not a blanket restriction on Villareal’s communication with his attorneys. He said they could discuss topics other than the defendant’s testimony, such as possible sentencing issues. SUPREME COURT RULES ON TRUMP TARIFFS IN MAJOR TEST OF EXECUTIVE BRANCH POWERS Villareal was ultimately convicted in the case, and his attorney’s appealed the decision by arguing the judge’s restrictions infringed on the defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel. The case was ultimately appealed up to the Supreme Court, which ruled against the defendant’s argument. The court’s majority opinion, penned by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, stated that court precedent allowed judges to restrict attorneys and their clients from discussing testimony in the middle of a trial. What Thomas objected to, however, was that the majority opinion went on to clarify that defendants and attorneys can discuss testimony if it is “incidental to other topics,” such as plea advice or strategy. Thomas argued that clarification “needlessly expands our precedents” when existing law was more than adequate for guiding a ruling in the case. “The trial judge’s order here complied with our precedents,” Thomas wrote. “The trial judge instructed defense counsel not to ‘discuss what you couldn’t discuss with [Villarreal] if he was on the stand in front of the jury,’ and explained that ‘you couldn’t confer with him while he was on the stand about his testimony.’” “I am unable to join the majority opinion because it unnecessarily expands these precedents. It purports to ‘announce’ a ‘rule’ under which a defendant has a constitutional right to ‘discussion of testimony’ so long as that discussion is ‘incidental to other topics,’” Thomas concluded.
Senate Dem says he left the State of the Union address because he couldn’t endure ‘hours of Trump’s lies’
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., announced that he left President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address before it ended on Tuesday night, claiming the speech was riddled with lies. “Walked out of the State of the Union because I couldn’t sit through hours of Trump’s lies,” the senator wrote in a post on X. “Americans know the truth: he’s spiking prices and wrecking our economy. We’re a better country than this.” Warner posted about 17 minutes before the end of the president’s remarks. Trump concluded his State of the Union speech at approximately 10:59 p.m., breaking the record for the longest State of the Union address in recent history. TRUMP SHATTERS CLINTON’S 26-YEAR-OLD RECORD FOR LONGEST STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS Warner had already suggested before the speech that the president would lie while delivering the address. “Buckle up for hours of lies tonight from the President. Americans know the truth: he’s wrecking our economy, spending tens of billions on an out-of-control secret police, and lining his own pockets with grift after grift,” Warner declared in a post on X ahead of Trump’s speech on Tuesday. Then, during the president’s speech, Warner asserted in a post, “We’re hearing more of the same from Trump tonight… endless lies.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Wednesday. JASMINE CROCKETT TRASHES TRUMP, BOYCOTTS HIS SPEECH: ‘THE CURRENT STATE OF OUR UNION IS GRIM’ Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill., also noted that he walked out of the president’s speech. “Like last year, I gave myself 5 bald-faced lies before I walked out of Trump’s joint address. Less than one hour into his speech, I’m out,” he noted in a Tuesday night post. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., said in a video that she “had to leave” the address “early.” “After hearing him make light of the healthcare crisis that he created, and then to not even be serious about prescription drugs, acting like TrumpRx is some real solution, give me a break. It’s outrageous. And I couldn’t stay in there a moment longer,” she declared. ‘SQUAD’ MEMBER WEARS ‘F— ICE’ PIN ON HOUSE FLOOR DURING TRUMP ADDRESS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Other lawmakers also walked out, reports indicate, while many opted to skip the event entirely. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who held a sign that read, “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES!,” was ejected from the chamber.
Trump admin ramps up ‘maximum pressure’ Iran sanctions ahead of new round of nuclear talks
President Donald Trump‘s administration expanded sanctions against Iran ahead of another round of nuclear talks, ramping up the U.S. “maximum pressure” policy for Tehran. Representatives of the U.S. and Iran are slated to meet once again in Geneva this week as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise. The Treasury Department’s new sanctions target Iran’s shadow fleet as well as networks supplying ballistic missiles and other advanced weapons to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime. The sanctions specifically hit over 30 individuals, entities and vessels that are involved in Iran’s illicit behavior. That ranges from the transport of Iranian petroleum to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Ministry of Defense’s supply lines for building advanced missiles and drones. “Iran exploits financial systems to sell illicit oil, launder the proceeds, procure components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and support its terrorist proxies,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “Under President Trump’s strong leadership, Treasury will continue to put maximum pressure on Iran to target the regime’s weapons capabilities and support for terrorism, which it has prioritized over the lives of the Iranian people.” IRAN PRESIDENT VOWS DEFIANCE AS PROTESTS BUILD AGAINST REGIME AMID US MILITARY BUILD UP The sanctions hit at least 12 vessels allegedly involved in Iran’s shadow fleet, along with nine companies associated with the same. The new sanctions also name four individuals for “being owned or controlled by” to Qods Aviation Industries, a company the U.S. says “designs and manufactures light and ultra‑light UAVs” and supplies them to Iran and its allies, including Russia and Venezuela. The new sanctions come after Iran lashed out at the U.S. after Trump put the regime on notice in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, delivering a forceful warning about Tehran’s ambitions. 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. TRUMP MEETS NETANYAHU, SAYS HE WANTS IRAN DEAL BUT REMINDS TEHRAN OF ‘MIDNIGHT HAMMER’ OPERATION “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.” 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 any U.S. military strike, even a “limited” one, would be treated as aggression and met with a decisive response.
Trump gets high marks from Republicans when ticking off economic accomplishments
A panel of U.S. voters from all parties showed strong reactions when President Donald Trump began listing his administration’s economic policy achievements during his State of the Union address on Tuesday. The panel, assembled by polling group Maslansky & Partners, was composed of 29 Democrats, 30 Independents and 40 Republicans. Their live reactions to Trump’s comments were displayed as lines on a graph, with high values representing positive reactions and low values indicating negative reactions. Democrats’ reactions were represented in blue, Republicans in red and Independents in yellow. Trump started off strong with both Republicans and Independents as he touted a steep drop in inflation compared to when former President Joe Biden left office. 5 UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS FROM TRUMP’S RECORD-BREAKING STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS “In 12 months, my administration has driven core inflation to the lowest level in more than five years, and in the last three months of 2025 it was down to 1.7%,” Trump said as lawmakers applauded. Even support among Democratic viewers hovered just below the 50% mark as Trump discussed falling inflation. Support among Republicans reached its maximum as Trump listed off a drop in gasoline prices, saying some regions of the U.S. were paying just $1.85 a gallon. TRUMP AWARDING PURPLE HEART TO NATIONAL GUARDSMAN DURING STATE OF THE UNION GETS POSITIVE MARKS FROM VOTERS Independent support remained high as he talked about gas, but it reached its highest point as the president was discussing mortgage rates. “Mortgage rates are the lowest in four years and falling fast,” Trump said. “And the annual cost of a typical new mortgage is down almost $5,000 just since I took office. In one year.” The general finding from the Maslansky poll found the speech largely reinforced existing beliefs for all voters, rather than persuading. “There was almost no evidence of movement. Instead, voters expressed strong affirmation or strong rejection,” the group said in a statement. “It did not soften opposition. It did not significantly broaden appeal. But in a turnout-driven environment, reinforcement may be the point,” the statement continued.
Voters react as Trump calls Dems ‘crazy’ for not applauding ban on secret teen gender transitions
President Donald Trump’s decision to rip Democrats as “crazy” during his State of the Union address on Tuesday — after they remained seated while he demanded a ban on socially transitioning minors without parental consent — drew sharply divided reactions from a live panel of voters. The panel, assembled by polling group Maslansky & Partners, included 29 Democrats, 30 Independents and 40 Republicans. Their real-time reactions were displayed as colored lines on a graph, with higher values representing positive reactions and lower values indicating negative ones. “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. “Who would believe that?… We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately.” As Trump delivered the remarks, the Republican line, shown in red, climbed sharply into positive territory. Independents, represented in yellow, also ticked upward, while Democrats, shown in blue, trended downward into negative territory. TRUMP TAKES DIRECT SOTU SWIPE AT DEMOCRATS OVER TAXES: ‘TO HURT THE PEOPLE’ The comments drew applause from Republicans in the chamber, but the president became incensed when he realized that Democrats refused to stand. “Look, nobody stands up,” Trump said. “These people are crazy. I’m telling you. They’re crazy,” Trump said, pointing his finger at Democratic senators and House members who remained seated. Republican reactions stayed elevated during the remarks, while Democratic responses remained negative and independent voters held relatively steady. Trump made the remarks as he called on Sage Blair, a Virginia teenager whose family filed a 2023 lawsuit alleging that Appomattox County High School staff socially transitioned her without parental knowledge. According to a lawsuit filed by her family, Blair began identifying as male at school, where staff used male names and pronouns and allowed her to use male facilities without informing her parents. WATCH: Trump highlights teen whose family says school hid her gender transition during State of the Union TRUMP TAKES DIRECT SOTU SWIPE AT DEMOCRATS OVER TAXES: ‘TO HURT THE PEOPLE’ The family alleges the situation escalated after Blair ran away from home and later became a victim of sex trafficking, with the lawsuit alleging she was kidnapped and raped in multiple states. Highlighting the case during his address, Trump said Blair was 14 when school officials sought to socially transition her “to a new gender,” treating her as a boy and hiding it from her parents. “But today, all of that is behind them because Sage is a proud and wonderful young woman with a full-ride scholarship to Liberty University. Sage and Michelle, please stand up,” Trump said as Republicans in the chamber cheered. “Thank you for your great bravery,” he added. The gender policy segment generated some of the strongest reactions of the night from the panel. Among supporters, several comments focused on protecting children and parental involvement, including: “Protect children,” and “Parents should be informed.” Opponents pushed back on the scope of the proposal, writing comments such as: “Every case is unique,” and “A total ban is not good.” The issue appeared to trigger deeply personal reactions on both sides.
Trump hands to-do list to Congress with 7 priorities during State of the Union address
President Donald Trump delivered a sweeping to-do list to Congress during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, urging lawmakers seven separate times to take action on priorities ranging from drug pricing and border security to crime and housing policy. Trump urged Congress to enshrine his “Most-Favored-Nation” drug pricing policy into law as part of his “Trump Rx” initiative. The policy aims to tie U.S. prescription drug prices to the lowest prices paid by other developed nations. Earlier this month, his administration launched the TrumpRx website, a federal platform designed to allow Americans to search for select brand-name medications and access lower negotiated prices. The site stems from agreements the White House said in December it reached with nine major pharmaceutical companies, including Amgen, Merck, Novartis, Sanofi and Bristol Myers Squibb. It lists dozens of high-cost drugs offered at discount prices to treat conditions such as diabetes, asthma, HIV, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease. TRUMP’S CASHLESS BAIL REFORM IS A GOOD FIRST STEP. THERE ARE 5 MORE WE NEED RIGHT NOW Despite suggesting it would be politically difficult to reverse the policy, Trump told lawmakers to “codify it anyway.” After highlighting the story of a Houston mother outbid on 20 homes by investment firms, Trump asked Congress to make permanent his executive order banning large Wall Street-backed firms from buying single-family homes in bulk. “We want homes for people, not for corporations,” he said. While outlining retirement policy changes and pledging to protect Social Security and Medicare, Trump pivoted to ethics reform, calling on lawmakers to “pass the ‘Stop Insider Trading Act’ without delay.” The measure would ban members of Congress from buying individual stocks and require advance public notice before sales. TRUMP TAKES JAB AT PELOSI BY NAME OVER HISTORY OF CONTROVERSIAL STOCK TRADING Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., who introduced the bill, told FOX Business in January, “If you want to trade stocks you should go to Wall Street, not to Capitol Hill. I think we have an opportunity here to dramatically improve America’s trust in Congress.” Following the story of a young girl seriously injured in a crash involving an illegal immigrant truck driver, Trump called on Congress to pass what he dubbed the “Dalilah Law,” barring states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to people in the country illegally. “Dalilah Coleman was only 5 years old in June 2024 when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer plowed into her stopped car, traveling at 60 miles an hour or more,” Trump said. “The driver was an illegal alien let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open borders politicians in California.” Coleman’s father said the crash left her in a coma for three weeks and required six months of hospital treatment before her family could bring her home. Trump accused Democrats of cutting off funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which is currently operating under a partial shutdown after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on a funding bill. He demanded the “full and immediate restoration” of border and homeland security funding, framing it as essential to protecting Americans from crime and terrorism. DHS TOUTS ‘MOST SECURE BORDER’ IN US HISTORY AMID DEPARTURE OF NEARLY 3M ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS The president also urged lawmakers to end so-called sanctuary city policies, calling for “serious penalties” against public officials who block the removal of criminal illegal immigrants. “They’re blocking the removal of these people out of our country. And you should be ashamed of yourself,” Trump told Democrats to loud Republican cheers. ICE ARRESTS CONVICTED PEDOPHILES, VIOLENT ASSAILANTS AS TRUMP MEETS WITH ANGEL FAMILIES Closing his legislative appeals, Trump asked Congress to pass stricter sentencing laws to ensure “violent and dangerous repeat offenders are put behind bars — and, importantly, that they stay there.” He cited the death of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, who was stabbed to death on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August. “Iryna was riding home on the train when a deranged monster who had been arrested over a dozen times and was released through no cash bail, stood up and viciously slashed a knife through her neck and body. No one will ever forget there were people on that train,” Trump said. “No one will ever forget the expression of terror on Iryna’s face as she looked up at her attacker in the last seconds of her life. She died instantly. She had escaped a brutal war, only to be slain by a hardened criminal set free to kill in America.”
Independents loved moment Trump introduced Team USA men’s hockey team, voter dial shows
President Donald Trump’s introduction of the gold medal-winning USA men’s Olympic hockey team during the State of the Union address on Tuesday night was met with largely positive bipartisan reactions among voters. Lee Carter, of the polling group maslansky+partners, said Independent voters especially loved the moment when the players entered the House Chamber wearing their gold medals and USA sweatshirts, and were met with thunderous “U-S-A” chants. “The USA hockey team and military recognition moments were widely noticed,” Carter said. “Visual, patriotic moments landed more consistently than policy-heavy segments.” According to the polling group, visual dials showed Independent voter reaction had the largest spike during the moment. Dials showed reaction from Republican voters, who were already energized by the speech, also increased, while reaction from Democrat voters, who were overall the least enthused during Trump’s speech, also saw a slight bump. TRUMP AWARDS PURPLE HEARTS TO NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS AMBUSHED IN WASHINGTON, DC: ‘WE LOVE YOU ALL’ The polling group said some of the positive reactions from voters who took part in the polling included, “What a great moment!” and, “Love it!” Even some critics acknowledged, “They deserve recognition,” and, “It’s a nice moment.” Trump had invited the team to the State of the Union address Sunday night as they celebrated their 2-1 win over Canada in the finals of the Winter Olympics. Trump introduced the team during the address to resounding applause from those in attendance. “Here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation proud. The men’s gold medal Olympic hockey team,” Trump said. “Come on in!” ‘U-S-A’ CHANTS BREAK OUT IN HOUSE CHAMBER AS US MEN’S HOCKEY GOLD MEDALISTS ATTEND TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION “They beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime as everybody saw, as did the American women who will soon be coming to the White House,” the president said. Trump added that he would honor goaltender Connor Hellebuyck with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The polling group said 29 Democrat voters, 41 Republican voters and 30 Independent voters were involved in the voter dials.
Trump shames Democrats in viral State of the Union challenge on migrant crime: ‘First duty’
Immigration enforcement and border security were front and center in President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, with the commander in chief touting zero illegal border crossings over the past nine months. Of the words Trump mentioned most, “border” was tied with “tax” for first place at 16 mentions. He also spoke extensively about national security and immigration. One of the most impactful moments of the night came when Trump challenged every lawmaker in the chamber to stand if they believed their first duty is to protect American citizens rather than illegal immigrants. “One of the great things about the State of the Union is how it gives Americans the chance to see clearly what their representatives really believe,” Trump said. “So tonight, I’m inviting every legislator to join with my administration in reaffirming a fundamental principle: if you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” As Trump said this, the Republican side of the chamber stood, while Democrats remained seated, prompting condemnation from the president. HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON, R-LA., RIPS DEMS’ ‘ANTICS’ DURING SOTU, DOESN’T COMMIT TO PUNISHING THEM “Isn’t that a shame? You should be ashamed of yourself for not standing up. You should be ashamed of yourself,” Trump repeated. He then called on Democrats to end sanctuary policies across the country, saying, “That is why I’m also asking you to end deadly sanctuary cities that protect the criminals and enact serious penalties for public officials who blocked the removal of criminal aliens, in many cases, drug lords, murderers all over our country.” “They’re blocking the removal of these people from our country, and you should be ashamed of yourselves,” he said. He also slammed Democrats for having “closed the agency responsible for protecting Americans from terrorists and murderers,” referring to the Department of Homeland Security. He said, “Tonight, I’m demanding the full and immediate restoration of all funding for border security and homeland security of the United States.” Trump knocked former President Joe Biden, saying, “After four years in which millions and millions of illegal aliens poured across our borders, totally unfettered and unchecked, we now have the strongest and most secure border in American history, by far.” “In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States,” he said, adding, “The flow of deadly fentanyl across our border is down by a record 56% in one year.” Despite these successes, Trump acknowledged the impact crimes committed by illegal immigrants have had on American citizens. He honored several “Angel Families” in the gallery whose children or loved ones were killed by illegal immigrants. “These are the angel moms and families that for decades our government betrayed and our media totally ignored,” he said. VANCE SLAMS DEM ‘TEMPER TANTRUM’ AMID DHS SHUTDOWN, SAYS TRUMP WON’T BACK DOWN ON BORDER He paid tribute to Jacqueline Medina, whose daughter, Lizbeth Medina, was murdered by an illegal immigrant in Texas. “In 2023, a 16-year-old high school cheerleader named Lizbeth Medina was supposed to perform in her town’s Christmas parade, but she never arrived. Her mother, Jacqueline, went home to look for her, and she found her lying dead in a bathtub, bleeding profusely after being stabbed 25 times,” said Trump. “Her heartbroken mother is in the gallery to remind everyone in this chamber exactly why we are deporting illegal alien criminals from our country at record numbers, and we’re getting them the hell out of here fast; we don’t want them.” He also honored Dalilah Coleman, a child in the gallery who, at age 5, was paralyzed in an auto pileup in California caused by an illegal immigrant. “The driver was an illegal alien let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open borders politicians in California,” he said. “Most illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs as to direction, speed, danger, or location,” he went on. “That’s why tonight I’m calling on Congress to pass what we will call the ‘Dalilah Law’ barring any state from granting commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.” DEMS TAP ICE DETAINEES, SUSPECTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AS GUESTS FOR TRUMP’S SPEECH: DHS Trump also blamed “unrestricted immigration and open borders” for the massive fraud schemes uncovered late last year in Minnesota, which he said were tantamount to “plundering” by members of the state’s Somali community. “When it comes to the corruption that is plundering it, really, it’s plundering America, there’s been no more stunning example than Minnesota, where members of the Somali community have pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American taxpayer,” he said. “This is the kind of corruption that shreds the fabric of a nation.” Though he said the administration has already been “working on it like you wouldn’t believe,” he announced he is appointing Vice President JD Vance to lead “the war on fraud.” “So tonight, although it started four months ago, I am officially announcing the war on fraud to be led by our great Vice President JD Vance. He’ll get it done, and if we’re able to find enough of that fraud, we will actually have a balanced budget overnight. It’ll go very quickly. That’s the kind of money you’re talking about. We’ll balance our budget,” he said. “The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception,” he concluded. “Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right here to the U.S., and it is the American people who pay the price in higher medical bills, car insurance rates, rent, taxes and, perhaps most importantly, crime.” “We will take care of this problem,” he vowed, adding, “We are not playing games.”