“The people elected me to do a job and I’m doing it.” That was President Donald Trump last night in his address to members of the U.S. House and Senate. Clocking in at more than 90 minutes, the speech, which was not formally deemed a State of the Union address since it came so quickly on the heels of President Trump’s second inauguration, touched on trade, federal regulatory policy, taxes, immigration, and foreign policy.
In addition to the president’s agenda, the division between Republicans and Democrats was on full display. Early on in the remarks, one House Democrat was removed by the Sargeant at Arms for disrupting the event. President Trump also called out Democrats for never applauding his remarks and singled out one particular Senate Democrat with a slur.
Theatrics aside, what was the substance of those remarks? Let’s take a look at the major themes of last night’s address and the grades U.S. voters have given the commander-in-chief so far on the issues the president said are so vital.
President Is At Odds With Americans On Benefits Of Tariffs
Last night, President Trump said the United States has been “ripped off” by nearly every country in the world and that he is going to do something about it.
Indeed, the president’s remarks came less than 24 hours after the U.S. government imposed fresh tariffs on imports from China and from the United States’ two closest neighbors, Canada and Mexico. All products from China are now subject to 20 percent tariffs while most products from Canada and Mexico will face levies of 25 percent. (Canada’s energy exports, taxed at just 10 percent, received special treatment from the Trump administration.)
Because tariffs and other costs generally are passed on to consumers, the Trump administration penalties are expected to cost the average household at least $1,200 a year, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Americans are bracing for these higher prices. According to a Morning Consult poll, 42 percent of Americans think the tariffs on Chinese products will harm their household’s finances. Only 30 percent think they will help while 29 percent are not sure how the penalties will affect them. More Americans — 46 percent — think the tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico will harm their family.
Additionally, a recent Bloomberg poll found that three-fifths of Americans, 60 percent, think President Trump’s tariffs will harm the U.S. economy more generally.
Despite Americans’ skepticism and worry, President Trump pressed forward last night. He said the tariffs already have resulted in major companies like Apple investing in building more plants in the United States. The president also promised, “If you don’t make your product in America … under the Trump administration, you will pay a tariff, and in some cases, a rather large one.” President Trump also noted his reciprocal tariff program, which will place penalties on imported goods that match the tariffs imposed by other countries on U.S. products, will go into effect on April 2.
Taxes: An Issue Without A Strong Constituency?
While President Trump has been focused on trade policy and executive orders, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have started to write a budget reconciliation bill that will extend, and potentially expand, expiring provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).
Regarding these efforts, last night President Trump said he supported making the TCJA provisions permanent and getting rid of taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits. The president said he also wanted to make “interest payments on car loans tax deductible — but only if the car is made in America.” Eliminating a tax on tips is generally popular among the electorate. A January Associated Press survey found 54 percent said they “strongly” or “somewhat” support this idea.
More generally, according to a recent Gallup poll, Americans have a pretty unfavorable view of the current level of federal taxation. Indeed, only 26 percent of Americans are satisfied with the amount Americans pay to the federal government. Nearly three-quarters, 70 percent, are dissatisfied. Generally, however, Americans support raising taxes on wealthier households, but believe the amount they themselves pay to the Internal Revenue Service is sufficient.
In reality, however, this issue may not be one that animates many Americans. Last October, for example, a Gallup poll found only four percent of “Americans mentioned taxes specifically when asked … to name the most important financial problem facing their family.” Additionally, “few Americans mention[ed] taxes as the most important problem facing the nation.”
Is The American Dream “Surging Bigger And Better Than Ever”?
President Trump’s address last night was billed as a “Renewal of the American Dream” — a clear nod to the president’s belief that he is ushering in new economic opportunities for the public. Regarding the economy, President Trump said, “The American Dream is surging bigger and better than ever.” He cited rising small business optimism and his efforts to address inflation, increase oil and gas production, and cut government spending.
So far, it seems a strong plurality of Americans are, at best, unsure whether President Trump’s actions have boosted the economy.
According to a CBS News/YouGov poll, for example, 40 percent of Americans think the changes the president and the Department of Government Efficiency are making to the government will leave the country worse off. Only one-third, 35 percent, think they will improve outcomes, and another 25 percent told pollsters it was too soon to tell how the changes would pan out.
On the economy specifically, a National Public Radio/PBS News/Marist poll released this week found 46 percent of Americans said Trump is changing the U.S. economy for the worse, while 42 percent said they believe he is steering it on a better path. Another 11 percent said President Trump’s handling of the economy has not provided any “real” change. Overall, 45 percent of respondents said President Trump is leading the country in a better direction. Slightly more than that, 48 percent, said the president is steering the country in a worse direction. Another seven percent said that no real change has taken place at all.
While consumer confidence indicators have been slipping since President Trump took office, Gallup also has found Americans are less confident about the direction of the economy than they were in December of last year, which was President Biden’s last full month in office. According to another prominent polling firm, YouGov, the percentage of Americans who believe the nation’s economy is getting worse has increased from about 33 percent in mid-November 2024, right after President Trump was reelected, to 43 percent in late February.
Notably, President Trump gave his remarks to the nation on the second day in a row that Wall Street reeled in response to the North American and Chinese tariff wars. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 700 points yesterday.
President Out Of Step With Americans On Foreign Policy?
President Trump spent virtually no time talking about financial services or technology. While he did not utter a word about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, he did say he wants to get rid of the CHIPS and Science Act, which authorized roughly $280 billion in new funding to boost domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors in the United States.
Immigration came up throughout President Trump’s speech. “Since taking office, my administration has launched the most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history, and we quickly achieved the lowest numbers of illegal border crossers ever recorded,” the president said near the middle of his remarks. “The media and our friends in the Democrat party kept saying we needed new legislation, we must have legislation to secure the border. But it turned out that all we really needed was a new president.”
While immigration has been a centerpiece of President Trump’s agenda, his policies get mixed reviews from the public. According to a February NPR/Ipsos poll, 48 percent of Americans support the administration’s efforts to arrest and detain immigrants who do not have legal status, but only 33 percent support allowing immigration officials to arrest undocumented immigrants in hospitals and churches. (Immigration agents used to be barred from these spaces.)
Finally, President Trump addressed defense and foreign policy, asking Congress to approve funding for a “golden dome” missile defense system and promising to “resurrect” the U.S. shipbuilding industry, to take back control of the Panama Canal, and to “get” Greenland. President Trump also touted the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement, its cuts to foreign aid, and its unwillingness to continue military support to Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Voters are starting to question President Trump’s foreign policy. Indeed, according to Morning Consult, net approval for the commander-in-chief on this issue has declined six percentage points over the past two weeks. “Following last week’s Oval Office blowup with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the share of voters who say they’re hearing negative things about foreign affairs continued to increase — and the reviews could get worse,” Morning Consult noted this week.
“My fellow Americans, get ready for an incredible future because the golden age of America has only just begun. It will be like nothing that has ever been seen before,” President Trump concluded last night.
Are Americans ready? Polls seem to indicate they may be bracing for what may come next, rather than rejoicing.