U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday night delivered the annual State of the Union address to Congress, his first since being sworn in as president a year ago.
In his remarks, the president called for a “new American moment” and said there has “never been a better time to start living the American dream.
He began the speech by recalling some of the events of the last year, including the hurricane in Houston and the shooting of Steve Scalise, who was shot in the hip during a Republican lawmakers' baseball practice in Virginia.
"Tonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were elected to serve."
“Over the last year, the world has seen what we always knew: that no people on Earth are so fearless, or daring, or determined as Americans. If there is a mountain, we climb it. If there is a frontier, we cross it. If there is a challenge, we tame it. If there is an opportunity, we seize it.”
“So let us begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our Union is strong because our people are strong, and together we are building a safe, strong and proud America,” declared Trump.
Recounting his achievements on the economic front in the past year, the president said, “Since the election, we have created 2.4 million new jobs, including 200,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone. After years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages.”
“Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low. And something I’m very proud of: African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded, and Hispanic American unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history.”
“Small business confidence is at an all-time high. The stock market has smashed one record after another, gaining $8 trillion in value. That is great news for Americans’ 401k, retirement, pension, and college savings accounts.”
“And just as I promised the American people from this podium 11 months ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history.” READ MORE
