Week 68 — The Return – The Weekly List

This week Trump went into his State of the Union down in the polls, with 7 in 10 Americans saying he was not focused on the right things, and after a stunning Supreme Court defeat to his tariffs, which were the centerpiece not only of his economic agenda, but also his foreign policy. The speech was an opportunity to right the ship, offer solutions and a new path forward. Instead, in the longest SOTU on record, Trump held what amounted to a campaign rally filled with partisan attacks, and an endless stream of false and misleading statements, but almost no policy or solutions. As the WSJ Editorial Board put it, “The main political news is that the GOP Congress won’t do much this year.”

In the never ending fire hose of news, two items stood out this week: Trump’s Justice Department removed Epstein files about Trump’s possible sexual assault of a teenager, who was interviewed by the FBI four times; and the Pentagon’s efforts to intimidate artificial intelligence company Anthropic into letting the regime use its intelligence model Claude for surveillance of the American people. Both storylines deserve a lot more attention than they received this week, in the ceaseless and exhausting chaos.

Whistleblowers came forward this week to address Congress on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s pared-down and “deficient, defective and broken” training curriculum, as well as FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal use of government planes, and its role in delaying investigations. The Justice Department hung a huge banner of Trump at its headquarters, a startling breakdown of the traditional boundaries between the DOJ and White House. The Department of Health of Human Services continues to be in disarray and decline.

This week had more cruel, heartbreaking stories about ICE, as well as the regime lawyers who have taken to blatantly disregarding court orders. Also, more stories of the quid pro quo by Trump and his regime. Another long list that I encourage you to read in full, and to not normalize any of it!

On Wednesday, FCC Chair Brendan Carr dismissed the uproar over CBS not airing an interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico on Colbert’s show, calling it a “hoax,” and claiming “there was a clear path forward” for airing the interview.
Carr also confirmed that the FCC had launched an investigation of ABC’s “The View” for airing an interview with Talarico.
The Department of Justice hung a large banner of Trump, with a lower border saying “Make America Safe Again” in capital letters, at its headquarters, another sign of how Trump had eroded the separation between the DOJ and the White House.
A newly released Federal Election Commission report showed billionaire Matt Moroun donated $1 million to Trump’s super PAC MAGA Inc. less than a month before Trump threatened to block the opening of a span of bridge between Detroit and Canada in Week 66.
On Wednesday, members of the Georgia State Elections Board issued just a reprimand to Elon Musk for his America PAC violating the state’s election law in 2024, that prohibits sending absentee ballot applications which are prefilled with the elector’s required information.
On Wednesday, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNBC the authors of the New York Fed’s tariff study, which found 90% of the cost of tariffs were being passed on to consumers and companies, should be “disciplined,” calling it the “worst paper” in history.
On Friday, a federal judge rebuked DOJ lawyers for failing to tell him a search warrant was for a WAPO reporter’s home. At first, a DOJ lawyer said the decision had been made by higher-level officials in the DOJ. U.S. Attorney Gordon Kromberg then apologized.
On Wednesday, Donald Trump Jr. told CNBC at a crypto event held at Mar-a-Lago by World Liberty Financial that the Trumps got into crypto “out of necessity,” claiming traditional banking was a “Ponzi scheme” and had “de-banked” the family, forcing them into crypto.
According to Cryptorank, an industry research platform, $TRUMP and $MELANIA tokens collapsed 92% and 99% from their all-time highs. While insiders cashed out over $600M in fees and token sales, retail holders’ losses exceeded $4.3 billion across nearly two million wallets.
On Friday, in a court filing, JPMorgan Chase for the first time admitted that it had closed the bank accounts of Trump and several of his businesses after the Jan. 6 insurrection, after Trump sued the bank and its chief executive over debanking.
On Friday, federal judges in the Eastern District of Virginia unanimously appointed James Hundley to serve as interim U.S. attorney. Shortly after, Deputy AG Todd Blanche posted on X, “EDVA judges do not pick our US Attorney. POTUS does. James Hundley, you’re fired!”
On Wednesday, Irish band U2 became the latest high-powered musical group to condemn ICE tactics in a six-song “Days of Ash” EP on Ash Wednesday, which included a tribute to Renee Good titled “American Obituary,” saying, “America will rise against the people of the lie.”
ICE said Wednesday that a 59 year-old Cambodian national died in their custody, marking at least the seventh death in federal immigration custody so far in 2026. ICE claimed the cause of death was unknown.
Texas Tribune reported six detainees had died within a six week period between December and January at immigration detention centers in Texas, as facilities see more overcrowding and are increasingly understaffed amid the regime’s ramped up enforcement.
ICE claimed 55 year-old Geraldo Lunas Campos died after he “tried to hang himself” at a facility at Fort Bliss; the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide by suffocation, saying he was “unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement.”
On Wednesday, NYT reported that four journalists, along with a lawyer representing the detained migrants, were arrested in Cameroon, where they were covering the regime’s secret deportations in Week 67. An AP reporter was also hit while being arrested.
On Wednesday, a federal judge threw out an immigration board’s ruling that had endorsed Trump’s mass detention policy, calling the regime’s actions “shameless,” and accusing it of trying to continue its “campaign of illegal action” by refusing bond hearings despite her prior ruling.
On Wednesday, a court-ordered review conducted by a senior DOJ official acknowledged that the regime violated 52 court orders in New Jersey related to immigrants’ challenging the legality of their detention. The official described the violations as accidental.
On Wednesday, a federal judge in Minnesota found a Trump regime lawyer in civil contempt for failing to return “identification documents” to an immigrant detained in Texas who she ordered to be released, ordering a $500 per day fine until the documents were returned.
NYT reported there were more than 35 instances since August that a federal or magistrate judge issued a “show cause” order, for a DOJ lawyer to explain why they should not be punished for ignoring court orders. Some wonder if it is a systemic effort to ignore the courts.
On Wednesday, a new DHS memo instructed immigration agents to arrest refugees who had not yet obtained a green card, and detain them indefinitely to conduct new sets of interviews, upending decades of protections that had been in place.
On Thursday, a federal judge in West Virginia excoriated ICE for making arrests while wearing masks and driving unmarked cars, comparing it to a “regime of secret police,” saying ICE agents violated an immigrant’s constitutional rights for arresting him and detaining him without a bond hearing.
NYT reported the Trump regime is facing pushback from residents, including some Trump voters, to the regime’s buying warehouses to use as detention facilities, citing concerns like lower property tax revenue, harming local businesses, and straining water and sewer infrastructure.
According to a DHS document, of the 20 warehouses being considered, eight had already been purchased, while some other purchases fell apart as potential sellers faced a backlash in their community and canceled sales.
AP reported ICE’s purchases of warehouses has been done secretly. In many cases, mayors, county commissioners, governors, and members of Congress found out about the deals after ICE bought or leased space, even in areas that backed Trump, leading to shock and frustration.
AP reported that eight of the 20 deals had already been rejected, one in Chester, New York was later said to be “a mistake,” and three were pending with state or local officials fighting the deals.
On Monday, Maryland’s Attorney General sued the Trump regime to stop construction of a new ICE detention facility in the state, saying DHS violated federal law by purchasing a warehouse without an environmental review and without public input.
On Tuesday, Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire said she had met with Sec. Kristi Noem, and DHS had agreed to scrap building an ICE detention facility in Merrimack. Noem did not respond to why the plans were scrapped.
On Monday, Ryan Schwank, a former ICE official, testified before Congress (only Democrats attended) as a whistleblower. Schwank said he resigned from his job instructing new recruits, describing a pared- back curriculum that he said was “deficient, defective and broken.”
Schwank said in the last five months, ICE had cut “240 hours of vital classes from a 584-hour program” including “classes that teach the Constitution, our legal system, firearms training, the use of force, lawful arrests, proper detention and the limits of officers’ authority.”
On Tuesday, the Trump regime sued New Jersey over its restrictions on immigration arrests in Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s executive order. In the lawsuit, Trump’s DOJ misspelled Sherrill’s name five of the eight times she was mentioned.
CNN reported that the Trump regime was considering forcing banks to verify current and future customers’ citizenship. Industry experts objected, saying the move would force them to play a role in Trump’s efforts to deport undocumented immigrants.
The Guardian reported 66 year-old UK tourist Karen Newton was detained by ICE after re-entering from Canada. She was handcuffed, shackled, and slept on the floor of a locked cell, and held for six weeks. She heard in detention that ICE agents got bonuses for each detention.
According to data by industry group the World Travel and Tourism Council, while tourism grew worldwide in 2025, the U.S. was the only destination to see a decline, with a 6% drop, and the drop continuing in January 2026. The biggest drop came from Canadian tourists.
On Friday, Transportation Department Sec. Sean Duffy announced that going forward, all truckers will have to take their commercial driver’s license tests in English. Formerly, many states allowed the test to be taken in other languages.
Reuters reported FBI Director Kash Patel planned to reduce the vetting requirements for those applying to be agents, removing two long-standing steps in the vetting process, as the bureau faced a staffing crunch under Trump.
CBS reported Patel flew on the FBI’s Gulfstream jet to the winter Olympics in Italy to watch the USA men’s hockey team play. Based on government accounts estimates, Patel’s trip was likely to cost as much as $75,000. Democrats had launched a probe into his use of the plane.
Although a spokesperson for Patel told reporters that he was flying to Milan on official business related to security at the Olympics, images posted on social media showed him in the locker room of the USA Men’s Hockey team spraying and drinking beer with the team.
On Tuesday, a whistleblower told Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee that Patel’s personal travel left the FBI without an available plane, including delaying the arrival of agents for the investigations of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the mass shooting in Rhode Island.
A Reuters/Ipsos survey found 69% of Americans “strong agree” and 17% “somewhat agree” that the Epstein files “show that powerful people in the U.S. are rarely held accountable for their actions,” including 58% and 28% of Republicans.
The New Republic reported a FBI document in the recent Epstein files detailing allegations by a woman who said Trump sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager, including documentation of the FBI interviewing her four times, was later removed from public viewing.
NPR reported the DOJ also removed dozens of documents from the public database that included accusations against Epstein and also mentioned Trump. Some of the documents were catalogued by the DOJ but not shared publicly.
CBS News reported Commerce Department Sec. Howard Lutnick signed papers for a deal in Adfin, in which Epstein also invested, five days after visiting his island. A Lutnick spokesperson lied that he was “a small minority investor,” but they both had major stakes for many years.
CBS also reported Epstein was the subject of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency investigation that lasted at least five years. The probe targeted him and 14 others, whose names were redacted, for “illegitimate wire transfers which are tied to illicit drug and/or prostitution activities.”
On Sunday, Secret Service shot and killed Austin Martin, 21, after he entered Mar-a-Lago with a shotgun, and raised it when confronted. Martin, who was from a pro-Trump family, had reportedly become obsessed with the Epstein files. Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago that day.
Newly released texts revealed GOP Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales coerced a sexual relationship more than a year before an aide died by suicide. Three female House Republicans called on him to resign. Speaker Mike Johnson, who has a one vote majority, said to wait for the investigation.
NYT reported Dr. Shawn DeRemer, the husband of Department of Labor Sec. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, was barred from the department’s premises, after at least two female staffers said he had sexually assaulted them. DC police launched an investigation into the allegations.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said DeRemer would not face charges, saying in a statement, “based upon the evidence presented to this office in relation to the video, there is no indication of a crime.”
On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order spurring the domestic production of glyphosate, an ingredient used in Bayer-Monsanto’s Roundup, which had led to tens of thousands of lawsuits claiming it caused cancer, saying shortages posed a risk to national security.
Department of Health and Human Services Sec. Robert Kennedy Jr backed the order, saying it “puts America first.” As a former environmental attorney, Kennedy won a $290 million case against Monsanto for a man who claimed his cancer was caused by Roundup.
The Make America Healthy Again (“MAHA”) coalition, which had been instrumental in Trump’s 2024 victory, strongly condemned Kennedy and Trump’s order, with one activist threatening, “Just as the large MAHA base begins to consider what to do at midterms.”
On Wednesday, NYT reported the EPA planned to loosen rules on coal-burning power plants, allowing them to emit more hazardous pollutants including mercury, which studies have shown can impair babies’ brain development.
On Wednesday, the White House said NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya would also take on the role of acting director of the Centers for Disease Control temporarily, giving him two huge roles. The CDC had been hobbled under Trump by firings, funding cuts, and resignations.
On Monday, Dr. Ralph Abraham, the CDC’s principal deputy director, resigned, after less than three months into the job. Abraham was a vaccine skeptic, who called the Covid vaccines “dangerous.”
On Tuesday, 15 states led by Democrats sued the Trump regime over its decision in January to revise and reduce the vaccine schedule for children from 17 to 11 vaccines.
On Thursday, the Commission of Fine Arts, which Trump had packed with loyalists who had little to no relevant experience, approved his $400 million ballroom, bypassing the normal review process and fast-tracking his project.
The commission’s longtime secretary, who was not a Trump appointee, said the commission had received more than 2,000 messages from across the country in one week, saying, “I’ve never seen as much public engagement on this,” and noting 99% were in opposition.
On Thursday, Trump gathered the first meeting of his so-called Board of Peace. Many U.S. allies declined to participate, and more than half that did were from countries banned from getting visas to enter the U.S. The meeting came as Trump threatened an all-out attack against Iran.
Trump announced nine countries had agreed to contribute more than $7 billion to the Gaza rebuilding effort, and that the U.S. would contribute $10 billion to the board. It was unclear where the money would come from, or if Trump had consulted with Congress.
As Trump threatened a major strike or war with Iran, he declined to make a case to the American people for why, or to seek approval from Congress to act, a rare occurrence in modern times. He also had yet to describe his goals of a possible military action.
On Sunday, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News on Iran, “They’re probably a week away from having industrial, industrial-grade bomb-making material.” In July, after strikes, Trump claimed, “All three nuclear sites in Iran were completely destroyed and/or OBLITERATED.”
WSJ reported Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine flagged the risks of any operation against Iran, including casualties and depleted air defenses, an overtaxed force, and loss of allies’ support in any military operation.
On Thursday, in a speech in Georgia meant to be focused on the economy, which regime pollsters said was the number one issue for midterms, Trump instead gave a meandering speech, frequently going off topic, like musing he might not get into heaven.
Trump also said he deserved a Congressional Medal of Honor for his 2018 visit to Iraq, saying, “I flew to Iraq. I was extremely brave. So brave I wanted to give myself the Congressional Medal of Honor,” adding, “someday I’m gonna try. I’ll test the law.”
Trump complained he was a “schmuck” for donating his presidential salary, falsely claiming that he was the only president to do so. Notably, Trump and his family had done more to enrich themselves while he was in office than any other president in modern history.
Trump repeated that Joe Biden had destroyed the country, and he had resuscitated it, saying on the key issue of affordability, “What word have you not heard over the last two weeks? Affordability,” baselessly claiming, “Because I’ve won. I’ve won affordability.”
Trump attributed economic success to his tariffs, saying, “Tariff is my favorite word,” adding, “I have to wait for this decision…Forever. And the language is clear that I have the right to do it as president. I have the right to put tariffs on for national security purposes.”
On Thursday, Census Bureau data showed the trade deficit reached a record high in 2025, despite Trump’s claims that his tariffs would lower the deficit, in part as companies stockpiled inventory ahead of tariffs. American manufacturers also cut more than 80,000 jobs in the past year.
On Friday, at 7:50 am ET, Trump posted on Truth Social, “The Democrat Shutdown cost the U.S.A. at least two points in GDP.” Forty minutes later, the fourth quarter GDP came in at just 1.4%, well below expectations of 2.5%.
The Office of Management and Budget prohibits the executive branch from commenting before such data releases, and only allows public comment 30 minutes after the data has come out. Trump similarly leaked nonfarm payrolls data in January.
On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 against Trump’s tariffs, rejecting his argument that the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act implicitly authorized the tariffs, citing separation of powers, saying IEEPA “does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.”
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “Trump’s action would have replaced “executive-legislative collaboration over trade policy with unchecked presidential policymaking.” The tariffs had been the cornerstone of Trump’s economic agenda and foreign policy.
In a news conference shortly after, an angry Trump raged at the Supreme Court justices who ruled against him, saying, “I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country.”
Trump called the justices who ruled against him “fools and lap dogs,” “RINO’s” and the “radical left,” and “very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution,” and baselessly claimed they were “swayed by foreign interests and a political movement that is far smaller than people would ever think.”
Trump added of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, whom he nominated, “I think it’s an embarrassment to their families, you want to know the truth. The two of them.” Trump’s words raised concerns about the safety of both the justices and their families.
Trump praised his third nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, who authored the dissent, saying, “I would like to thank Justice Kavanaugh for his, frankly, his genius and his great ability,” adding, “Very proud of that appointment in actuality.”
Trump fumed, “I can destroy the trade, I can destroy the country, I’m even allowed to impose a foreign country-destroying embargo,” adding, “I can do anything I want — but I can’t charge one dollar.”
CNBC reported according to the Penn Wharton Budget Model, the U.S. government could owe more than $175 billion in refunds to importers after the ruling, for a broad range of tariffs already collected. The court ruling did not specifically address the issue of refunds.
Later Friday, Trump signed an executive order instituting a 10% tariff on all U.S. trading partners under the 1974 Trade Act. The tariffs can be imposed for only 150 days, and are meant to address trade imbalances. Mexico and Canada were exempted by the North America trade pact.
An ABC/WAPO/Ipsos poll found just 34% of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of tariffs, while 64% disapproved. Among Independents, 24% approve and 72% disapproved.
A YouGov poll found 60% of Americans approved of the Supreme Court decision, 24% disapproved. The poll also found just 5% said Trump’s tariffs made the price of items lower, while 66% said higher.
The WSJ Editorial Board wrote, “Trump owes the Supreme Court an apology — to the individual Justices he smeared on Friday and the institution itself,” saying, “his rant in response to his tariff defeat at the Court was arguably the worst moment of his Presidency.”
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would raise global tariffs to 15%, the maximum allowed under the 1974 Trade Act, citing a “thorough, detailed, and complete review of the ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American” Supreme Court ruling.
Neal Katyal, the lead attorney who challenged Trump’s tariffs, noted the DOJ had previously dismissed being able to use the Trade Act, writing, “‘Nor does [122] have any obvious application here.” Katyal added, “If he wants sweeping tariffs, he should do the American thing and go to Congress.”
Later Saturday, Trump demanded on Truth Social that Netflix fire Susan Rice, who served in the Biden and Obama administrations, from its board or “pay the consequences.” The DOJ was reviewing Netflix’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros, in competition with Paramount.
Trump added, “HER POWER IS GONE, AND WILL NEVER BE BACK.” Rice had said in a podcast that “it is not going to end well” for corporations, media outlets, and law firms that “bent the knee” to Trump, saying, “There is likely to be a swing in the other direction.”
Trump also posted on Truth Social that he was working with Louisiana Governor and special envoy to Greenland Jeff Landry to send a hospital boat to Greenland, baselessly claiming there were “many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there.”
On Sunday, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen posted on Facebook, “no thanks,” adding the country is open to dialogue and cooperation, “but talk to us instead of just making more or less random outbursts on social media.” It was unclear what prompted Trump’s post.
On Monday, WSJ reported that no orders were given to deploy any U.S. Navy vessels to Greenland, despite Trump’s claim that a U.S. hospital ship was “on its way.” Both of the hospital ships were in a shipyard in Mobile, Ala., according to maritime tracking information.
On Monday, Trump threatened countries against backing away from trade deals in a series of Truth Social posts, posting, “Any Country that wants to ‘play games’ with the ridiculous supreme court decision…will be met with a much higher Tariff, and worse…BUYER BEWARE!!!”
Trump also baselessly claimed that “As President, I do not have to go back to Congress to get approval of Tariffs,” and lying that “They were also just reaffirmed by the ridiculous and poorly crafted supreme court decision! President DJT.”
Trump also expressed concern about his birthright citizenship case in a long rambling post, saying of the “The supreme court,” that “The next thing you know they will rule in favor of China and others, who are making an absolute fortune on Birthright Citizenship.”
On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 821 points, or 1.7%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.1%, after the court ruling and Trump’s new tariffs raised concerns of uncertainty for the global economy, and the potential from artificial intelligence fallout.
On Monday, Federal Express sued the U.S. government, seeking a “full refund” for tariffs it paid, which were unilaterally imposed by Trump, citing the Supreme Court ruling. FedEx was the first major U.S. company to sue for a refund.
On Monday, Trump nominee U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon permanently blocked the DOJ from releasing former special counsel Jack Smith’s report on the Trump classified documents case, after Trump’s DOJ had requested such, citing “fairness.”
On Monday, Shannon “SJ” Joslin, who was fired by the National Park Service after hanging a transgender pride flag at Yosemite’s El Capitan formation, sued several federal agencies and officials, saying the firing was a First Amendment violation.
NYT reported that after Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. and much of the West had cut economic ties with Moscow, but recently Trump described a “tremendous opportunity” to do a deal with Russia, showing the Kremlin continued messaging on the topic was working.
Trump ally Gentry Beach quietly signed an agreement with Novatek, one of Russia’s largest energy companies to develop natural gas in Alaska, as Trump started to bring President Vladimir Putin back into the fold. Novatek is under sanctions from the U.K. and Canada.
On Saturday, Noem announced that DHS would shut down the Global Entry and the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program, for as long as the partial government shutdown remained in effect. The move was seen as highly political.
On Sunday, amid widespread backlash, including from travelers who said they felt like “political pawns,” DHS said it would cancel just the PreCheck program. The security disruption came as a major storm was set to hit the East Coast.
On Monday, the U.S. Southern Command posted a video on social media of the military blowing up another alleged drug boat in the Caribbean. The strike killed three, raising the death total from strikes to at least 150. Legal specialists say the strikes are illegal, extrajudicial killings.
Axios reported that Defense Department Sec. Pete Hegseth summoned Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to the Pentagon on Tuesday. Reportedly the Pentagon wanted to use Anthropic’s artificial intelligence model Claude, and is furious about constraints on its usage.
Hegseth was said to give Anthropic a deadline of 5:01 p.m. on Friday to agree to the Pentagon’s demands, and threatened that the regime would invoke the Defense Production Act to compel the use of its model by the military, and label the company a supply chain risk.
On Tuesday, the Defense Department filed an appeal to the court order barring Hegseth from moving to reduce the retirement rank and pay of Sen. Mark Kelly.
The Guardian reported Charles Kushner, Trump’s ambassador to France, was banned from meeting French government ministers, after he failed to show up for a second time for a meeting at the foreign ministry, this time to explain U.S. comments relating to death of a far-right activist.
NYT reported, months before Trump pardoned the CEO of Binance and dropped an investigation of the company, four employees found that Iran had gained access to more than 1,500 accounts over the previous year, and had sent $1.7 billion to Iranian entities through the platform.
Weeks after reporting the findings to top executives, Binance fired or suspended the four employees, citing “violations of company protocol” related to the handling of client data. Over the past few months, more than half a dozen compliance officers left the company.
Popular Information reported 25 days after Crypto.com made a $5 million donation to MAGA Inc., the Trump regime’s Commodities Futures Trading Commission intervened on behalf of the company in a high stakes federal lawsuit in Nevada.
A CNN/SRRS poll found that going into the State of the Union, Trump’s net approval was -27, the lowest at any time during his first regime, and lower than any other president in modern history. Trump’s approval with independent voters fell to 26%, down from 41% in February 2025.
The poll also found that just 32% said Trump had the right priorities, while 68% said he was focused on the wrong priorities, up from 55% in February.
On Sunday, Trump placed a call to Patel, who was in the locker room of the USA Men’s Hockey team, and invited them to attend the SOTU. Trump mused he would have to invite the USA Women’s team, who also won a gold medal, saying if he did not, “I probably would be impeached.”
On Monday, the Women’s team declined to attend, citing “timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.” Trump did not respond to questions as to why he had not congratulated the women’s team when they won gold.
The men’s team did attend the SOTU, and upon their arrival to DC on Tuesday, several players walked through the White House with their gold medals, with some posing for photos with Trump in the Oval Office. Five men’s players, four from Minnesota, did not attend.
On Tuesday, Rep. Kathleen Clark, the № 2 House Democrat, said she would not attend the SOTU, the most senior member of Congress to do so. More than 50 Democratic members of Congress chose not to attend, an unusual rebuke for a sitting president.
Democratic Rep. Al Green, who was later ejected, waved a sign that read “Black People Aren’t Apes.” Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar yelled, “You have killed Americans!” at Trump, after he said Democrats should be “ashamed” for siding with illegal immigrants over Americans.
Trump’s speech lasted for 107 minutes, the longest SOTU since tracking began in 1964, and breaking his own record of an average of 75 minute speeches during this first regime.
Trump’s speech was full of lies and misleading statements, including on topics related to the economy, inflation, investments in the U.S., tax cuts, tariffs, his winning the 2020 election, fraud in blue states, cheating in elections, ending wars, immigration, protecting Medicaid, and more.
While the world waited for clues on Trump’s plans with Iran, or for him to make his case to the country on why the huge military build up and potential war was necessary, he did not mention the topic until 90 minutes into the speech, and touched on it briefly with little detail.
The conservative National Review Editorial Board wrote, “As a matter of performance, it often had the feel of a Trump rally inside the congressional chamber, with its over-the-top boastfulness, informal asides, dubious claims, pointed partisan jabs, and sheer length.”

A large banner featuring U.S. President Donald Trump and the slogan “Make America Safe Again” is displayed on the exterior of the United States Department of Justice headquarters. The banner was installed on Thursday outside the department’s main building. (Photo by Mehmet Eser / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)