Takeaways from Trump's State of the Union address: Sales mode on economy, heavy on patriotism

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump started successful income mode, utilizing his State of the Union code to present an upbeat imaginativeness of the U.S. economy.

RELATED: Fact cheque of President Trump's State of the Union address

But that portrayal collides with the sentiment of Americans who stay anxious astir their finances and consciousness they haven't benefited from Trump's policies. He took the precocious roadworthy to grant the golden medal-winning U.S. men's Olympic hockey squad and a warfare leader earlier pivoting abruptly to a darker code arsenic helium ridiculed Democrats.

Here are takeaways from the speech.

Trump's 'roaring' system is astatine likelihood with sour nationalist sentiment

Much of the federation is disquieted astir the absorption of the economy, but Trump says the bully times are here, insisting repeatedly that rising costs are nary longer a problem.

"The roaring system is roaring similar ne'er before," helium said. He cheered the little outgo of gasoline, owe rates, medicine cause prices and the rising banal market: "Millions and millions of Americans are each gaining."

Such optimism, arsenic truthful galore Americans are feeling economical strains, risks coating Trump arsenic retired of touch. Just 39% of U.S. adults approved of Trump's handling of the system successful February, according to AP-NORC polling.

Still, the president focused overmuch of the archetypal hr of his code connected the economy, thing Republicans had urged him to bash arsenic they caput into the midterm elections.

Trump wraps himself successful the flag

For a president who ever seems to beryllium spoiling for a fight, Trump besides tried to summon Americans' innate patriotic impulses. In summation to the hockey team, helium singled retired warfare heroes and those who had taken brave stands successful different countries, utilizing the infinitesimal to bestow galore statesmanlike medals successful an effort to springiness the code a much affirmative gloss.

It underscored the president's media savvy and knowing that adjacent if a infinitesimal isn't appreciated wholly successful existent time, it tin person an afterlife successful the days pursuing speech, particularly connected societal media.

Yet successful 1 revealing moment, Trump lamented wherefore helium couldn't springiness a legislature medal to himself.

Taking purpose astatine Democrats

Tributes to the Olympic hockey squad and a World War II seasoned didn't unify the country for long.

The Republican president soon took purpose astatine Democrats and blamed them for galore of the nation's ills.

Trump said rising wellness attraction premiums are "caused by you," suggested Democrats "are not protecting" Social Security and blamed them for the nation's affordability crunch. "You caused that problem. You caused that problem," Trump said arsenic helium glared astatine the Democratic broadside of the room.

He seemed to get angrier arsenic the code progressed.

"These radical are crazy, I'm telling you, they're crazy," helium said. "Democrats are destroying this country."

Trump's MAGA basal loves specified aggression. It's unclear, however, if the remainder of the state feels the same.

The Supreme Court's 'unfortunate' decision

By Trump's standards, helium held his lingua erstwhile it came to the Supreme Court.

After the tribunal struck down his tariff argumentation past week, Trump said the justices who voted against 1 of his signature issues were an "embarrassment to their families." By Tuesday, helium simply called the ruling "unfortunate."

Trump sought to dainty the ruling with indifference, insisting that tariff revenues were "saving" the U.S., ignoring the information that the levies haven't made a important dent successful authorities debt. He said the tariffs were paid by overseas countries adjacent arsenic virtually each survey concludes that costs person been paid by U.S. firms and consumers.

At 1 point, helium seemed to instrumentality the agelong presumption that past would yet vindicate him adjacent if the Supreme Court would not.

"As clip goes by, I judge the tariffs paid by overseas countries will, similar successful the past, substantially regenerate the modern time strategy of income tax, taking a large load disconnected the radical that I love," helium said.

That is unlikely. The national income taxation is authorized by the 16th Amendment to the Constitution and the powerfulness to cod gross is yet defined by Congress, not the president.

Trump vows enactment connected predetermination 'cheating'

The president besides utilized the code to reprise his onslaught connected the integrity of U.S. elections.

"Cheating is rampant successful our elections," Trump said.

Trump has made specified claims for years, focused connected his 2020 predetermination loss, claims rejectedby dozens of courts and his ain lawyer wide astatine the time.

But the timing of Tuesday's primetime claims, little than 9 months earlier voters crossed America are scheduled to determine power of Congress, was noteworthy. So, too, was Trump's proposition that helium would instrumentality enactment to code a occupation that doesn't look to exist.

"They privation to cheat. They person cheated, and their argumentation is truthful atrocious that the lone mode they tin get elected is to cheat," Trump said of Democrats. "And we're going to halt it. We person to halt it."

Trump is calling connected Congress to walk a measure requiring voters to amusement a photograph ID earlier casting ballots. But helium besides precocious vowed to enact an enforcement bid to code the issue, though the White House has not clarified what it mightiness entail.

No notation of Minneapolis

Sometimes what's not said is arsenic notable arsenic what is.

Trump has highlighted migration since the precise archetypal code successful which helium announced his 2016 statesmanlike campaign. And connected Tuesday night, helium revived overmuch of the aforesaid connection he's utilized passim the past decade, blasting "criminal aliens" and informing of "drug lords, murderers each implicit our country."

What helium didn't mention: the astir assertive migration enforcement tactics that threatened to bring the U.S. to the brink earlier this year. He didn't notation the deaths of 2 U.S. citizens successful Minneapolis past period astatine the hands of national agents.

Indeed, it was Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who shouted that "Alex wasn't a criminal," referring to Alex Pretti, 1 of the U.S. citizens killed successful Minneapolis.

During her Democratic rebuttal, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said instrumentality enforcement indispensable enactment to physique spot successful communities and said Trump "every infinitesimal spent sowing fearfulness is simply a infinitesimal not investigating murders."

Trump said thing of his administration's displacement successful tactics, including a drawdown of agents successful the Twin Cities. And helium made nary acknowledgement of the wide concerns successful the U.S. astir Trump's attack connected immigration, arsenic demonstrated by the 60% of U.S. adults who disapproved of his handling of the contented successful February, according to AP-NORC polling.

Drumbeat for warfare gets louder

Trump has already built up the largest U.S. subject beingness successful the Middle East successful decades. And successful his speech, helium outlined a rationale for utilizing those forces to motorboat a large subject onslaught against Iran.

The president said that Iran and its proxies person "spread thing but terrorism, decease and hate," adding that its leaders person killed astatine slightest 32,000 protesters successful caller weeks. He besides warned that the federation has developed missiles that tin endanger Europe and is moving connected missiles "that volition soon reach" the U.S.

"My penchant is to lick this occupation done diplomacy. But 1 happening is certain, I volition ne'er let the world's fig 1 sponsor of terror, which they are, by acold to person a atomic weapon. Can't fto that happen."

On brand, the code was the longest SOTU ever

The president, ever mindful of records that let him to accidental helium was the first, the champion oregon had done the most, succeeded intelligibly connected 1 thing: helium bushed his ain grounds for the longest, clocking successful astatine conscionable nether 1 hour, 48 minutes.