In his annual address to Congress on February 24, 2026, Donald Trump portrayed his presidency as a string of exceptional successes. In the foreign-policy section, he again said he had helped end eight wars in a year and added that Washington was trying to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine, where, he claimed, 25,000 soldiers are dying every month. He did not return to his earlier promise to end the conflict within 24 hours; according to Bloomberg, the US is now aiming for a deal by July 4.
Trump also spoke about Iran, saying Tehran was rebuilding weapons programs and had not given the guarantees Washington wants on nuclear arms. He said he would never allow “the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism” to obtain a nuclear weapon. He also referred to the ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to an operation that, in his account, led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
The main focus of the speech was the economy. Trump said the US was “winning again,” pointing to stock-market gains and lower unemployment, mortgage rates, and gasoline prices. But CNN noted that the US economy grew by 2.2% in 2025, below the pace seen under Joe Biden; unemployment rose from 4.0% to 4.3%, and the national average gasoline price is about $2.95 per gallon, not below $2.30 in most states. His claims about the “worst inflation in history,” $18 trillion in investment, and the largest tax cuts on record are also disputed.
Promoting his tariff policy, Trump again said foreign governments pay the duties, although previous reporting said most of the burden falls on American companies and consumers. He also suggested tariff revenue could eventually replace the income tax, but, as The Washington Post calculated, current tariff income is nowhere near existing tax revenue.
On migration, the president tied stricter enforcement to high-profile crimes and again cited the figure of “11,888 murderers” allegedly admitted under Democrats. However, the number covers people who entered the US over several decades, including during Trump’s first term, and some are already serving prison sentences. He also avoided addressing criticism of ICE operations after two Americans were killed in Minneapolis.
Another theme was the rollback of DEI policies. Trump backed mandatory parental notification if a student identifies with a gender different from their biological sex and again used the issue to attack Democrats. Throughout the speech, he repeatedly stressed his own achievements, and some of his remarks about branding decisions and even the Medal of Honor drew laughter in the chamber.