Washington: US President Donald Trump delivered his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, touting increased economic output and reduced immigration numbers, and praising National Guard deployments and the US men's ice hockey team.
In a record one-and-a-half-hour long speech focused largely on domestic issues, Trump told Congress that "our nation is back" with an economy "roaring like never before."
He claimed that "American oil production is up by more than 600,000 barrels a day" and that "natural gas production is at an all-time high because I kept my promise to drill, baby, drill," applauded at regular intervals by Republican lawmakers.
On immigration, Trump boasted that the United States now has "the strongest and most secure border in American history," claiming that, previously, "millions and millions of illegal aliens" had been entering the country unchecked.
As if to demonstrate the extent to which he believes the country is "winning," Trump welcomed into the chamber the US men's ice hockey team which has just won gold at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina in Italy, awarding goaltender Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
With Trump's recent immigration crackdown and the release of the Epstein files still fresh in the memory, some Democratic members of Congress invited guests which highlight both issues.
For instance, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York invited the mother of a school student who is being held by immigration authorities, while Representative Maxine Dexter of Oregon gave up her place to Epstein survivor Lisa Phillips.
Phillips said she was "just hoping for some type of acknowledgment" from the president during his address and insisted: "We’re not stopping until all the files are released."
Trump claims that he ended India-Pak conflict
US President Donald Trump once again claimed that he had ended eight wars including the India-Pakistan conflict that arose in the aftermath of the Pahalgam Terror attacks last year.
In his address, the US President also made a stunning revelation saying that Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif had told him that almost 35 million people would have died had he not intervened in the conflict.
"In my first 10 months, I ended eight wars... Cambodia and Thailand... Pakistan and India would have had a nuclear war. 35 million people said the Prime Minister of Pakistan would have died if it were not for my involvement," he claimed.
India has denied any involvement of the United States in the agreement to cease hostilities with Pakistan, maintaining that the request to end military operations had come from the Director General of Military operations in Pakistan.
India had initiated Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 innocent civilians, the operation was a punitive and targeted campaign to dismantle the terror infrastructure across the Line of Control and deeper inside Pakistan.
In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, Pakistan initiated a series of retaliatory drone and UCAV attacks targeting key Indian airbases and logistics infrastructure. These attempts, however, were effectively neutralised by India's comprehensive and multi-layered air defence architecture.
Trump said the agreements are designed to prevent rising electricity demand from driving up utility bills for households and small businesses.
"Many Americans are also concerned that energy demand from AI data centres could unfairly drive up their electric utility bills. Tonight, I'm pleased to announce that I have negotiated the new rate payer protection pledge," he said
The President said the pledge would require large technology firms building data centres to generate their own electricity rather than relying on local power grids that serve residential and commercial customers. Artificial intelligence systems, which require vast computing power to train and operate advanced models, are increasingly dependent on massive data centres that consume significant amounts of energy.
Under the new framework, companies planning major AI infrastructure projects would be permitted to build on-site or nearby power generation facilities to meet their needs. According to Trump, the goal is to shield surrounding communities from price spikes that can occur when large-scale industrial users place additional strain on existing energy systems.
The President said, "We're telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs" so that "no one's prices will go up."
Data centres already account for a growing share of U.S. electricity consumption, and that figure is expected to rise as companies race to expand AI capabilities.
"This is a unique strategy never used in this country before. We have an old grid, it could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity that's needed. So I'm telling them they can build their own plant, they've got to produce their own electricity,"he said.
Earlier in his speech, Trump claimed that in the nine months since he became the President, "no illegal alien" has been able to enter the United States.
"In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States. We will always allow people to come in legally, people who will love our country and will work hard to maintain it. The flow of deadly fentanyl across our border is down by a record 56 per cent in one year. Last year, the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history. This is the biggest decline. The lowest number in over 125 years," Trump said.
"Tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before, and a turnaround for the ages. We will never go back to where we were just a short time ago," he added.
