Reactions to Trump’s State of the Union Address

After President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, which occurred on Tuesday night, lawmakers expressed a wide variety of reactions.

Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania remarked, “I think it kept him energized because of that. I mean, he’s 80 years old, so I thought it was a really powerful thing to honor so many veterans there.”

Trump, now 79 and the second-oldest president in U.S. history, delivered a record-breaking State of the Union speech that lasted one hour and 48 minutes, surpassing President Bill Clinton’s previous record of one hour and 28 minutes.

Fetterman was among a few Democrats who responded to inquiries after the speech. Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut highlighted the need for reform in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He stated, “DHS has to start acting lawfully, and they’re not acting lawfully. They’re literally in the middle of building warehouse prisons to detain legal immigrants to this country. That’s the definition of lawlessness.”

Other Democrats shared their thoughts on immigration issues as well. Representative Lou Correa from California expressed concern that the president’s approach wasn’t doing enough to help illegal immigrants who seek legal status. “I’m all for prioritizing Americans, but I’m also for being fair to people who have worked hard and don’t have any documents,” he noted.

Correa also questioned, “What’s wrong with thinking why don’t we thank all the hard-working people, all the immigrants who are in the military?” He referred to moments during Trump’s speech that recognized U.S. service members.

Several Democrats did not respond to requests for comments following the address.