President Trump’s record-breaking State of the Union speech on Tuesday night illustrated the contrast between his vision for strengthening family, freedom, and prosperity and that of the opposition — who defiantly refused to stand and applaud American heroes, American children, and the American way of life.
This article is a lightly edited transcript of the “Here’s the Point” podcast by Ryan Helfenbein, executive director of the Standing for Freedom Center.
One hundred and eight minutes — that’s how long President Trump spoke before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening.
Roughly half of House and Senate Democrats boycotted it entirely, including House Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who held counter-events rather than face the music. Rep. Al Green was escorted from the chamber very early in the night after interrupting the president and waving a sign. Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib both shouted from their seats, breaking decorum during President Trump’s speech, especially when the President talked about Somali fraud and the number of Americans who have died as a result of mass illegal immigration.
The State of the Union is the most consequential speech for the President, and there is a reason that no sitting President ever wants to miss the opportunity to speak to joint members of Congress: It is the greatest stage in the world — especially in a mid-term election year. The State of the Union frames the administration’s record, it sets the legislative agenda, and in a mid-term year signals exactly what each party will run on through November.
This speech was that — and more — and has received much praise from Republican strategists and conservative political commentators for what Trump did so well.
The Democrats knew that this would be Trump’s victory lap and a stark contrast from what took place during the Biden years. That is precisely why many chose not to be present for the speech because frankly it doesn’t strengthen the Democratic Party’s argument for why they should be the party in power.
And the entire room on Tuesday night told the story.
Republicans stood and cheered for American heroes and patriots. Republicans stood for tax cuts. They stood for the protection and defense of American families and American citizens from the criminal carnage of illegal immigration. They stood for the American middle class. They stood for voter ID laws requiring only citizens vote in federal elections.
Democrats refused to acknowledge any accomplishments that were good for the American people as a whole — falling inflation, historic low crime rates, acknowledging the victims of illegal immigration, or a call to protect children from gender ideology.
That silence from Democrats was not political confusion — it was electoral strategy. Democrats cannot afford for Americans to believe both that Biden was a catastrophic failure and that Trump’s second term is a triumph.
If both are true — and they certainly are as a matter of record — Democrats have next to no argument heading into November.
So what are some of the key takeaways from Tuesday night’s speech?
The first is Trump’s record on the economy since taking office since last year.
Trump reported the results after just one year: Inflation was at 1.7 percent as of the last month of 2025, the national average for a gallon of gas went below $2.30 per gallon, mortgage rates are now down below 6 percent for the first time since 2022, the Dow hit 53,000 points for the first time, there is over $18 trillion in new economic investment in the United States, while more than 2.4 million Americans have rolled off of food stamps.
Add to that, the murder rate posted today is in its largest decline in history; it is the lowest in more than 125 years.
Now Republicans stood and clapped for all of these accomplishments, while Democrats were noticeably silent. Now this is a rapid departure from where historic State of the Unions used to be. Regardless of who the party in power is or who the party in the Oval Office was, Democrats and Republicans would generally be supportive of any accomplishments that champion the American people and a better way of living for the American people.
You cannot make an argument that you are better fit to govern the majority of Americans when you actively root against Americans when you’re not in power — and that was the argument Democrats clearly put on display on Tuesday night.
Which brings us to the second crucial takeaway: border security and mass illegal immigration
President Trump made this contrast abundantly clear. He said “One of the greatest things about the State of the Union is how it gives Americans the chance to see clearly what their representatives really believe.”
And he followed it up by saying, “So tonight, I’m inviting every legislator to join with my administration in reaffirming a fundamental principle. If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: ‘The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.’“
It was on that note that Democrats, with the exception of Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, remained seated, while the entire rest of the assembly, including many of those in the gallery on the second floor, stood in applause.
Lest we forget millions upon millions of illegal immigrants poured across the southern border under Biden’s administration. The president reported 11,888 Americans murdered by illegal immigrants under Biden’s policies.
He then introduced them by name: Lizbeth Medina’s mother, Jacqueline, whose daughter was stabbed to death. He also highlighted seven-year-old Dalilah Coleman and her father, Marcus — Dalilah was struck by an illegal immigrant driving an 18-wheeler. And no one can forget Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old National Guard member killed by an Afghan national who immigrated to the U.S. legally but who highlights just how dangerously incompatible Islam is to a constitutional society.
These were not statistics. These were people in the gallery, while Democratic members of Congress refused to stand.
Fentanyl was the leading cause of death for Americans from age 18 to 49 in the United States because of the porous U.S.-Mexican border under President Biden. And all of that was apparently a choice. It was not an inevitability to have such lawlessness at the southern border, it was a matter of public policy. A government that refuses to protect its citizens, against illegal immigration is not practicing compassion, it is being derelict in its duty.
Third, a natural spillover from securing our borders is securing our national elections from the illegal vote.
There are currently 36 states in the United States that have voter ID laws to help regulate and secure federal elections. There are 14 states that do not have Voter ID law. Only one of those states did Trump carry in the 2024 election: Pennsylvania. All the other states were carried by Kamala Harris, including New York and California, which have very lax standards for proof of identification, including not requiring a proof of citizenship in order to vote.
In these states, illegal votes are counted and congressional districts are gerrymandered with illegal votes to influence representation in blue states.
President Trump pointed out in his speech that even New York City required identification and a Social Security card for their jobs programs. If this can be required to fill out a job application and conduct interviews for taxpayer-funded jobs in New York City, certainly it should be a requirement to vote in federal elections.
Even in states like Texas and Florida, voter registrations rolls must be audited for proof of citizenship as many will still cast illegal ballots in states where Voter ID laws are already in place.
And the only reason Democrats are vehemently opposed to the SAVE America Act is because they benefit where making it easy to cheat is still permissible under lax voter standards.
The fourth takeaway is that the protection of children from trans ideology is a winning issue for most Americans.
The story of Sage Blair is heartwrenching, and it is proof that the trans ideology knows no bounds. There are no limits to the distance they are willing to go to prey upon the weak, defenseless, and innocent in order to advance their agenda.
Sage’s school in Appomattox County, Virginia, attempted to transition her without her parents’ knowledge or consent, fracturing her family. Trump called for an immediate federal ban on schools conducting gender transitions without parental consent and on states removing children from parents who decline to affirm a gender identity.
The President said, “No state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms” — while Democrats sat in stone-cold silence. Not one on the left stood for a mother whose daughter had wrongfully been stolen from her, only later to be rescued and returned home. Sage is now at Liberty University as a scholarship recipient.
The fifth and final takeaway is that gratitude wins over grievance any day of the week.
Americans love celebrating American greatness. This includes the American gold medal-winning U.S. Men’s Hockey team and Connor Hellebuyck, who was the goaltender unanimously praised for his role in securing the team’s first gold medal since 1980. President Trump will award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Then there was Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover, who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Venezuela that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro, and Navy Captain E. Royce Williams, who also received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in a dogfight in the Korean War, which had been long classified before now.
The President acknowledged: “There has been a tremendous renewal in religion, faith, Christianity, and belief in God — especially among young people.”
He then honored Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow; his life was taken on September 10, 2025. The President clearly acknowledged that Charlie was “martyred for his beliefs.” The President then said, “In Charlie’s memory, we must all affirm that we are one nation under God and must totally reject violence of any kind.”
For anyone watching the State of the Union the contrast between both the party in power and the party seeking power could not have been greater. There is a growing divide between the policy prescriptions, the ideology, and the expectations of what America is as a nation, what is to the greatest benefit of the American people, and what the role of government is in securing our rights and freedoms as Americans.
As far as speeches go, President Trump’s State of the Union did not disappoint. It is a good reminder of exactly what is at stake in this nation as a matter of public policy and the ongoing political debate, as well as the future of what freedom looks like in this country.
The most important takeaway for Christians is that we recognize our responsibility in this republic is that we must do all that we can to promote policies that align with our biblical values and biblical worldview.
These are policies that will no doubt protect and defend life, marriage, and family, as well as the necessary freedoms of our Bill of Rights for American citizens, who are the only ones who have a right to live in America and to vote in America.
Regardless of how the mainstream media saw Tuesday night’s State of the Union, it is important that Christians and Christian citizens recognize what Trump was presenting the American public: a true contrast to the failed technocratic state, to the endless media propaganda, and to the failed policies of the Biden administration just a short while ago.
And for that, Trump delivered on the optics and delivered once again on the political moment to kick off the 2026 midterms. It will truly be an interesting cycle to watch.
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