Overview
- CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil called the address “extraordinary” and “historic,” noting it ran a record 1 hour and 47 minutes.
- Dokoupil described the performance as vintage Trump, characterizing it as combative and populist.
- He said the speech opened on the economy before shifting to culture issues, highlighting immigration, gender, and voter ID.
- Dokoupil flagged an unscripted line—“The first duty of elected officials is to protect Americans, not illegal aliens”—which Major Garrett said was crafted to create a stark visual contrast.
- During the address, several Democrats attended a “People’s State of the Union” on the National Mall, drawing criticism from House Speaker Mike Johnson for boycotting the speech.