President Donald Trump ended his historically long State of the Union address Tuesday night with how he began it — talking about the United States’ 250th birthday this summer.
He mentioned the “historic streets of Philadelphia,” Thomas Jefferson’s final breath, and the FIFA World Cup games, some of which will take place in the city this summer.
But his talk of the 250th celebrations served as bookends to what was otherwise a speech in which he railed against immigrants, spread falsehoods and lashed out at political opponents.
During the speech, Trump took credit for ending DEI programs across the country, doubled down on his push to end sanctuary cities, falsely suggested his opponents cheat during elections and called for proof of citizenship in order to vote.
The president chastised Supreme Court justices for their recent ruling against his tariffs. And he frequently lambasted Democrats, bristling when they would not stand to applaud.
“These people are crazy,” Trump said.
» READ MORE: Stacy Garrity will be a guest at Trump’s SOTU address. Here’s who else from Pa. will (and won’t) be there.
Pennsylvania popped up throughout the evening as Trump leaned on the 250th as a framing device for his speech and pointed to a woman from the Poconos to promote his economic agenda.
Trump talks of ‘epic milestone’ 250th celebrations
The United States’ upcoming 250th anniversary in July was an undercurrent of Trump’s speech Tuesday night. He mentioned this “epic milestone” just moments in his remarks.
“This July 4, we will mark two and a half centuries of liberty and triumph, progress and freedom, in the most incredible and exceptional nation ever to exist on the face of the earth and you’ve seen nothing yet, we’re going to do better and better and better,” Trump said.
Philadelphia will be at the center of 250th anniversary celebrations this year, especially during the warmer months when the city is expected to see an influx of tourism which by one estimate could bring in as much as $2.5 billion to the city and region.
But when visitors stop by Philly’s iconic sites, it’s unclear whether they’ll be seeing the full picture of U.S. history.
Last month, the Trump administration ordered the takedown of every educational panel from the President’s House at Independence National Historical Park. The site serves as a memorial to the nine people that George Washington enslaved at his Philadelphia residence.
The incident has sparked outrage from Philadelphians who have rallied to protect the site and spurred Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s first major confrontation with Trump.
After a lawsuit from the Parker administration and tireless community activism, a federal judge last week ordered the site to be restored. The panels were mostly reinstalled Thursday and Friday before a federal appeals judge ordered park employees to pause while the Trump administration’s appeal remains pending.
Trump did not address the controversy in his speech even as he touted the city’s history and the founding fathers in his speech.
The Philadelphia case is the most high-profile battle over the Trump administration’s broader effort to sanitize U.S. history ahead of the 250th. The National Park Service has removed content from parks throughout the country, including the Grand Canyon, under order from Trump forbidding displays that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”
Trump gives a shoutout to working mom from Pa.
The president brought Megan Hemhauser, a waitress and mom of two from Cresco, Pa., a town in the Poconos, as one of his guests to his address Tuesday night, saying in his speech that because of his “No Tax on Tips” and “No Tax on Overtime” policies she is “so, so much richer.”
Hemhauser was also featured at Trump’s rally in Mount Pocono in December when the president invited her to speak. She shared that these policies have helped her invest in her family.
“It saves us and it’s for the future of our children,” she said at the time.
Under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, tipped workers can deduct up to $25,000 of certain tips per year, but the lowest earners and some tipped workers won’t be eligible for the tax break, CNBC reported. For overtime, certain individuals can deduct up to $12,500 for single filers or $25,000 for married couples filing their taxes jointly each year from 2025 through 2028.
Both tax breaks are available from 2025 through 2028 and decreases in size when earnings exceed $150,000 for single filers or $300,000 for married couples filing jointly.
Democrats have pointed out the same legislation also included cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, two programs heavily relied by low-income Americans. They’ve blamed other Trump policies, including his signature tariffs and his opposition to extending health care policies, for exacerbating the cost of living for Pennsylvanians.
“Trump promised to lower costs for Pennsylvania families on Day One, but he’s done the exact opposite,” said DNC chair Ken Martin in a statement ahead of the speech.
Protesting with a pin
U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean (D., Montgomery) attended Trump’s State of the Union, but ended up leaving the event once Trump announced that Vice President JD Vance would be leading a “war on fraud.”
“I just had had enough of the lies,” Dean said in an interview after the address.
The Pennsylvania lawmaker joined other members of the House Democratic Women’s Caucus in wearing white as an homage to the suffragettes. She also wore a pin and scarf showing her support for Ukraine, as Tuesday marks four years since Russia waged its attack on the country.
“How I would have wished the president would have said ‘I am dismayed that I have not been able to bring an end to that brutal war and that is going to be my singular focus,’” said Dean, a member of the Ukraine caucus. “But, of course, he doesn’t say that.”
Other Democrats showed their opposition to Trump by boycotting his speech, including several from the region.
U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D., Delaware) and U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (D., Allegheny) both attended “People’s State of the Union,” an alternative event hosted by progressive groups instead of the president’s address.
Other Democrats who skipped Trump’s speech include retiring U.S. Reps. Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania and U.S. Sen Cory Booker of New Jersey.
John Fetterman wears a suit and shakes hands with Trump
Known to seldom wear dress clothes, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman traded his usual hoodie for a suit Tuesday evening when he shook hands with Trump during the president’s entrance to the House chamber.
Fetterman’s greeting of Trump comes in contrast to many of his Democratic colleagues and underscores the senator’s willingness to embrace the other side of the political aisle, often earning him ire from his own party.
U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D., Philadelphia) criticized Fetterman in a post on X Tuesday night.
“I’m not surprised PA Senator John Fetterman finally got dressed up for once and so warmly greeted Donald Trump tonight,” wrote Boyle, who has been floated as a potential primary challenger to Fetterman in 2028. “After all, as the White House has previously stated, John Fetterman is Trump’s favorite Democrat.”
Summer Lee’s Working Families Party response
Lee, a Pittsburgh progressive in her second term, delivered a response to Trump’s address on behalf of the Working Families Party, a grassroots progressive party that often endorses Democratic candidate.
The Pennsylvania lawmaker criticized Trump’s tariffs, Medicaid cuts, escalation of federal immigration agents, and mass layoffs of federal employees.
“The state of the union is dire,” Lee said. “We can’t afford to believe Trump’s lies, and we have to pay attention to his actions. This is not a normal time, and our response to it can’t be politics as usual.”
