--- title: Why Donald Trump's State of the Union Was Wrong description: Donald Trump's comments about immigration, nuclear weapons and partisanship formed a State of the Union that was anything but presidential canonical: https://time.com/5127598/trumps-state-of-the-union-told-a-great-american-lie/ author: Eddie S. Glaude Jr. article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-31T20:10:53.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:01:40.102Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Trump’s State of the Union Told a Great American Lie og:description: In the context of spectacle, it was normal. In the context of Americans' faltering trust, it was new. og:url: https://time.com/5127598/trumps-state-of-the-union-told-a-great-american-lie/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt55683e139a6a3ae8/6988fa0722fb85baeae248c9/gettyimages-912423740.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3450 og:image:height: 1941 og:image:alt: President Trump Addresses The Nation In His First State Of The Union Address To Joint Session Of Congress og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump’s State of the Union Told a Great American Lie twitter:description: In the context of spectacle, it was normal. In the context of Americans' faltering trust, it was new. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt55683e139a6a3ae8/6988fa0722fb85baeae248c9/gettyimages-912423740.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump’s State of the Union Told a Great American Lie > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8a264e24-662c-4bd3-a2de-8db9904c9616&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Trump's First State of the Union Address In 4 Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Trump's First State of the Union Address In 4 Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/TgeSYnJ0.m3u8) (3:39)  _Published 2018-01-31. Trump's First State of the Union Address In 4 Minutes_  by [Eddie S. Glaude Jr.](https://time.com/author/eddie-s-glaude-jr/)  ## Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Jan 31, 2018 8:10 PM UTC  WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 30: U.S. President Donald J. Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives January 30, 2018 in Washington, DC. This is the first State of the Union address given by U.S. President Donald Trump and his second joint-session address to Congress. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 30: U.S. President Donald J. Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives January 30, 2018 in Washington, DC. This is the first State of the Union address given by U.S. President Donald Trump and his second joint-session address to Congress. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Win McNamee—Getty Images  by [Eddie S. Glaude Jr.](https://time.com/author/eddie-s-glaude-jr/)  ## Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Jan 31, 2018 8:10 PM UTC The political theater of the [State of the Union](http://time.com/5126652/trump-state-of-the-union-opamacare/) is predictable. A President enters a joint session of Congress to loud applause. He touts his accomplishments, puts forward an agenda for the coming year, tells dramatic stories to illustrate policy positions and affirms the greatness of America. During the spectacle, the side of the President’s party repeatedly offers a standing ovation. The other sits with grim faces and folded arms. Pundits try to make sense of it. Substance gets lost. Donald Trump’s first State of the Union was a bit different. Not so much in terms of the spectacle. Partisan differences were on full display as most Democrats sat stone-faced. Republicans cheered. Nothing new here. The difference was context.[ Robert Mueller](http://time.com/5120742/don-mcgahn-robert-mueller-firing/)’s Russia investigation hovers in the background. Commentators wondered if Trump, like [Richard Nixon,](http://time.com/vault/issue/1960-10-31/page/1/) would mention the investigation directly. He did not. There is the ongoing Republican attack on the [FBI](http://time.com/5127312/nunes-memo-release-fbi-concerns/) as Americans wait for the memo from the House Intelligence Committee. These are the dark clouds that cast a long shadow over the speech. But something even more fundamental makes this State of the Union different. Just last week the [Edelman Trust Barometer](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/22/davos-2018-edelman-barometer-reveals-record-drop-in-trust-from-us-public.html) released its 2018 report. The authors declared that there has been a “decimation” in trust of American institutions, and confidence in the traditional structures of our leadership has reached a crisis point. Americans have lost faith in government and in those who claim to represent us. That loss of faith might stem from a deep-seated suspicion about big government, or the ongoing resistance to Trump’s policies. Whatever the motivation, a majority of Americans do not trust what is going on in Washington, D.C. What happens when a large swath of the audience for the State of the Union no longer believes the theater? When the constant lies of politicians, especially the lies of the President, have poisoned the body politic? With the erosion of trust comes deepening partisan divisions. We believe who we want to believe, trust who we know or think we know. The spectacle of Trump’s State of the Union did nothing to change this fact. His speech reflected it. Many absorbed his four pillars for immigration policy as a mean-spirited screed. The President trafficked in grief porn as he took advantage of the unimaginable losses of bereaved families to make spurious points about violent crime and immigration. (Meanwhile, research shows that immigrants commit crime at a lower rate than native-born Americans.) He claimed that ending what he calls “chain migration” was actually a defense of the “nuclear family.” And in a crude nativist appeal, the President shamelessly pitted “Dreamers” against “Americans” with the phrase, “Americans are dreamers, too.” In this context, Trump’s appeals to bipartisanship and his claims about “all of us, together, as one team, one people and one American family” amount to a broad invitation to believe the Great Lie. Near the end of the address, as expected, Trump touted the greatness of America. It came on the heels of all the nasty stuff about immigration, bolstering America’s nuclear arsenal and muddled claims about North Korea. Republicans leaped to their feet to shout, “USA! USA! USA!” I watched mostly white men shouting with glee as they cheered the snake-oil salesman in presidential garb. Something about the scene made me shudder. It was all too familiar. No matter the political or moral consequences, this was an old vision of America — an old lie — some people desperately wanted to protect. Whether you trust him or not, we must know that spectacles like these can be really dangerous. ## Transcript Let's begin tonight by recognizing that the state our union is strong because our people are strong. [ APPLAUSE ] We have created 2. 4 million new jobs. [ APPLAUSE ] Including [ APPLAUSE ] including 200, 000 new jobs in manufacturing alone. And just as I promised the American people from this podium 11 months ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history. Since we passed tax cuts, roughly three million workers have already got tax cut Bonuses. Many of them thousands and thousands of dollars per worker and it's getting more every month every week. Apple has just announced the plans to invest a total of $ 350 billion in America. And hire another 20, 000 workers. The era of economic surrender is totally over. From now on we expect trading relationships to be fair and very importantly, reciprocal. I am asking both parties to come together to give us safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure. That our economy needs and our people deserve. Tonight I'm calling on Congress to produce a bill that generates at least, $ 1. 5 trilion for the new infrastructure investment that our country so desperately needs. This in fact is our new American moment. There has never been a better time to start living the American dream. Because Americans are dreamers too. The first paragraph about framework generally offers a path to citizenships for 1. 8 million illegal emigrants. Who were brought here by their parents at a young age. [ APPLAUSE ] Under our plan, those who meet education and work requirements, and show good moral character, will be able to become full citizens of the United States over a twelve- year period. As part of our defense We most modernize and rebuild our nuclear arsenal. Hopefully, never having to use it but making it so strong and so powerful that it would deter any acts of aggression but no regime. Has oppressed it's own citizens more totally, more brutally, than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea. North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland. We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure. To prevent that from ever happening. I am proud to report that the coalition to defeat ISIS has liberated very close to 100 % of the territory just recently held by these killers in Iraq and in Syria, and in other locations, as well. [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] But there is much more work to be done. We will continue our fight until ISIS is defeated. [ APPLAUSE ] We will never fail. Our families will thrive. Our people will prosper. And our nation Will forever be safe, and strong, and proud, and mighty, and free. Thank you, and God bless America. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5127598/trumps-state-of-the-union-told-a-great-american-lie/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5127598/trumps-state-of-the-union-told-a-great-american-lie/"},"headline":"Trump’s State of the Union Told a Great American Lie","datePublished":"2018-01-31T20:10:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:01:40.102Z","description":"Donald Trump's comments about immigration, nuclear weapons and partisanship formed a State of the Union that was anything but presidential","url":"https://time.com/5127598/trumps-state-of-the-union-told-a-great-american-lie/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt55683e139a6a3ae8/6988fa0722fb85baeae248c9/gettyimages-912423740.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eddie S. 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