President Trump Asserts Era of Economic Optimism in State of the Union Address

President Donald Trump, addressing Congress and the American people, asserted an era of economic optimism is upon the United States due to low unemployment and tax cuts, encouraging Americans to pursue the “American dream.”

The president delivered his first State of the Union address on Jan. 20, 2018 since assuming his presidency last year before a joint session of Congress, delivering an upbeat message.

“Since the election, we have created 2.4 million new jobs, including 200,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone. After years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages,” he said. The president furthered, stating that unemployment rates are at a 45 year low and that African-American and Hispanic unemployment rates are the lowest in history.

The president affirmed he kept his promise for large tax cuts and reform made when assuming his presidency. “To lower tax rates for hardworking Americans, we nearly doubled the standard deduction for everyone,” he said. “A typical family of four making $75,000 will see their tax bill reduced by $2,000 - slashing their tax bill in half.”

The president focused heavily on benefits of tax cuts for middle class individuals. “Our massive tax cuts provide tremendous relief for the middle class and small businesses,” the president said. Using the example of Steve Staub and Sandy Keplinger of Staub Manufacturing, a small business in Ohio, the president highlighted that the the tax reform has been able to rapidly expand their business. He recognized a Staub Manufacturing employee, Corey Adams, to exemplify how new tax cuts will benefit American workers. “Like many hard working Americans, Corey plans to invest his tax cut raise into his new home and his two daughters' education,” said the president.

President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was optimistic, particularly on the state of the American economy. The president encouraged working Americans to persevere and called today our “new American moment.” He told Americans, “To every citizen watching at home tonight - no matter where you have been, or where you come from, this is your time. If you work hard, if you believe in yourself, if you believe in America, then you can dream anything, you can be anything, and together, we can achieve anything.”