Donald Trump Slams Democrats, Defends Tax Cuts in State of the Union Speech

US President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address to the US Congress, presenting an assessment of his first year back in the White House and outlining his administration’s priorities.

Opening the main section of his speech, Trump said, "Members of Congress and my fellow Americans, our nation is back, bigger, better, richer, and stronger than ever before."

He added, "One year ago we were a dead country; now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world."

Trump described the period as “the golden age of America” and said, "The state of our union is strong."

The president addressed inflation, gas prices and jobs during his speech. He contrasted investment figures under the previous administration with his own record.

"In 4 long years, the last administration got less than $1 trillion dollars in new investment in the United States... In 12 months, I secured commitments for more than $18 trillion dollars pouring in from all over the globe," he said.

Trump said his administration is building an America where every child has the chance to reach higher and go further--where government answers to the people, not the powerful--and where the interests of hard-working American citizens are always our first and ultimate concern.

"That is the debt we owe to the heroes who came before us--and that is the promise we must keep to America for our 250th Year," he said.

The president criticised Democrats over his economic agenda. "Last year, I urged this Congress to begin that mission by passing the largest tax cuts in American history, and our Republican majorities delivered..."

"All Democrats--every single one of them--voted against these...They wanted large-scale tax increases...but we held strong."

On healthcare, Trump said, "I want to stop all payments to big insurance companies and instead give that money directly to the people so that they can buy their own healthcare, which will be better healthcare at a lower cost."

The 79 year old president used the address to highlight what he described as a major turnaround in his first year of his second term.

"Tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before, and a turnaround for the ages," Trump said.

Recent opinion polls show mixed public response to his administration’s performance. Republicans hold a narrow majority in the House of Representatives.