President Donald Trump has hailed the “great American comeback” in a speech to Congress on the eve of his expected acquittal in his impeachment trial.
At his annual State of the Union address, Mr Trump struck a tone of optimism as he set out his case for another four years in office.
“The years of economic decay are over,” he said.
Unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises,” Trump said to a warm response from the partisan elements of the house. He made no mention of the impeachment proceedings during the one hour and 18-minute address.
The president appeared to refuse to shake hands with top Democrat Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, at the beginning of proceedings. In turn, Pelosi appeared to rip up a copy of his speech at the end of the address.
Trump boasted about the strides his administration has made to boost the country’s economy and global standing, citing low unemployment figures.
He also extolled the virtues of the trade deal with Mexico and Canada (USMCA), as well as an initial accord with China that sealed a truce to a trade war with the Asian nation.
On the issue of migration, the president touted “an unprecedented effort to secure the southern border of the United States where a long a tall wall is being built.”
On foreign policy, he reaffirmed the White House is “working to end America’s wars in the Middle East.”
“America’s enemies are on the run, America’s fortunes are on the rise and America’s future is blazing bright,” Trump declared during the speech.
Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido was a guest at Trump’s address. The White House has recognized the Venezuelan politician as the South American country’s interim president.
Guaido was invited at Trump’s behest to demonstrate the US president’s backing for his efforts to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power, according to US broadcasters CNN and NBC.
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“Maduro is an illegitimate leader” and his “tyranny” in Venezuela will be “smashed and broken,” Trump said. He described Guaido as the “legitimate leader of the Venezuelan people,” which drew rounds of applause from Republicans and Democrats alike.
Mr Trump refrained from lashing out directly at the lawmakers who have attempted to remove him from office.
The Republican president delivered Tuesday night’s nationally televised speech in the Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives, where he was impeached in December.
On the other side of the Capitol, the Republican-led Senate is all but certain on Wednesday to clear the president of corruption charges in a party-line vote.
