Covering the State of the Union - The Economy

Tuesday night, President Trump asked Congress to recognize the union as “strong,” though many left questioning if this was truly the case.

The president delivered his first State of the Union speech to Congress and the American people.  Trump reflected on his first year and spoke highly of the economy’s progress.

“Since the election we have created more than 2.4 million new jobs,” said Trump.

Trump added that 200,000 of those new jobs were created in the manufacturing industry alone.

“After years and years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages,” said Trump.

African American and Hispanic American unemployment have hit the lowest rates ever recorded, according to the president.

“The stock market has smashed one record after another gaining $8 trillion, and more, in value,” said Trump.

The president spoke about increased small business confidence and benefits of the American people, such as 401k retirement pensions and college savings accounts, that have come as a result of the growing economy.

“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,” said Trump.

According to the president, these tax cuts will provide relief for the middle class and small businesses.  Additionally, the president mentioned tax cuts for newly married couples, increased child tax credits, and slashed tax bills for families and businesses.

“In April, this will be the last time you will ever file under the old and very broken system, and millions of Americans will have more take-home pay starting next month. A lot more.”

The president said that taxes on Americans who could not afford government-ordered health plans have been eliminated.

“We repealed the core of the disastrous Obamacare. The individual mandate is now gone,” said Trump.

The president announced Apple’s plan to invest $350 billion in America to hire 20,000 workers.  Similarly, the president announced Exxon Mobil’s plan to invest $50 billion in the United States.

“This in fact is our new American moment. There has never been a better time to live the American dream,” concluded Trump.