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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Comment
Ted Widmer

Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address in history … and ran out of steam

a tired-looking man in front of a microphone
‘For long stretches, he read robotically from the teleprompter, as if tired by the ordeal of going up to Capitol Hill.’ Photograph: Getty Images

In fulfillment of clause 1 of section 3 in article II of the US constitution, Donald Trump duly gave Congress “Information of the State of the Union” last night.

Information … and more information. At an hour and 47 minutes, this was the longest State of the Union address in history. As he has so often done in the past, Trump bobbed and weaved impressively (“the weave” is his own term for his meandering speaking style). He zigged and zagged, taunting Democrats for much of the speech (he called Zohran Mamdani a “communist” and took pot shots at Democrats throughout the night), while claiming to be a unifier when the mood struck.

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