Schumer derides Trump’s SOTU as ‘state of delusion,’ blasts it as ‘all ego and fluff’

WASHINGTON, DC: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ridiculed President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, calling it “all ego,” heavy on “fluff,” and disconnected from the everyday struggles of Americans.

Speaking at Senate floor on Wednesday, February 25, Schumer said the speech reflected a president living in a bubble. “This was not America’s State of the Union,” Schumer said. “It was Donald Trump’s state of delusion.”

Schumer said Trump spent time praising himself 

Schumer argued that Trump spent more time praising himself than addressing the cost-of-living pressures facing families.

“He sat up there with a huge ego, patting himself on the back,” Schumer said, adding that many Americans were instead thinking about higher electricity bills, rising food prices, and increasing health care costs.

According to Schumer, Trump’s lack of substantive policy forced him to rely on celebrating “true American heroes” he had “nothing to do with,” including sports teams, rather than outlining solutions for affordability.

“This speech was an utter failure,” Schumer said. “A lot of hype. A lot of fluff.”

Schumer challenges Trump's economic claims

The New York Democrat also challenged Trump’s economic claims, arguing the president misrepresented job creation and manufacturing growth.

“For instance, he says manufacturing jobs have gone way up, they’re down 100,000 since he took office,” Schumer said, adding that job creation was at its lowest level for a non-recessionary year since 2003.

Schumer said Trump’s polling numbers reflect voter frustration and accused the president of doing “nothing to help the American people.”

“He’s in a bubble, but it don’t work,” Schumer said. “The American people want a way out of their crisis of affordability. You’ve provided no path, just a lot of ego and back-patting.”

Speaker blasts Democrats, supports Trump after SOTU 

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he briefly considered ejecting several Democratic lawmakers during Trump's State of the Union address but ultimately decided against it so that the public could witness what he called a “shameful display.”

“It was a very shameful display. There was a couple of times, there’s a couple of House members that I probably could have ejected from the chamber because of their behavior, but the president handled it so well," he said. 

Trump himself directly criticized Democrats during the address, admonishing those who stayed seated when he asked lawmakers to “stand up and show your support” for the idea that “the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”