‘Winning so much’: Trump calms economic jitters in long speech

Washington: President Donald Trump declared during Tuesday’s marathon State of the Union that “we’re winning so much,” saying he’d sparked a jobs and manufacturing boom at home while imposing a new world order abroad — hoping that offering a long list of his accomplishments can counter approval ratings that have been falling.

His main objective was convincing increasingly wary Americans that the economy is stronger than many believe, and that they should vote for more of the same by backing Republicans during November’s midterm elections. In the process, he shattered his own record, going longer than the 100-minute speech he gave before a joint session of Congress last year.

Trump tried at points to appeal to bipartisan patriotic sentiments, introducing a series of surprise guests that included US military heroes; a former political prisoner released after his administration toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro; and the Olympic gold-medal-winning US men’s hockey team.

“Our country is winning again. In fact, we’re winning so much that we really don’t know what to do about it. People are asking me, ‘Please, please, please, Mister President, we’re winning too much. We can’t take it anymore,” Trump said before introducing the team.

The hockey players, wearing their medals and sweaters that said “USA” in large letters, drew a bipartisan standing ovation. Trump pointed to the Democratic side of the chamber and quipped, “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen them get up.”

Trump championed his immigration crackdowns and his push to preserve widespread tariffs that the Supreme Court just struck down. He drew applause only from Democrats while describing the high court’s overturning of his policies, which he called “an unfortunate ruling”, while insisting “everything was working well” before it came down. The president vowed to plough ahead, using “alternative” laws to impose the taxes

on imports. Agencies