‘YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!’ Trump Delivers Combative, Marathon State of the Union as Democrats Heckle, Walk Out, and Hold Rival Events

In a fiery and record-breaking address that stretched late into the night, President Donald Trump delivered a defiant State of the Union speech Tuesday that saw him tout his economic agenda, clash verbally with Democratic lawmakers, and issue a stark military warning to Iran—all while Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) was physically escorted from the chamber after refusing to stop protesting. The president’s marathon remarks, which spanned nearly three hours, were repeatedly interrupted by heckling from the Democratic side, most notably from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who shouted that Trump was “killing Americans” during his immigration remarks—prompting the president to halt and fire back, “You should be ashamed.” The tense exchanges unfolded against a backdrop of five simultaneous Democratic counter-events held across the capital in opposition to the speech, underscoring the deep partisan fissures that dominated the night.

Despite the raucous interruptions, Trump pressed forward with a sweeping address that touched on military valor, border security, and international diplomacy. In one of the most emotional segments of the evening, the president awarded the Medal of Honor to Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover—who continued piloting a helicopter despite being shot four times during the raid to capture Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro—and to 100-year-old Korean War veteran Navy Captain E. Royce Williams. The president also awarded Purple Hearts to National Guard members injured in a deadly ambush last year and announced the Presidential Medal of Freedom for U.S. Olympic goalie Connor Hellebuyck. However, the moments of unity were fleeting, as Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar walked out roughly an hour and 45 minutes into the address, missing the military honors, while Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivered a scathing Democratic response accusing Trump of “reckless trade policies” and lying to the American people about the economy. With tensions boiling over and history being made in real-time, Tuesday night’s State of the Union will be remembered as one of the most volatile and dramatic in modern American history.