Trump's State of the Union seeks to calm voters' economic concerns ahead of midterm elections
Washington (AP): US President Donald Trump began his State of the Union address on Tuesday, a speech where he plans to declare his policies have the job market and domestic manufacturing booming - hoping to convince 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.
Republicans chanted “USA! USA!” as Trump, wearing a long red tie and a blue suit, stepped to the lectern in the House.
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Most Democrats remained seated without applauding. Some of the party's lawmakers registered their opposition by refraining from attending the speech.
“It is indeed a turnaround for the ages,” Trump said early on.
Excerpts released by the White House before he began Tuesday's address said Trump will vow that, “Moving forward, factories, jobs, investment, and trillions of dollars will continue pouring into the United States of America."
Trump is set to use his speech to champion his immigration crackdowns and slashing of the federal government, as well as his push to preserve widespread tariffs that the Supreme Court just struck down and his ability to direct quick-hit military actions around the world, including in Iran and Venezuela.
“We have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before, and a turnaround for the ages,” Trump plans to say, according to the excerpts. “We will never go back to where we were just a short time ago.”
The balancing act of celebrating his whirlwind first year back in the White House while making a convincing case for his party in midterm races in which he personally won't be on the ballot could be a tall order.
It might prove especially delicate for Trump, given how happy he is to veer off script and ignore carefully crafted messaging.
A main theme will be that the country is booming with a rise in domestic manufacturing and new jobs, despite many Americans not feeling that way. “It's going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about," said Trump, who promised a heavy dose of talk about the economy.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will argue that Republicans are best suited to continue tackling the public's concerns about the cost of living.
“The president's going to make the case that three more years with him in the White House and with Republicans on Capitol Hill we can finally achieve the American dream in this country again that we had in his first term but was lost because of Joe Biden and the Democrats over the past four years,” Leavitt told reporters at the White House.
The Olympic gold-medal-winning US men's hockey team visited the White House and was invited by Trump to attend his address. The US women's hockey team, who also won the gold medal, declined an invitation to the White House.
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Will take action against parents of AJP's Kunki Chowdhury for beef consumption: Himanta
Jorhat (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said he will take action against the parents of AJP candidate Kunki Chowdhury for allegedly consuming beef and uploading a picture of it on social media.
Chowdhury (27), who is making her electoral debut from the Guwahati Central Assembly constituency, has repeatedly denied the allegations, terming it as fake news being spread by Sarma.
"After the election, I will take action against her parents as per the Cattle Prevention Act. I will accept everything, but not eating beef," the CM told reporters when asked about the ongoing controversy.
Consumption of beef is not illegal in the state, but the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, bans cattle slaughter and sale of beef in areas where Hindus, Jains and Sikhs are in majority, and in places within a five-km radius of a temple or satra (Vaishnavite monastery).
On Thursday, Sarma had claimed that her mother, academician Sujata Gurung Chowdhury, had shared posts related to beef consumption, made remarks offensive to certain sections and supported Pakistan, thereby hurting the sentiments of 'Sanatani' people.
"Forget whether Kunki wins or loses... Let her say that her parents eat beef, she is a Sanatani Hindu and she has disowned them. If she says she is not with her parents, then I am with her," Sarma said.
"Will you vote for people eating beef? Which ‘Satradhikar’ will vote for her?" he said.
Chowdhury, among the youngest candidates in the fray, is pitted against senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Gupta.
Polling for the 126-member Assam assembly will be held on April 9, while the results will be declared on May 4.
Continuing his salvo at Chowdhury, Sarma said: "They are talking about Gen Z, does Gen Z eat beef? My head spins hearing about eating beef... Lurinjyoti Gogoi (AJP chief) should apologise for insulting Hindus. Everytime, they say I am targeting the girl. I will target the whole world if someone eats beef.
"What kind of courage is this? Are we Hindus dead? Will we eat beef in front of the Kamakhya, Majuli and Batadrava?"
He claimed that even people of the Miya community have abandoned consuming beef, accepting his request, and now they eat buffalo meat instead.
"When I have stopped the Miyas from having beef, will I allow Kunki Chowdhury to eat it? No parents will be spared.... I had issued shoot-at-sight orders for bringing beef during Eid at Dhubri," Sarma asserted.
‘Miya’ is originally a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, and the non-Bengali-speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting the term as a gesture of defiance.
He also said that those who are supporting eating beef, on social media, should stop doing it, and "not insult Sankardeva, Batadrava, Majuli".
"If you want to fight with Himanta Biswa Sarma, I am ready for a fight. But, uploading beef eating picture on social media will not be tolerated, as there is an Act. Who is this Chowdhury to insult Hindus?" the CM said.
Sarma also alleged that her father has encroached land.
"His (Chowdhury's father) university is in my constituency. Nobody should support her without knowing the background...," he said.
Chowdhury had on Saturday filed a police complaint for alleged deep fake defamatory videos on social media about her family, following Sarma's claims on her mother's food habits.
She had also posted a sarcastic video on social media on Thursday in which she thanked Sarma for making her a household name in the country.
"A big thanks to the honourable chief minister. I learnt that during a media interaction, he made some allegations against my mother, which are completely untrue," she had said.
Chowdhury maintained that the allegations prove "the BJP has accepted defeat in the Guwahati Central seat".
"It has been just 15 days since I joined politics, and within this short span of time, the love that people of Guwahati Central and Assam have given me has worried them. With him (Sarma) uttering my name, the entire country will now know who is Kunki Chowdhury. I thank him again," she added.
