US president Donald Trump made the American leader's annual State of the Union speech to Congress on Tuesday, paying tribute to the "great American comeback" he had overseen since succeeding Barack Obama in the White House.
It is expected that Trump will be acquitted of corruption charges on Wednesday following his impeachment trial in the Senate, which is largely controlled by his fellow Republicans.
Trump was greeted warmly by Republicans before making the State of the Union address, who chanted “four more years” in reference to the upcoming presidential elections.
Trump also seemed to refuse to shake the hand of Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi prior to the speech. Pelosi had not welcomed the president in the traditional manner before making his address.
During his speech in the Democrat dominated House of Representatives, Trump did not make any reference to his impeachment trial, but took the opportunity to fire criticism at the Democrats, including his presidential predecessor Barack Obama.
Trump accused the Democrats of planning to provide free healthcare to undocumented immigrants with taxpayer funds, before saying that “in three short years”, his administration had “shattered the mentality of American decline and "the downsizing of America’s destiny” that was supposedly able to happen under Obama’s rule.
Trump added: "We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!
"We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare!”
As Trump was finishing his address, Pelosi visibly tore up a copy of his speech, telling the media afterwards that it was “the courteous thing to do, considering the alternatives”.
