OPINION: In today’s world everyone has an opinion of The United States of America. Love it, hate it or something in between, everyone has an opinion. One thing is for sure though, I’m proud to be an American.
I’ve always been proud to be an American, for better and for worse. This country has given me so much to be thankful for. Sometimes I take for granted the blessing it really is to live in the United States. It can be hard to put into perspective just how fortunate we are with how divisive the nation has become, but I think we can all agree on the fact we want the best for America.
We may all have different visions of what is best for America or how to improve it, however, I think we are on a great trajectory. Don’t just take my word for it, take America’s.
On Tuesday, Feb 24, President Trump gave the 2026 State of the Union address. As Iowa Public Radio reports, the speech was a record breaking hour and forty seven minutes long, surpassing the previous record set by President Cliton in 2000. However, the duration of this year’s state of the union speech can be accredited to the progress we’ve made as a nation. As President Trump said himself, PBS, “A short time ago, we were a dead country. Now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world. The hottest.”
During the address President Trump set the tone saying PBS, “Today our border is secure, our spirit is restored, inflation is plummeting, incomes are rising fast, the roaring economy is roaring like never before, our enemies are scared, our military and police are stacked, and America is respected again, perhaps like never before.”
I couldn’t agree more. I think President Trump has been able to do great things for our country not just domestically but internationally as well.
In the past 12 months, we’ve seen less inflation, not only just grocery prices, which seems to be everyone’s benchmark, but the housing market is shifting too. As President Trump explained, PBS, “The annual cost of a typical, new mortgage is down almost $5,000 just since I took office, one year ago.”
Gasoline prices have also dropped significantly under President Trump. It wasn’t too long ago gas prices were up towards $6 a gallon but unless you don’t have a car you know that’s changed too. PBS noted President Trump reported, “Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor and was, quite honestly, a disaster, is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states, and in some places $1.99 a gallon.”
According to Trump and the White House, “The stock market has set 53 all-time record highs since the election.” Since the election the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial average have been seeing fast consistent gains, helping to boost pensions, 401Ks, and retirement accounts for millions of Americans.
Globally speaking, White House reports, President Trump has secured over $9.7 trillion in U.S. and foreign investments.
President Trump noted during his address, PBS, “As thousands of new businesses are forming and factories, plants and laboratories are being built, we have added 70,000 new construction jobs in just a very short period of time. Getting bigger and bigger and stronger. Nobody can believe what they’re watching. American oil production is up by more than 600,000 barrels a day. And we just received from our new friend and partner, Venezuela, more than 80 million barrels of oil.”
We also can see a safer America taking shape too. As President Trump explained, PBS, “Deadly fentanyl across our border is down by a record 56% in one year.” If I had to guess I’d say it might have something to do with cracking down on illegal immigration.
President Trump also went on to explain, PBS, “In the last year, the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history. This is the biggest decline, think of it, in recorded history, the lowest number in over 125 years.”
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve always been proud to be an American, however upon listening to the State of the Union, it only reconfirmed my passion for this great nation. This country is doing great things and will continue to do so too, however only if its citizens believe in her. America isn’t just a place, it’s also an idea. An idea that has proved to be the best mankind has ever had freedom coupled with opportunity and democracy. I think this most recent State of the Union is a testament to that.
