Takeaways from President Trump’s first State of the Union address

Emily Blobaum/Iowa State Daily

Presidential candidate and current Republican front-runner Donald Trump speaks to supporters during his rally at the Hansen Agriculture Learning Center Jan. 19, 2016.

Maria Pimentel-Diaz

Last night, President Donald Trump gave his first State of the Union address. The theme of the night was “building a safe, strong and proud America.” Here are 10 takeaways from last night’s address:

1.The president highlighted that since the election, 2.4 million jobs were created, including 200,00 new jobs in manufacturing. He also stated that unemployment has hit a 45-year low and that both African-American and Hispanic unemployment rates have hit record lows.

2. He went into detail about how the tax reform passed by Congress late last year has “provided tremendous relief for the middle class and small business.”

3.The president called on Congress to pass a bill that will generate $1.5 trillion for new infrastructure.

4.The president only talked briefly about the various natural disasters that have hit the United States this past year saying, “To everyone still recovering in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, everywhere, we are with you, we love you and we always will pull through together always.”

5. When it came to immigration, he talked about the four pillars of his reform proposal. The first covers offering a path to citizenship for 1.8 million illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. at a young age. The second pillar is about securing the border. The third pillar ends the visa lottery. The fourth pillar is putting an end to chain migration.

6. Trump also took the time to assure that the administration is working on a campaign to prevent North Korea’s nuclear missiles to threaten the U.S.

7. Trump also mentioned that the coalition to defeat ISIS has liberated close to 100 percent of the territory controlled by ISIS. He pleaded to Congress to make sure that we have all the necessary means to detain terrorist including keeping Guantanamo Bay open.

8. He mentioned that the administration has repealed the core of Obamacare by removing the individual mandate.

9.  The president touched on the opioid epidemic, saying that the administration is committed to fight the epidemic and get help to those who need it.

10. The president called on both parties to come together to protect American citizens “of every background, color, religion and creed.” He made the point that his duty is to defend the American people and their dream, mentioning that Americans “are dreamers too.”

You can watch the president’s address here, read the full transcript here, read the full transcript of Rep. Joe Kennedy’s response here and also read the response from The New York Times here.