Pope Declines Invite to America’s 250th Despite Vance’s ‘In-Person’ Invite, by Adam Lynch
February 25, 2026
By Mary Rose, Zeale, Feb. 25, 2026
President Donald Trump declared Feb. 24 that the United States has achieved “a turnaround for the ages,” making a case during the longest State of the Union address in history that his return to office has reversed economic decline, border chaos, and global instability.
“When I last spoke in this chamber 12 months ago, I had just inherited a nation in crisis,” Trump said, citing “a stagnant economy, inflation at record levels, a wide-open border,” and “wars and chaos all over the world.”
“But tonight,” he continued, “after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before — and a turnaround for the ages.”
For more than 1 hour and 40 minutes, Trump framed his first year back in office as a dramatic course correction, focusing heavily on border enforcement, falling prices and economic growth, and what he called a restoration of American strength abroad. ….
