LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — President Donald Trump delivered a nearly two-hour State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. It was his first since he began his second term in office.
From our economy to the latest on immigration, he touched on a number of issues we've been following.
We heard from him, and now, we're hearing from you.
Channel 13's Mary Kielar walked around downtown Las Vegas to talk with locals and hear their thoughts.
Jason Manningham described it as "chaotic," but said some parts were empowering. Still, he's not sure things are actually more affordable under this administration.
"I think it’s a game," he said, adding "it does fluctuate," referring to the cost of living and the fact that he believes "those in power make sure that, back and forth with the fluctuation up and down, up and down prices so that we think something is changing, but nothing really is changing."
"Our policies are rapidly ending them. We are doing really well. Those prices are plummeting downward. The price of eggs is down 60%, Madam Secretary, thank you. The cost of chicken, butter, fruit, hotels, automobiles, rent is lower today than when I took office by a lot. And even beef, which was very high, is starting to come down significantly. Just hold on a little while. We'll get that down."
Ken and Carol Bandy didn't watch on purpose. They said they expected it to be "two hours' worth of lies."
Trump on Tuesday spent some time talking about what he’s called his favorite: “tariffs.”
“And as time goes by, I believe the tariffs, paid for by foreign countries, will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love,” he said.
But in Las Vegas, small businesses are feeling the pinch of tariffs, as the cost of goods rise and so do prices.
Steve Sebelius listened to the concerns of one local business owner and tells us how her business is being directly impacted.
“No, I’m paying for that. Our people is paying for that. No other country’s paying for that. We do it,” said Regina Simmons, co-owner and co-founder of the local chain Tacotarian. “We do have to raise prices because we have to make it. We call it ‘survival mode.’ Literally. We, all us restaurants, we are in a survival mode.”
Simmons said she knows of other restaurants that have closed because of the increase in the cost of doing business that was sparked by tariffs.
At her own business, monthly reconciling of profit and loss statements has become a weekly ritual instead, as she keeps a close eye on the budget.
“Life just becomes more expensive,” Simmons says. “One thing just triggers everything to go up.”
“We’re thinking about our community, too,” she added. “We know they’re hurting. We know they don’t have that much money right now, based on everything, because we are all on the same page.”
But people most decidedly not on the same page are Attorney General Aaron Ford, the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, and incumbent Republican Joe Lombardo.
Ford, in a news conference at Tacotarian on Wednesday, pointed to a Lombardo quote about how people may need to “feel a little pain” because of tariffs, saying he disagreed with that philosophy. (Ford joined a lawsuit against the administration’s tariff regime.)
“I believe that Nevada families need relief,” Ford said.
Asked what Lombardo should do, given that a state governor has no input on national trade policy decisions, Ford said Lombardo should use his relationship with Trump to advocate for Nevada’s small business owners.
“Utilize the open lines of communication to bring real relief to Nevadans,” Ford said. “It’s not his [Lombardo’s] open line of communication that’s bringing relief to Nevadans, it’s me as attorney general, working with our community members, hearing what they’re asking for and ensuring that we actually go to court, if need be, and handle these circumstances.”
Ford has joined multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration, over economic policies, cutbacks to federal services and an attempt to end birthright citizenship under the U.S. Constitution.
In response, Lombardo campaign spokeswoman Halee Dobbins accused Ford of selective outrage.
“Where was Aaron Ford when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris drive inflation to a generational high, and gas and grocery prices crushed family budgets in Nevada? That’s right, he was busy campaigning for them across the country and taking special-interest-funded trips,” she said in a statement.
“While Ford grandstands, Governor Lombardo won’t stop fighting for Nevadans until our state is affordable for all who call it home,” the statement adds.
Alyssa Bethencourt sat down with Dr. Sondra Cosgrove, a history professor at the College of Southern Nevada.
Cosgrove helped break down the biggest themes and real-time takeaways from last night's State of the Union address.
"He talked a lot about affordability, and I think he was talking about it in a way we haven't heard him talk about it for quite a while," she said. "Wasn't talking about tariffs or the kind of the problems he's having, maybe with the U.S. Supreme Court, but really how are his policies impacting average people.
"There was also a clear focus on working and middle class concerns."
The biggest takeaway, in Cosgrove's opinion, for anyone who didn't catch the address live?
"You're going to hear a lot about affordability. You're going to hear a lot about people's pocketbooks," she said. "It's going to be on us, I think, to be able to go out and say, you know, are my groceries more expensive? Is it maybe just what I'm feeling? How's you know, gas? We're going to have to be responsible for our own information. We just need to make sure that we're taking some time out of our busy lives to do a little fact checking on our own."
We also want to hear your thoughts on last night's address and the impact you think some of the proposed policies could have. Click on the banner below to share your questions and concerns with us directly.
