It’s Showtime!
President Trump loves an audience. This was clear when on February 24th, 2026, with a global audience, Trump made his State of the Union (SOTU) address and declared the state of the Union is ‘strong!’ Specifically, he bellowed, it is ‘Bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before.’ He continued by declaring, ‘This is the golden age of America.’ Likewise, he concluded his speech by stating ‘the golden age of America is upon us’ implying the content of his speech had confirmed this supposed ‘golden age.’
The Golden Age of America
There have been many countries with a ‘golden age.’ The golden ages of Greece, Rome, China and even the previous ‘gilded age’ of America are characterized as periods of ‘peace, harmony, stability and prosperity.’ Often, the prosperity of those in charge outshines the reality of peace, harmony and stability for the majority of the nation’s citizens. Is this a golden age for America or a golden age for Trump and his associates?
Peace
Peace Protecting
Trump directly spoke about ‘peace’ only three times during his speech. He used the phrase ‘peace protecting’ regarding the ‘many of the wars’ he has ‘settled.’ He made clear that without ‘the threat of tariffs’ he ‘wouldn’t have been able to settle them.’ In this world, money is both the stick and the carrot. Even with the threats of increased tariffs, many of those wars that Trump claims to have ended, are far from a long-term state of peace. Tensions that could lead to war or are already back to full out wars continue between Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and the Congo and Rwanda.
Making Peace – Confronting Threats
The second mention of peace from Trump was in regards to the US attack on Iran in June of 2025. He said ‘I will make peace wherever I can, but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must.’ He then boasted about ‘taking out Soleimani’ during his first term and obliterating Iran’s nuclear weapons this past June. Trump painted a picture of an ongoing threat from Iran because ‘they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United Stated of America.’ This is how he continually moves the goal posts to justify ongoing military aggression.
Peace Through Strength
In the few mentions of peace, the speech quickly turned to war. This is no coincidence. Trump’s last mention of peace was in regards to the US having the most powerful military on earth. How does more weapons, more warriors and a trillion-dollar military budget lead to peace? This is the foundation of the idea of achieving peace through the threat of military strength. Just as in the time of Rome’s ‘Pax Roman’ or golden age, the US is using the threat of war and actual wars to ‘make peace.’ For a more detailed look at ‘peace through strength’ read this article called ‘Blessed are the Peacemakers.’
“There is no king (ruler/government) saved by the multitude of an host (army/military): a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse (armored for war) is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. …Our soul waits for the LORD: He is our help and our shield.”
Psalm 33:16-20
“He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity: he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith/confidence of the saints/Holy Ones.”
Revelation 13:10
Harmony
A House Divided
Throughout the speech, Trump goaded the Democrats while the Democrats shouted back ‘liar’ and ‘you have killed Americans.’ Several news outlets called the speech ‘combative’ and this was true from both sides of the aisle. The chaos that now plays out during the SOTU address is no longer surprising, but lays bare the great political divide between the two dominant parties. The US government is anything but harmonious. If this is how adults running the most powerful nation in the world treat each other, it is no wonder the citizens are also in constant conflict. A blatant indicator of the lack of harmony is the current government shutdown. Those in charge can not even keep the government running.
“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:”
Matthew 12:25
“For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.”
Isaiah 9:16
Trump against the World
The US is also at odds with many nations around the world. In 2026 alone, Trump has threatened to take over Greenland, carried out a coup in Venezuela and implemented an oil embargo on Cuba that is crippling the nation. Just days after his speech, the US bombed Iran. The constant threat of increased tariffs on goods from countries around the world exhibit the lack of global harmony. Just as Trump claims peace is achieved through the threat of military might, countries look to achieve financial prosperity with the threat of tariffs. Harmony is an absence of conflict. It does not exist while there is conflict or a threat of conflict.
Harmony with God?
Trump reached out directly to his Christian base during this speech and stressed that the US is one nation under God. Trump spoke about the surviving guardsman who was shot while patrolling in Washington DC. The man ‘with God’s help’ made a ‘miraculous recovery’ after his mother told Trump ‘Everybody is praying… he will be okay.’ Trump also highlighted the survival of a military officer who was injured during the capture of Venezuela’s president. The officer was wearing dog tags blessed with holy water.
Lastly, Trump claimed God needs the US to work His miracles. Specifically, Trump said, ‘And when God needs a nation to work his miracles, he knows exactly who to ask.’ What are those miracles? According to Trump they are overcoming challenges, conquering vast frontiers, bold dreams and claiming distant horizons.
Wow! This mindset is not in harmony with God! Trump is putting himself above God with these statements. God’s creation needs Him, not the other way around! There is no harmony between God and Trump and that is a very bad place to be!
“Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that does the Will of my Father which is in Heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in you name? and in you name have cast out demons? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.”
Matthew 7:21-23
Stability
Stability, another aspect of a ‘golden age,’ is not a word most American’s would use to describe the current state of the Union. Conflicts at home and abroad dominate the news headlines. Americans experience tribulation from crime, extreme weather, poverty, homelessness, diseases and high costs on a daily basis. Trump himself recognized the need to address rising housing costs, energy and food prices, healthcare costs and fraud. While Trump claims improvements in several of these areas, Americans are less confident. Trump’s approval rating, a measure of the public’s alignment with the president, is currently below 40%.
The on-again, off-again tariffs have brought instability around the entire world. Peace agreements that exist on paper while airstrikes continue is hypocrisy. The world is anything but stable and the US has been at the center of that instability.
“… wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of your times, and strength of salvation: the fear/reverence of the LORD is His treasure.”
Isaiah 33:6
Prosperity
Ahhh, prosperity. This is where Trump really likes to shine. He touted a rising stock market, decreasing taxes and opportunities for Americans to get money from the government. He said 2.4 million Americans were ‘lifted’ off of food stamps. This is not because 2.4 million Americans suddenly made more money or had less expenses, but because the government changed the rules for who qualified and reduced funding for the program.
Trump boasted that more Americans are working than ever before. Why? In a family, it is more likely that both parents have to work to survive in this economy. This is not a good thing! At one point during the speech Trump touted his Big Beautiful Bill that eliminated tax on tips and overtime. He told a personal story regarding a family where the mom worked at night as a waitress and the dad worked overtime at his job. A reduction in taxes on this families income from tips and overtime is certainly helpful, but why are both parents having to work in the first place? In today’s ‘K-shaped’ economy both parents must work to pay the bills.
A ‘K-shaped’ economy is when the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The economic divide is widening. There are over 35 million Americans living below the poverty line. Over 750,000 Americans are homeless with that number continuing to rise. Meanwhile, the rich continue to get richer. The rich are the ones who benefit the most from the rising stock market, the military-industrial complex and tariff wars. In other words this is a golden age, but it is a golden age for the few running the country, while the rest are struggling with the cost of living.
A Golden Age of Trump
Trump is looking at the world through gold-colored glasses. While wars rage, tribulation worsens and Americans are in poverty, Trump is surrounded by the richest cabinet of advisors ever assembled. Trump’s state of the Union is ‘strong’ for the few at the top. For them, the union is ‘Bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before.’ Meanwhile, the state of the Union is weak and unstable for the rest.
Looking to God’s Word, the US government is the beast that speaks great swelling words about God, that no one can war with. This beast divides the land for gain or profit!
“But in his estate/place shall he honor the god of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.”
Daniel 11:38-39