From Epstein files to ICE shootings: Trump omitted THESE explosive issues from his nearly 2 hrs SOTU speech

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Feb 24) delivered his address at the State of the Union of his second term to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the United States Capitol. During his 1-hour 48-minute-long speech, the Republican leader touted the “golden age” of America as he talked about several topics, ranging from the crackdown on drug smuggling in the US and illegal immigrants, low mortgage rates, and a massive surge in investments.

Trump urged Congress to pass the ‘Delilah law’ that bars illegal immigrants from getting commercial driver’s licences, and repeat US policy will not allow Iran to pursue ‘sinister ambitions’ of nuclear weapons. He also did not forget to slam his predecessor, Joe Biden, and the Democrats in the longest State of the Union speech. The US president even reiterated his claims on ending eight so-called wars during his term in office and went as far as suggesting a third term. However, he steer cleared of pressing issues that matter to millions of Americans.

Here are some key issues Trump did not mention in his speech:

Epstein files

Trump did not mention the Jeffrey Epstein files even once during his address to Congress. Despite the issue dominating the headlines for months after the Department of Justice released millions of files on an investigation into the crimes of the late sex offender and his associates, Trump decided to ignore the matter. The US president, who has been accused of allegedly raping minors and having ties with Epstein, did not pay heed to the survivors of Epstein, who were witnessing his speech in the Capitol and demanded the transparent release of files. Meanwhile, reports have suggested that several documents related to the probe are still missing from the released batch of files from the DOJ.

Renee Good’s killing

In his speech, the Republican did not mention the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three and a US citizen, who was shot dead in her car by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis during a protest against federal agents’ deployment as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown. While the Trump administration labelled her a threat and called the incident an act of self-defence, videos shared on social media raised doubts about their justification. Notably, Trump did mention his immigration stance. He once again defended his administration’s crackdown against illegal immigration, giving a list of crimes committed by “illegal aliens” – at least one of which was a false claim.

Alex Pretti’s death

In a similar anti-ICE protest, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot several times by two US Customs and Border Protection agents in Minnesota. The Trump administration defended the killing by saying that Pretti was armed and dangerous, but the videos shared on social media by bystanders showed him shielding other protesters from the federal agents, who were pushing and pepper-spraying them. The shooting has sparked outrage among the public as none of the videos shared online showed Pretti wielding a weapon. Trump did not mention this incident in his lengthy speech as well.

Nancy Guthrie’s abduction

Another pressing issue of the abduction of NBC broadcaster Savannah Guthrie’s mother was not present in Trump’s speech at the State of the Union. The 84-year-old was taken from her Arizona home. She was last seen at her residence on January 31 and was reported missing by her family at approximately noon the next day, after she didn’t show up to her regular church service, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. Guthrie’s disappearance has gained national and international attention as investigators race to locate her and catch her kidnappers. However, while Trump initially showed concern about the kidnapping, he suggested last week that to move on from the subject.

On Thursday (Feb 19), Trump told reporters, “We have to start reporting on other subjects also and see what happens. It’s a very sad situation.”

“I didn’t like when they were talking about they’re going after the pacemaker. Before they even started going after it, they’re coming and reporting it. If, in fact, they could do it that way, the person would say, ‘Well, I'm not gonna let that happen,’ right? So bad things would happen and he’s not going to let that happen,” Trump had said.