U.S. President Donald Trump delivered an address exceeding one hour and forty minutes, making it the longest State of the Union speech in at least 60 years. 

In his speech on Tuesday evening local time, Trump highlighted what he described as achievements on domestic issues, including the economy, cost of living and immigration, as well as on international affairs such as his handling of matters in South America, the Middle East and relating to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Trump's address comes amid dropping approval ratings. According to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, Trump's job approval rating remains mired at 36 percent, marking a steep drop from the 48 percent in a CNN poll when he last addressed Congress a year ago.

Some Democratic lawmakers skipped Trump's address, while others attended nearby counter-events in a show of protest.

Tariff policies touted

Trump emphasized the importance of his tariff policies, crediting them with resolving disputes and driving a U.S. "economic turnaround." He even suggested that tariffs could potentially replace domestic income taxes.

Reporting from Washington, CGTN correspondent Nick Harper points out that the realities about tariffs may not be as bright as Trump portrays. 

"Bear in mind that the higher cost of those tariffs over the last year has been borne by Americans," Harper said. "About 95 percent of the cost has been passed on to American companies and American consumers, and Donald Trump knows that is a big problem for him."

Polls in the past few days also show that only 34 percent of Americans approve of Trump's tariff policy, and 64 percent of them are against it, according to a recent ABC/Washington Post/Ipsos poll.

"He is trying to tell the American public that he is doing what he can to bring down the cost of living, and tariffs are one of the things that he's using to make the U.S. economy better, but many Americans simply don't agree with that," Harper said.

On Iran situation: a military strike is possible if a deal cannot be reached

Trump's address also covers the recent progress on U.S.-Iran negotiations, saying a military strike is possible if a deal cannot be reached. 

Harper cautioned that the speech is angled towards an American audience, who will be voting in November's midterm elections, which could see Republicans lose control of the House of Representatives and the Senate to the Democratic Party. 

Harper said that Trump's speech did not make clear why the risks would justify military action, or why such action would benefit the American people or the broader Middle East region.

Immediately after Trump's address, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger delivered the Democratic Party's formal rebuttal, criticizing the current administration on issues including its handling of the Epstein case, cost of living, healthcare and immigration. 

"Americans deserve to know that their leaders are focused on addressing the problems that keep them up at night," Spanberger said.