'Cringe': Trump's SOTU speech derided as 'national embarrassment' by internet

A wave of critiques rolled in Tuesday night after President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, with plenty of people saying that the president's speech sounded eerily like one of his MAGA campaign rallies.

The president gave a rambling, record-breaking speech in the House Chamber amid growing concerns over his handling of priorities among voters, the economy and looming potential military action with Iran.

People shared their reactions on social media:

"This is a MAGA variety show masquerading as a #SOTU using campaign rally rhetoric. It is a national embarrassment and the world sees it as such," BBC political analyst Mary Anne Marsh wrote on X.

"MAGA has become cringe. I'm not sure when it happened. But, as a movement, it has become cringe. It has become everything it poked fun at with progressives with they way they react to events and talk about society. They've even created their own vocabulary. It's fascinating," fintech growth specialist Spencer Horton wrote on X.

"This isn’t a state of the union. It’s a MAGA rally, complete with tirades, partisan aggression, and wandering stories. And of course, it’s really long," Robert E. Kelly, professor of political science at Pusan National University in South Korea, wrote on X.

"To everyone watching the SOTU — welcome to a Trump rally!! Once upon a time, overtly political speeches on the House floor were frowned upon. They were meant to call for unity and speak to the American people. That changed with Trump…. and yet, MAGA blames the press for a divided country," Sofia B. Kinzinger, wife of former Rep. Adam Kinzinger and longtime GOP comms strategist, wrote on X.

"We’ve learned nothing about the state of our union in this nearly 2-hour rally. No sense of where we’re headed or what’s going on with Iran. It’s all just a show for Trump. Once again, his ego reigns supreme and takes something away from the many remarkable stories and people recognized tonight. And that’s really quite sad. #SOTU," communications consultant and strategist Maura Gillespie wrote on X.