President Obama spoke about the U.S. economy, invoking Theodore Roosevelt's populism and challenging Republican belief in trickle-down economic theory. In his remarks he said the theory spoke to individualism but "has never worked," and that the nation was at "a make-or-break moment for the middle class." He promoted his economic priorities, including the extension and expansion of Social Security payroll tax cuts, and said a strong economy started with education, which he declared a "national mission."