US President Donald Trump has vowed to keep up his campaign of “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy.
His comments came in an unyielding address to Congress that left Democratic legislators registering their dissent with stone faces, placards calling out “lies” and one member’s ejection.
The president’s address, clocking in at a record 99 minutes, added up to a defiant sales pitch for the policies Mr Trump promised during his campaign and leaned into during his first weeks back in office.
President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)
He pledged to keep delivering sweeping change to rescue the nation from what he described as destruction and mistakes left by his predecessor Joe Biden.
He seldom addressed his comments directly to the American people, who are trying to keep up with the recent upheaval, while repeatedly needling the Democratic lawmakers seated before him.
Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, who delivered the Democratic response, said: “America wants change, but there’s a responsible way to make change and a reckless way, and we can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country and as a democracy.”
Emboldened after overcoming impeachments in his first term, outlasting criminal prosecutions in between his two administrations and getting a tight grip on the Republican-led Congress, Mr Trump has embarked on a mission to dismantle parts of the federal government, remake the relationship with America’s allies and slap on tariffs that have sparked a North American trade war.
“It has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action,” he said of his opening weeks in office. “The people elected me to do the job, and I am doing it.”
Mr Trump, who has billionaire adviser Elon Musk orchestrating his efforts to slash the size and scope of the federal government, said he is working to “reclaim democracy from this unaccountable bureaucracy” and threatened federal workers anew with firings if they resist his agenda.
Mr Musk, who was seated in the House gallery, received a pair of standing ovations from Republicans in the chamber, as the president exaggerated and shared false claims about alleged government abuse uncovered by the Tesla and SpaceX founder and his team of disrupters.
We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity.
Mr Trump repeated false claims that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments, prompting some Democrats to shout, “Not true!” and “Those are lies!”
He seemed prepared to double down on his trade policies, which experts have warned will raise prices for consumers.
“Whatever they tariff us, we tariff them. Whatever they tax us, we tax them,” he said.
At the same time, he tried to ease concerns about the resulting price increases, saying: “There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re okay with that. It won’t be much.”
He said one of his “very highest priorities” was to rescue the economy and offer relief to working families. He promised to organise the federal government to lower costs on eggs and energy, blaming Mr Biden for the situation and offering scant details of his own plans.
Mr Trump also called for the extension of his first-term tax cuts and additional federal funding for his border crackdown, including for his promised efforts at “mass deportation” of people in the US illegally.
He celebrated his crackdown on migration, saying: “It turns out all we really needed was a new president.”
Speaking about his promised tax cuts, he seemed to goad Democrats, saying: “I’m sure you’re going to vote for those tax cuts. Because otherwise I don’t believe the people will ever vote you into office”.
Elon Musk claps during Mr Trump’s address (Win McNamee/Pool Photo/AP)
The backdrop was the new economic uncertainty unleashed after the president opened the day by placing stiff tariffs on imports from the country’s neighbours and closest trading partners.
A 25% tax on goods from Canada and Mexico went into effect early on Tuesday — ostensibly to secure greater co-operation to tackle fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration — triggering immediate retaliation and sparking fears of a wider trade war. Mr Trump also raised tariffs on goods from China to 20%.
Republicans were boisterous as Mr Trump stepped to the lectern in the House, chanting “USA! USA!” as the president basked in the cheers.
Across the aisle, out-of-power Democrats set the tone early, with most remaining seated without applauding or making eye contact with Mr Trump as he was introduced in the chamber.
After several interruptions, House Speaker Mike Johnson jumped in and called for decorum to be restored in the chamber as Republicans shouted “USA” to drown out the cries from the other side of the aisle. Mr Johnson then ordered Texas Representative Al Green to be removed from the chamber.
“It’s worth it to let people know that there are some people who are going to stand up” to Mr Trump, Mr Green told reporters after being thrown out of the chamber.
Other Democrats held up signs including “Save Medicaid” and “Protect Veterans”, seeking to drive public awareness to elements of the president’s agenda they believed might offer them a pathway back to the majority.
We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity.
Some Democrats chose to highlight the impact of Mr Trump’s actions by inviting fired federal workers as guests, including a disabled veteran from Arizona, a health worker from Maryland and a forestry employee who worked on wildfire prevention in California.
Mr Trump used his speech to address his proposals for fostering peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, where he has unceremoniously upended the policies of the Biden administration in a matter of just weeks. On Monday, Mr Trump ordered a freeze to US military assistance to Ukraine, ending years of staunch American support for the country in fending off Russia’s invasion.
He also recited a letter he received earlier on Tuesday from president Volodymyr Zelensky, saying the Ukrainian leader wants to come back to the table after an explosive Oval Office meeting last week broke down negotiations for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
“We’ve had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace,” Mr Trump said. “Wouldn’t that be beautiful?”
He also announced the arrest of a suspect in the 2021 suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed US troops during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Mr Trump’s one hour and 39 minute speech was the longest annual address a president has delivered to Congress, breaking Bill Clinton’s record of one hour and 28 minutes.
Republicans cheered the conclusion of Mr Trump’s address with chants that echoed his words after he was struck in the ear by a bullet: “Fight! Fight! Fight!”