Six weeks into his tumultuous return to the White House, President Donald Trump strode to the podium in front of a sharply divided Congress – and showed how much he has changed Washington in such a short stretch of time.
“It has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country. We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplish in four years or eight years – and we are just getting started,” Mr. Trump declared in his first joint address to Congress since returning to the White House.
The speech comes amid a wild sprint in American history. Mr. Trump has deputized billionaire Elon Musk to slash the federal government, laying off thousands of workers in unpredictable spurts. Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance upbraided the president of Ukraine in the Oval Office last Friday, then cut off military aid to the U.S. ally. And the stock market has just gone through a two-day selloff triggered by the president’s decision to levy heavy tariffs on Canada and Mexico, the U.S.’s top trading partners.
Why We Wrote This
In his first speech to Congress since retaking office, President Donald Trump touted his accomplishments on the border and going after waste in government. On the economy, he cautioned that there might be ‘a little disturbance.’
Presidential joint addresses and State of the Union speeches are often dull laundry lists of policy proposals. This was lighter on that front than normal – even compared to Mr. Trump’s previous addresses – and more focused on political score-settling. The president brought in guests to highlight political wedge issues, from immigration and crime to transgender women in sports.
The speech itself isn’t likely to have a lasting legacy. What matters more for Mr. Trump’s political future is the issue that handed him the election – inflation. If his tariffs, massive government layoffs, proposed tax plans, and other actions help boost the economy, his approval rating will likely hold steady or rise, and he’ll have more leeway for his other policies. If they trigger higher prices and rising unemployment rates, his presidency may soon be on the rocks.
Defending tariffs as they shake markets
Mr. Trump spent a solid chunk of his long speech blaming his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for high inflation, while defending his tariff plan. In a notable moment, he tacitly admitted the tariffs might cause short-term economic pain.
“Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again. And it’s happening, and it will happen rather quickly. There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re OK with that. It won’t be much,” he promised.
He said that wider reciprocal tariffs will land on April 2.
“I wanted to make it April 1st, but I didn’t want to be accused of April Fool’s Day,” he said. “I’m a very superstitious person.”
The acrimony in the room was palpable all night, in both directions. Not long after Mr. Trump began his speech, Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas stood up and shouted that he didn’t have a mandate to cut Medicaid (as might occur through Republican legislation), waving his cane at the president. After refusing to sit down, he was escorted out of the House chamber, as some Republican lawmakers gleefully chanted “sha-nah-nah-nah, hey hey hey, goodbye.”
Mr. Trump opened his speech by bragging about his 2024 election win. He relitigated his criminal cases: “We ended weaponized government where, as an example, a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent, like me. How did that work out? Not too good,” he said. He slammed Democrats on border security. He went on a long riff making misleading claims about widespread Social Security fraud based on deceptive figures about people over the age of 100 in the program’s database that he suggested were receiving benefits. He executed made-for-TV moments, like making a 13-year-old who had been diagnosed with brain cancer an honorary U.S. Secret Service agent.
Partisan flourishes on both sides
And time and again, Mr. Trump gleefully trolled Democrats.
“This is my fifth such speech to Congress, and once again, I look at the Democrats in front of me, and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy, or to make them stand or smile or applaud. Nothing I can do,” he said early on. “For the good of our nation, let’s work together, and let’s truly make America great again.”
He later interrupted his remarks to mock Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts as “Pocahontas,” his longtime nickname for her. Senator Warren clapped sardonically, and told reporters afterward that Mr. Trump’s speech had been “one lie heaped on another.”
Democrats tried – and largely failed – to find a cohesive way to push back. As Mr. Trump boasted about his strong support for law enforcement, some in the chamber yelled back “Jan. 6,” referring to his supporters’ Capitol riot, which wounded many police officers. Democratic lawmakers filed out in dribs and drabs, though most of them weren’t shown on TV broadcasts. They held up black-and-white signs saying “Musk steals” and “False.” But the pushback was disjointed.
Mr. Trump went very long, basking in the moment. He was at the podium for just under 100 minutes, the longest joint session or State of the Union in modern history.
“It’s late, so I promise to be a lot shorter than what you just watched,” quipped Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin as she began the Democratic response.
Staff writer Caitlin Babcock contributed to this report.
