Trump's speech to Congress: What are the main points?
President Donald Trump declared that “the American dream is unstoppable” in his first address to a packed joint session of the US Congress since returning to power.
In the longest presidential address to lawmakers on record, he laid out his vision for his second term. At the same time, Republicans praised a high-octane six weeks that have reshaped domestic and foreign policy.
In the face of Trump’s fiercest prime-time showdown, Democrats have lambasted him, and he has fired back, saying his administration is “starting over the top.”
The Republican president has taken tough steps to reduce the federal workforce and crack down on immigration while imposing tariffs on America’s biggest trading partners and shaking up the transatlantic alliance over the Ukraine war.
Here are six key takeaways.
Trump's Tariff Prediction: We're Going to Have a Tough Time Ahead
But in contrast to the applause that greeted his other policy goals, many Republicans sat out, signaling how Trump's import tariffs have divided his party.
"Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again," he said.
Trump also said the United States would "implement" reciprocal tariffs on trading partners starting April 2nd.
US-Ukraine relations could be mended
Trump said he had received a "significant letter" from Ukraine's leader the previous day, which matched a letter Volodymyr Zelenskyy had publicly posted on social media.
The Ukrainian president said he was now ready to "come to the negotiating table as soon as possible under Trump's strong leadership" to end the war and "bring lasting peace closer."
"I'm grateful that he sent that letter," Trump told lawmakers.
Zelenskyy's olive branch proposal came a day after Trump cut off all military aid to the war-torn US ally.
After a tense meeting in the Oval Office last week, the two leaders sparred in front of TV cameras, then scrapped plans to sign a mineral deal that would have helped the United States benefit from economic partnerships involving Ukraine’s resources.
During his speech to Congress, Trump had hoped to announce that the deal had finally been signed. But it never materialized.
He had Greenland, not Lesotho, in mind.
While much of his 99-minute speech focused on domestic issues, Trump’s worldview was more clearly expressed.
There are places in the world where he wants to extend U.S. influence and places where he wants to withdraw.
He reiterated America’s desire to acquire Greenland: "We will get it — no matter what.” He said his administration would “restore” the Panama Canal.
He mentioned several African countries when listing wasteful spending under his predecessor, Joe Biden. He said that Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, and Uganda were all unfairly benefiting from US aid.
But his most significant comment was about Lesotho, which he said "nobody ever listens" to despite receiving $8 million (£6.2 million) to promote LGBT rights.
He stood by Musk despite protests over cuts
The SpaceX and Tesla boss, dressed in a dark suit with a blue tie, stood to cheers from the crowd. "Thank you, Elon," the 78-year-old president said. zzzzz"He's working very hard. He didn't need this."
Musk's cuts have sparked some outrage at town hall meetings, and his orders to federal employees have been ignored at times by members of Trump's cabinet.
In the chamber, Democratic lawmakers held up signs reading "Mask stole" and "lied."
Doug claims he has already saved $105 billion, but that number cannot be independently verified. Receipts for $18.6 billion in savings have been released, but US media outlets have dissected the figures and reported accounting errors.
The Democratic response was loud and hopeful.
Within the first five minutes of the speech, Texas Sergeant-at-Arms Al Green was ejected from the chamber after refusing to accept the House Speaker's demand to stop cursing the president and take his seat.
As Trump spoke, other Democrats held up signs reading "That's a lie."
With Republicans in control of the White House, House of Representatives, and Senate, Democrats were largely leaderless on how to carry their message and fight back against the Trump administration's actions.
In protest, many Democratic women entered the House chamber wearing pink pantsuits. Dozens of their party members - some of whom had "Resistance" written on the back of their shirts - walked out of the chamber during the speech.
"There's nothing I can say to please them," Trump said, cheering partisan anger.
Democratic leadership chose Michigan's Elissa Slotkin - a first-term senator from a battleground state Trump won in November - to deliver the party's official response.
She accused Trump of "unprecedented handouts to his billionaire friends" and warned that "he could push us straight into a recession".
He is betting on energy to reduce inflation.
Trump promised voters that he would beat inflation once he returned to power, and he said in his speech that his goal would be to lower energy costs, opening the country to new oil and gas exploration.
Rising egg prices have been in the headlines in recent weeks, and Trump has made it clear who he blames for it.
“Joe Biden, in particular, has allowed egg prices to spiral out of control — and we’re working hard to bring them back down,” he added.
Egg prices have soared since the Biden administration ordered the culling of millions of egg-laying birds amid a bird flu outbreak last year, although prices have continued to rise early in Trump’s second presidency.
Inflation hit 3% last month but is well down from a peak of 9.1% in 2022.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday found that only one in three Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living
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👉Trump's speech to Congress: What are the main points?
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