President Donald Trump used his first presidential report to Congress in five years to take a partisan, defiant victory lap on the border and manage expectations regarding the economy, as Democratic protests, once animated against the president, fell flat.
“America is back,” Trump told the country on Tuesday. “Our country is on the verge of a comeback, the likes of which the world has never witnessed and perhaps will never witness again.”
Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, which started Tuesday at 9:18 p.m. before it was interrupted by a protest from Rep. Al Green (D-TX), came days after last week’s showdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
Trump’s speech, the longest in history, also came hours after he imposed 25% tariffs on traditional allies Canada and Mexico, sending the stock market into a downward spiral.
But as critics complain about those and other decisions Trump has made since inauguration, including his support of Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency, they simultaneously earn the president praise from his own proponents.
The White House previewed Trump’s prime-time remarks, themed “The Renewal of the American Dream,” as an opportunity for him to champion what he has achieved during the last two-and-a-half months, though he commemorated last year’s election win as well. The president’s reminiscing is what prompted Green’s response before House Speaker Mike Johnson had him removed.
“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,” Trump said. “Just this one night, why not join us in celebrating so many incredible wins for America”
The president added later: “Americans have given us a mandate for bold and profound change.”
In addition to underscoring the record-breaking number of executive actions he has taken since inauguration, including withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, the World Health Organization, and the U.N. Human Rights Council, Trump emphasized his efforts to reduce regulations, reform the federal government, and introduce sweeping policies, from renaming the Gulf of Mexico and dictating that there are only two genders to even trying to end birthright citizenship.
“We amended weaponized government, where, as an example, a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent like me. How did that work out?” he asked Democrats. “Our country will be woke no longer.”
But amid the stock market’s reaction to his tariff announcements, a White House official told the Washington Examiner that Trump would amplify what he has done and will continue to do to “fix the economic mess created by the Biden administration and end inflation for all Americans.”
“My very highest priorities is to rescue our economy and get dramatic and immediate relief to working families,” Trump said. “Joe, Biden, especially, let the price of eggs get out of control,” he added to audible groans from Democrats.
Regardless of the Dow losing 670 points, or 1.55%, at 42,521 because of the tariffs on Tuesday, Trump appeared undeterred with reciprocal duties expected to go into effect on April 2.
“Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again,” he said. “It’s happening and it will happen rather quickly. There will be a little disturbance, but we’re okay with that.”
The White House has conceded to the Washington Examiner that February’s consumer price index, poised to be published next week, could undermine Trump’s campaign pledge to decrease inflation from day one.
Trump had hoped his energy policies would put downward pressure on prices, but inflation increased in the month ending January by 0.5% for an annual rate of 3%.
To that end, Trump announced Tuesday that his administration had approved “a gigantic natural gas pipeline in Alaska, among the largest in the world, where Japan, South Korea, and other nations want to be our partner.”
“Later this week, I will also take historic action to dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths here in the USA,” he said.
At the same time, Trump welcomed the improvements at the border, including recording “the lowest numbers of illegal border crossers ever.”
“The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation,” he said. “We must have legislation to secure the border, but it turned out that all we really needed was a new president.”
Trump did used the platform Tuesday to implore Congress to provide more funding for his administration to deport illegal immigrants and build the border wall as Republicans, who have majorities, however slim, in both chambers, remain in disagreement over how to keep the federal government open after March 14 and pass the president’s priorities, including tax code changes.
“We’re seeking permanent income tax cuts all across the board, and to get urgently needed relief to Americans hit especially hard by inflation I’m calling for no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security benefits for our great seniors,” he said.
Earlier Tuesday, the White House made public some of the special guests who would accompany first lady Melania Trump and sit beside her in her box inside the House of Representatives.
Guests included the family of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who was killed during the first attempt on Trump’s life last summer in Butler, Pennsylvania, and Marc Fogel, the history teacher, also from Butler, whose freedom the administration secured last month after being wrongly detained by Russia for 14 years.
The family of Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student who was murdered last year by an illegal immigrant and for whom the first bill Trump signed into law, an immigration and border security measure, is named, were also in attendance.
In the past, Trump, a former reality TV star, has taken advantage of the spotlight to create made-for-TV moments.
For example Trump surprised radio talk host Rush Limbaugh in 2020 by presenting him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom midevent. Two weeks earlier, Limbaugh had been diagnosed with lung cancer before dying from the disease in 2021.
The White House did tease “surprise” guests Tuesday night, with Musk present. The billionaire entrepreneur, who was welcomed with tepid applause, was reprimanded by U.S. Capitol Police for recording in the room, which is not permitted.
“He’s working very hard,” Trump said. “We got it just in time. This is just the beginning.”
Despite a White House official confirming that Trump will focus on domestic politics, he will likely not overlook foreign policy, particularly Ukraine. There was even speculation that the rare earth minerals deal could be announced by the president from behind the podium.
Meanwhile, Democrats were seeking to bring to the fore public dissatisfaction with DOGE by bringing fired federal employees upset by the cuts.
“We think one of the best ways to let the American people know how horrible Donald Trump’s first 30 days have been is to bring those who have been affected, the victims of his malevolence, of his desire, tax breaks to the billionaires and make Americans pay for it,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Tuesday.
But Democratic protests, even Green’s, did not break through, as lawmakers waved “False/Save Medicaid” placards or departed with shirts saying “resist” on the back.
Earlier, the House Freedom Caucus placed Democrats “on notice” to demonstrate decorum, despite Republicans development a reputation for rabble-rousing under Biden.
“The President’s address to tonight’s joint session of Congress is a constitutional obligation — not a sideshow for Democrats to use noisemakers, make threats, throw things or otherwise disrupt,” the group’s leadership wrote. “Our colleagues are on notice that the heckler’s veto will not be tolerated. You will be censured. We expect the Sergeant at Arms and Capitol Police to take appropriate action against any Members of Congress or other persons violating House rules.”
TRUMP LIKELY TO EASE CANADA AND MEXICO TARIFFS ON WEDNESDAY: LUTNICK
#SOTU Warning from the HFC board
“The President’s address to tonight’s joint session of Congress is a constitutional obligation — not a sideshow for Democrats to use noisemakers, make threats, throw things or otherwise disrupt. Our colleagues are on notice that the…
— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) March 5, 2025
Trump holds the record for the longest average address to Congress at one hour and 15 minutes, drawing his largest audience of 47.7 million viewers in 2017.
Vice President JD Vance was overheard asking Johnson beforehand how he bears these occasions “for 90 minutes.”
“The hardest thing was doing it during Biden, when the speech was a stupid campaign speech,” Johnson replied.
Samantha-Jo Roth and Rachel Schilke contributed to this report.
