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Six weeks after being sworn in for a second term, in a tense atmosphere, President Donald Trump began his first address to the US Congress with the declaration "America is back," which prompted Republican lawmakers to chant "America."
"We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations in four or eight years, and we have only just begun," he told a joint session of Congress.
In his characteristic style, filled with hyperbole, Trump emphasized that many believed he had had the most successful start to a presidency in US history.
He boasted about changing the national atmosphere toward “pride” and “confidence,” comparing himself to George Washington and extolling the magnitude of his electoral victory.
The beginning of his presidency, filled with powerful events, gave Trump the opportunity to use a lot of material to cover up.
He listed a series of notable achievements: hundreds of executive orders and actions, a freeze on foreign aid, reductions in illegal border crossings, and withdrawals from international organizations and agreements.
He also highlighted the ban on transgender athletes in women's sports and efforts to remove "smart ideology" from American schools and the military.
“Wake-up is trouble. Wake-up is bad. It’s gone, it’s gone, and we feel a lot better about it, don’t we?” he said.
Meanwhile, Democrats, who filled half the audience in the House of Representatives, remained quiet as Trump continued to blame them, former President Joe Biden and "radical leftist lunatics" for all of the country's problems.
Several dozen held small signs with words like "fake" and "lie."
Trump, known for his aggressive style, took pleasure in using the speech to criticize political opponents.
He mocked Democrats who didn't cheer and used the nickname "Pocahontas" for Senator Elizabeth Warren, bitterly noting that efforts to prosecute his opponents had failed.
After a few minutes, Trump was interrupted by noise and boos from Democratic lawmakers. House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered Democratic lawmaker Al Green, who had left to protest proposed cuts to Medicaid health insurance for low-income Americans, to be removed from the chamber.
After about 30 minutes, Trump moved on to the tasks that still awaited him, using more than an hour and 40 minutes to outline his policies.
The speech became more vague as he talked about increasing "small business optimism" and blamed Biden for the poor state of the economy, including the rising price of eggs.
Trump promised to "save" the economy and provide "dramatic and immediate relief for working families."
He mentioned Elon Musk in the audience and said the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) would reduce inflation by cutting wasteful spending and fraud. “Thank you, Elon. You’re working hard,” Trump added, gesturing to the Democratic side of the chamber: “Everybody here, including this side, appreciates it, I think.”
Trump backed his immigration policies and defended the tariffs, which he said "protected the soul of the nation."
However, most economists warn that these policies could increase prices for American consumers.
He acknowledged that imposing tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China could cause "concerns," but assured that he would continue with the trade war.
Another promise was to balance the budget, which drew applause from Republican lawmakers, but he did not provide clear details on specific cuts, other than hoping that Congress would pass further tax cuts.
Although foreign policy is often under-addressed in these speeches, Trump mentioned a desire for an annexation of Greenland, the Panama Canal and other Middle Eastern shortcuts.
He also highlighted negotiations with Russia for peace in Ukraine, reading a letter sent by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressing a willingness to work with Trump on a deal.
At the end of the speech, which was longer than any other presidential address to Congress, Democrats rose to leave the room.
They left Trump buoyed by his supporters, who found plenty of reasons to stand by him and cheer for him, while critics continued to mock him.
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