President Trump gave his first Congress speech of his second term on Tuesday evening.
It was an opportunity to highlight the drastic changes he created in the six weeks since the president returned to the White House, and to protect those moves from many of his critics.
The day before the speech was dominated by two issues: Ukraine and the economy.
The first topic is in flux amidst responses from last week's intense meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance and Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky.
In the economy, stock markets were disappointed on Tuesday amid concerns about Trump's latest tariffs targeting Mexico, Canada and China.
There was a lot of other news on Tuesday night.
This is a big takeaway.
Defending big changes in provocative tone
Trump stated his case from the moment he opened his speech, characterising his first few weeks of inauguration as being marked by “quick and relentless behavior.”
Over the next about 100 minutes, he puts meat in that argument, referring to his restrictions on illegal immigration, and his executive order “with heart” attacks the work of billionaire ally Elon Musk, and Trump's own attack on what he calls Washington's bureaucratic “swamp.”
Musk was dressed in speeches and in lawsuits, but some Democrats held signs declaring “musk stealing.”
Trump argued that the general opinion was the wind on his back. “Americans have given us a bold, deep mandate of change,” he said.
But do they have it?
Trump defeated Vice President Harris in the popularity poll last November with just 1.5 points. Polls show that Americans have been closely divided into his performance up until now, with Musk, the central figure, being divided by that day.
Trump has adopted a provocative tone of the Democrats in many of his speeches.
The president referred to former President Biden as “the worst president in American history,” referring to a criminal case that added, “How did that work?” And when she praised her ongoing aid to Ukraine, she revived the old, derog-like nickname for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
“You want to continue that for another five years? Yes? You're going to say – Pocahontas says yes,” Trump said, nodding in Warren's direction.
Warren asks a while if she was surprised by the jab, “No. The whole speech was a fantasy Donald Trump was trying to build.”
Ukraine's slight softening
Trump has gained a more hostile tone towards Zelensky than last week. However, it remains unclear exactly how the president will move forward.
The president said he received a letter from Zelensky on Tuesday, but appeared to refer to the same message that the Ukrainian president posted on social media.
Nevertheless, Trump characterized the message as “important” – particularly regarding Ukrainian willingness to sign Ukrainian mineral contracts that the United States has sought.
However, the president did not make a security guarantee, but the Ukrainians deemed it important.
Trump claimed that his administration “has had serious discussions with Russia and received a strong signal that they were ready for peace.”
“Isn't that beautiful?” he added.
He did not offer any specificity about what these “signals” are and how Russian President Vladimir Putin may be prepared to admit that he would end the war that his February 2022 invasion began.
Trump's suspension of military aid to Ukraine, which caused trembling across Europe, remains intact.
Relying on immigrants
Immigration was Trump's only powerful issue during last year's election campaign, with polls saying voters preferred his more difficult boundaries over the Democrats' approach with a massive margin.
So it wasn't surprising that Trump leaned heavily towards the issue Tuesday night.
One of his loudest applause came when he chuckled at people who had suggested that a significant reduction in fraudulent migration would only come through the passage of major laws.
“It turns out that all we really needed was a new president,” he said.
Trump also highlighted the most emotional elements of the issue, paying tribute to Laiken Riley, a 22-year-old student killed by unauthorized immigrants in Georgia in 2024, and Jocelyn Nungarei, a 12-year-old girl killed in Texas in 2024.
Riley's sister and mother attended the speech, as did Nungarei's mother. All three were directly recognized by Trump.
More broadly, Trump argued that his “most drastic borders and immigrant oppression in American history” helped him achieve “the greatest liberation of America.”
Customs Defence – “A Little Disturbance” – receives a warm welcome
One of the most important passages in the address was Trump's defense of his tariffs and a prominent response he received even from Republicans.
Trump's rationale for tariffs seemed to meander from time to time.
He argued that they were necessary to stop the US being used by other countries, and that it would help American farmers stop foreign competition and boost the country's finances.
However, the fact that his speech happened on the second day of the sudden stock market, and in surprise from some conservatives, robbed those debates.
“Taxes are about enriching America again, making America great again, and that's happening and it's going to happen pretty quickly,” Trump said.
“There's a bit of a hindrance, but it's fine. That's not that much,” Trump insisted.
Republicans have been officially praised, but they have significantly less enthusiasm than when Trump was in a safer position.
Democrat Al Green's protest will be removed
Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) suspended Trump early in his speech.
Greene fought back Trump's claim that he had a wide range of orders and instead protested that the president had no “obligation to cut Medicaid.”
After warnings from speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Greene is engaged in “cosy” affairs, and Texas lawmakers submitted a perpetrator to Trump during his first term and said he would do so again last month – continued to express his objection.
Green was eventually escorted out of the room without any resistance.
Shortly afterwards, Green told reporters, “Because it was the most effective way to reach someone who uses his contradiction to our courtesy.”
Green also admitted that he might face some form of sanctions in order to protest.
“Whatever the punishment is, I'm not fighting it,” Green said.
Additional Reports: Alexander Bolton, Jared Guns.
