- Trump is delivering an address to a joint session of Congress tonight.
- He used the moment to celebrate tariffs and the DOGE office’s efforts to cut spending.
- The address was at times raucous, with Democratic lawmakers protesting loudly through Trump’s remarks.
President Donald Trump began his speech on Tuesday evening by declaring to the nation that the US is on the verge of a historic comeback.
Trump celebrated tariffs during his speech, defending them by listing off tariffs that have been imposed on the US by other countries.
“We have been ripped off by every other country on earth,” he said.
The president announced earlier Tuesday that the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada would begin. The tax on imports would impact the price of goods ranging from fresh produce to automobile parts.
Trump also said he will balance the federal budget in part by offering $5 million gold cards for wealthy immigrants, all the while announcing sweeping tax cuts for US citizens.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan held a small whiteboard that said, “Start by paying your taxes.”
Republicans just passed a budget resolution that includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts which would add to the federal deficit.
Trump also attacked the CHIPS Act, calling it a “horrible, horrible thing.”
The CHIPS Act, a $280 billion legislative package to support chip manufacturing and R&D in the US, received bipartisan support and was signed into law by the Biden administration in 2022.
Trump’s opening remarks were quickly disrupted by Rep. Al Green of Texas, who was escorted out of the chamber after repeated warnings from House Speaker Mike Johnson.
“Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the Golden Age of America. From that moment on, it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country,” Trump said in his address to Congress. “We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplish in 4 years or 8 years — and we are JUST GETTING STARTED.”
Before he was escorted out, Green shouted, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!” at the president.
Trump also said he’ll “Make America Affordable Again” and blamed the Biden Administration for sky-high inflation and increasing the price of eggs.
In reality, Trump inherited a US economy that has largely recovered from its pandemic lows. The price of eggs has also spiked in part due to an avian flu outbreak.
On Tuesday, ahead of his speech, markets tanked after he imposed 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said after markets closed on Tuesday that a compromise could “probably” be imminent. After the comments, US stock futures recovered.
Trump made no indication that a compromise was in the works.
At times, Trump sounded like a leader gearing up for a trade war.
“Whatever they tariff us, we tariff them. Whatever they tax us, we tax them. If they do non-monetary tariffs to keep us out of their market, then we do non-monetary barriers to keep them out of our market,” Trump is expected to say. “We will take in trillions of dollars and create jobs like we have never seen before.”
Elon Musk, the de facto head of the White House DOGE office, was also in the chamber, wearing a suit. GOP members gave a standing ovation at Trump’s mention of DOGE, with many Republican lawmakers turning toward Musk in the House gallery to cheer for him.
Trump praised DOGE, claiming that it had discovered “billions of dollars of fraud,” and listed off various payments the federal agencies spent in overseas programs. Some of those claimed savings, including $4 billion worth of contracts the group claimed to cancel, were retracted from DOGE’s “wall of receipts.”
Former federal workers who Musk has helped fire were invited as guests by Democratic lawmakers.
It’s a State of the Union address in all but name — technically, in the president’s first year, it’s just a joint address to Congress.
The last time Trump was in the House chamber was during the final year of his first term when he delivered his final State of the Union address on the eve of the Senate acquitting him in his first impeachment trial.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, the January 6 insurrection, the Biden administration, and Trump’s improbable political comeback.
Trump’s speech could last up to two hours, according to White House press guidance.
As is often the case with Trump, it’s possible the president goes off-script.
This story will be updated with new details from Trump’s address when it begins.
