President Donald Trump made a triumphant return to Congress on Tuesday, declaring “America is back” during his first address since resuming office on January 20. In a speech that mirrored his campaign rallies, Trump touted his achievements over the past six weeks, including reshaping U.S. foreign policy, igniting a trade war, and implementing significant reductions in the government workforce.
His remarks were met with jeers from Democratic lawmakers, many of whom walked out in protest. Holding signs that read “No King!” and “This Is NOT Normal,” about half of the Democrats had left the chamber by the end of his speech. Texas Congressman Al Green was ordered to leave after refusing to sit down.
“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 after Green’s ejection.
Trump devoted only a few minutes to foreign policy, signaling a willingness to revisit a minerals deal with Ukraine and expressing optimism about discussions with Russia. “We’ve had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace,” he said. “Wouldn’t that be beautiful?”
He reiterated his promises to bring peace to the Middle East and expand the Abraham Accords, agreements established during his first term that normalized relations between Israel and some Arab nations.
The president vowed to balance the federal budget while urging lawmakers to enact a sweeping tax cut agenda. Analysts caution that such measures could add more than $5 trillion to the federal government’s $36 trillion debt load.
Throughout the speech, Trump criticized his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, addressed concerns about immigrant crime, and promised to ban what he termed “transgender ideology,” while making statements that have been challenged by fact-checkers.
The address took place in the same House chamber where, four years prior, a mob of Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to overturn Biden’s election victory. The tension between parties remains palpable, highlighting the deep divisions within the current political landscape.
The Democrats offered a rebuttal delivered by Senator Elissa Slotkin, who invoked an iconic Republican president in her criticism of Trump. “As a Cold War kid, I’m thankful it was Reagan and not Trump in office in the 1980s. Trump would have lost us the Cold War,” Slotkin said, referencing former President Ronald Reagan.
