Trump noted that he’d signed nearly 100 executive orders since taking office in January, highlighting his actions in a range of areas including making English the nation's official language and blocking diversity measures, while claiming he’ll end “the flagrant waste of taxpayer dollars.”
Much of the speech was devoted to culture war issues, notably Trump’s hostility toward what he termed “transgender ideology.” He declared that the country would be “woke no longer.” But Trump also outlined his intentions in policy areas including immigration, tariffs and tax cuts.
The stock market has responded negatively to Trump’s aggressive tariff policy, most recently in response to tariffs imposed against China, Canada and Mexico on Tuesday. But Trump contended that tariffs would ultimately benefit domestic manufacturing, notably in the auto sector, by prodding international corporations to set up shop on U.S. soil to avoid tariff penalties. “If you don’t make your product in the United States of America,” he said, “you’ll pay tariffs, in some cases a large one.”
He called for making interest payments on car loans tax deductible, but only for vehicles made in the U.S. Separately, Trump announced his intention to cut taxes on domestic production and manufacturing, calling for new tax incentives to encourage shipbuilding in the U.S.
The president also said American farmers would be aided by tariffs. Many farming groups have expressed opposition, citing the impact of other nations’ retaliatory tariffs on their exports and higher costs for imported products such as fertilizer. But Trump assured farmers that if they “bear with me,” they would reap benefits because agricultural imports into this country would decrease.
In a surprising announcement, Trump called for the repeal of the CHIPS and Science Act, which offers subsidies to advanced manufacturers, particularly in the field of semiconductors, where the U.S. has lagged behind Taiwan. Although signed into law by former President Joe Biden in 2022, the law was passed with strong bipartisan support in Congress. Trump called the law “a horrible, horrible thing,” claiming federal subsidies had gone to waste.
He also called on Congress to pass permanent cuts to income taxes, while repeating his ideas for eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay and Social Security benefits.
“It has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action,” Trump said, claiming “many” people have described his tenure as the most successful first month of any presidency in the nation’s history. “You know who’s number two?” he said. “George Washington.”
His Signature Issue
Trump has made combatting illegal immigration and pursuing mass deportations a centerpiece of his administration. At one point, he mocked Democrats who blamed him for blocking an immigration bill as a candidate last year for political reasons. “Democrats said we needed new legislation to secure our border,” Trump said, “but it turns out all we needed was a new president.”
More than is the norm on such occasions, Trump pointed out guests in the House gallery who served to humanize and amplify his policy points. Among them were the mother and sister of Laken Riley, a nursing student who was murdered last year by a Venezuelan man who had entered the country illegally. Trump noted that the first bill he signed into law this year was the Laken Riley Act, which requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants who have been charged with various crimes, including theft, drunk driving or assaulting a police officer.
Trump underscored his support for law enforcement by calling for legislation to mandate the death penalty for anyone who kills a police officer. “We’re giving police officers the support and respect they so richly deserve,” he said.
He also praised firefighters: “They voted for me in record numbers.”
A Partisan Speech
The speech — which broke the record as the longest presidential address to Congress ever at an hour and 40 minutes — was rancorous from the start. Even as Trump walked into the House chamber, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., held up a sign for the TV cameras saying, “This is not normal.” Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, ripped the paper from her hands.
Other contemporary presidents have endured heckling during speeches to Congress (the first speech of a new presidential term is not technically considered a State of the Union address). But Democrats continuously expressed their disapproval. When Trump talked about law and order, they yelled “January 6,” a reference to the violent assault on the Capitol by Trump supporters in 2001.
By contrast, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump’s fiercest defenders on Capitol Hill, wore a red hat throughout the night that read, “Trump was right about everything.”
Early in the speech, Speaker Mike Johnson called for the sergeant at arms to remove Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas, who waved his cane at Trump and yelled that he had no mandate to cut Medicaid. “They're about to have to escort me out for being too damn excited watching Dems getting thrown out,” tweeted Georgia GOP Rep. Mike Collins.
Trump contributed to the partisan atmosphere, bragging at the outset about the size of his electoral victory last November and repeatedly castigating Biden by name on various policy fronts. Biden, he said, was “the worst president in American history.”
