Trump’s powerful speech to Congress ruffles Democrats

Washington — A triumphant President Donald Trump told Congress on Tuesday that “America is back” after he reshaped US foreign policy, ignited a trade war and ousted tens of thousands of government workers in six tumultuous weeks since returning to power, drawing jeers from some Democrats who walked out in protest.

The prime time speech, his first to Congress since taking office on January 20, followed a second day of market turmoil after he imposed sweeping new tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China.

At 100 minutes, the speech was the longest presidential address to Congress in modern US history, according to The American Presidency Project.

World leaders were watching Trump’s speech closely, a day after he paused all military aid to Ukraine in a stark reversal of US policy. The suspension followed an Oval Office blow-up in which Trump angrily upbraided Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in front of TV cameras.

The pause in aid to Ukraine has threatened Kyiv’s efforts to defend against Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion three years ago, and further rattled European leaders worried that Trump is moving the US too far towards Moscow.

Trump devoted only a few minutes of his speech to foreign policy. He signalled a willingness to press ahead with a minerals deal with Ukraine that was set aside after last week’s disastrous White House meeting.

“Simultaneously, we’ve had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace,” Trump said. “Wouldn’t that be beautiful?”

And he repeated his promises — though without adding detail — to bring peace to the Middle East and expand the Abraham Accords, deals signed during his first term that established relations between Israel and some of its Arab neighbours.

While Trump has appeared to fault Ukraine for starting the war, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found 70% of Americans — including two-thirds of Republicans — believe Russia was more to blame.

Trump vowed to balance the federal budget, even as he urged legislators to enact a sweeping tax cut agenda that analysts said could add more than $5-trillion to the federal government’s $36-trillion debt load. Congress needs to raise the nation’s debt ceiling later this year or risk a devastating default.

The speech shared some of the hallmarks of Trump's campaign rallies. Trump repeatedly assailed his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, attacked immigrant criminals as “savages” and promised to ban what he called “transgender ideology”, all while peppering his remarks with exaggerated or false claims.

Standing ovation

“To my fellow citizens, America is back,” Trump began to a standing ovation from fellow Republicans. “Our country is on the verge of a comeback the likes of which the world has never witnessed, and perhaps will never witness again.”

Democrats held up signs with messages like “No King!” and “This Is NOT Normal,” and about half the Democrats had walked out by the end of the speech.

One Texas congressman, Al Green, was ordered removed after he refused to sit down.

Trump, a political brawler by nature, revelled in the disagreements.

“I look at the Democrats in front of me, and I realise there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud,” he said after Green’s ejection.

The speech took place in the House of Representatives, where legislators huddled in fear for their lives four years ago while a mob of Trump supporters ransacked the Capitol in an unsuccessful effort to overturn Biden's 2020 victory over the then-incumbent Trump.

The Democrats chose to give their rebuttal speech to moderate US Senator Elissa Slotkin who invoked an iconic Republican president in criticising 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, a former CIA analyst who won election in Michigan in November even as Trump carried her state, said, referring to president Ronald Reagan. “Donald Trump’s actions suggest that, in his heart, he doesn’t believe we are an exceptional nation.”

More tariffs 

Trump praised billionaire businessman Elon Musk and his department of government efficiency, which has downsized more than 100,000 federal workers, cut billions of dollars in foreign aid and shuttered entire agencies.

The president credited Musk with identifying “hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud,” a claim that far exceeds even what the administration has claimed so far. Musk, seated in the gallery, received ovations from Republicans.

Trump reiterated his intention to impose additional reciprocal tariffs on April 2, a move that would likely roil financial markets even more.

“Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries,” he said.

On this point, many Republicans remained seated, a signal of how tariffs have divided his party.

Trump’s 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, two of the country's closest allies, and an additional 10% on Chinese imports deepened investor concerns about the economy. The Nasdaq Composite is down more than 9% from its record closing high on December 16.

Trump, who has often taken credit for market increases, did not mention this week’s downturn. He also barely addressed stubbornly high costs, blaming Biden for the price of eggs and saying he would bring down inflation via increased energy production.

Just one in three Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll, a potential danger sign amid worries his tariffs could increase inflation.

Trump called on Congress to pass a sweeping $4.5-trillion plan that would extend his 2017 tax cuts, tighten border security and fund massive deportations.

Trump noted that his administration had already launched a border crackdown, citing February’s record-low total of 8,300 migrant arrests at the US-Mexico border. Those arrests are often used as a proxy to estimate illegal crossings.

The Republican tax proposal calls for $2-trillion in spending reductions over a decade, with possible cuts to education, healthcare and other social services.

The non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that Trump’s full tax agenda, including elimination of taxes on tips, overtime pay and Social Security benefits, could cost $5-trillion to $11.2-trillion over a decade.

Reuters