Trump speech to Congress: Trump airs familiar grievances in address before Congress

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Last updated: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 4:56AM GMT
Trump defends tariffs, government cuts in address to divided Congress
The president touted the moves his administration has made in his first weeks in office, touching on tariffs, the war in Ukraine and the border.

President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, six weeks into his historic return to the White House.

During the speech, Trump said "America is back" and defended the tariffs on key U.S. trading partners. He touched on immigration and the mineral deal with Ukraine, but neglected to go into detail on his economic plan. The speech was also met with protests and disruptions from Democrats.

Mar 05, 2025, 4:48 AM

Fact-checking Pres. Trump's speech to Congress

ABC News, along with PolitiFact, is live fact-checking Trump's speech statements that are exaggerated, need more context or are false.

READ MORE | Fact-checking Pres. Trump's speech to Congress

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
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Mar 05, 2025, 3:50 AM GMT

Trump vows to rename Panama Canal

Trump continued his push to rename landmarks and vowed to rename the Panama Canal.

He repeated several false claims about its ownership and told Secretary of State Marco Rubio "good luck."

"We know who to blame if anything goes wrong," Trump said.

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Mar 05, 2025, 3:46 AM GMT

Trump surpasses some of his previous addresses in length

Surpassing the one hour mark, Trump's address is now longer than his first joint session of Congress in 2017, which lasted about one hour.

His 2019 State of the Union speech was one hour and 22 minutes long, which marked the third longest address.

Former President Bill Clinton's 2000 speech was the longest, sitting at just over one hour and 28 minutes.

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Mar 05, 2025, 3:41 AM GMT

Trump calls for 13-year-old's dream of being a police officer to come true

Trump called attention to 13-year-old DJ Daniel, who aspires to become a police officer but was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018.

"The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago," Trump said. "Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true."

"And tonight, DJ, we're going to do you the biggest honor of them all. I am asking our new Secret Service Director Sean Curran to officially make you an agent of the United States."

Daniel reacted with a face of shock, before his dad lifted up to the crowd. DJ proudly raised a certificate and was met with claps, chants and cheers.

In one of the rare moments, a Democrat stood in support. Rep. Laura Gillen, rose up and applauded for Daniel.

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Mar 05, 2025, 3:37 AM GMT

Democrats yell 'January 6th' as Trump talks law enforcement

Several Democrats including Rep. Veronica Escobar yelled "January 6th" as Trump discussed law enforcement and protecting police officers.

Trump pardoned all of the defendants charged with the riot.