Trump speech to Congress: Trump airs familiar grievances in address before Congress
Last updated: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 4:56AM GMT
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.
President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
Mar 05, 2025, 4:34 AM GMT
Slotkin: Reagan 'rolling in his grave' over Trump's foreign policy approach
Democrat Elissa Slotkin slammed Trump over last week's Oval Office dust-up between Trump, Vance and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying Ronald Reagan "must be rolling in his grave."
Sen. Elissa Slotkin delivers the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's addresses a joint session of Congress, from Michigan, Mar. 4, 2025 in Washington.
"We all want an end to the war in Ukraine. But Reagan understood that true strength required America to combine our military and economic might with moral clarity," she said. "And that scene in the Oval Office wasn't just a bad episode of reality TV. It's summed up Trump's whole approach to the world."
Slotkin said Trump "believes in cozying up to dictators like Vladimir Putin and kicking our friends like the Canadiens in the teeth."
Mar 05, 2025, 4:21 AM GMT
Slotkin slams DOGE, Trump over mass firings of federal workers
Slotkin criticized DOGE and Trump for the "mindless" mass firings of federal workers, only to hire some of them back days later.
"No CEO in America could do that without being summarily fired," she said.
Mar 05, 2025, 4:19 AM GMT
Slotkin starts with economy, says Trump talked a 'big game'
Trump didn't discuss the economy much during his speech, other than defending his new tariffs and blaming President Joe Biden for inflation. Slotkin, by contrast, started her speech by homing in on the economy. She said America needs to bring down costs on groceries, housing, health care and bring back good-paying jobs.
"Look, the president talked a big game on the economy, but it's always important to read the fine print. So do his plans actually help Americans get ahead? Not even close," Slotkin said.
Mar 05, 2025, 4:14 AM GMT
Elissa Slotkin begins Democratic rebuttal
Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin is now delivering the Democratic response to Trump's address. She is speaking from Michigan, a key swing state that went for Trump in 2024.
