Trump touts accomplishments, taunts opponents in speech to Congress
In his first joint session to a visibly divided Congress, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday flaunted his second administration's accomplishments and derided his opponents, while reiterating his promises to restore the US economy, achieve peace in Ukraine, and reshape the federal government.
In his first joint session to a visibly divided Congress, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday flaunted his second administration's accomplishments and derided his opponents, while reiterating his promises to restore the US economy, achieve peace in Ukraine, and reshape the federal government.
05/03/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
Video by: Fraser JACKSON
By: FRANCE 24
Video by: Fraser JACKSON
10:45
US President Donald Trump said 'America is back' in a speech celebrating his tumultuous first six weeks in power. © Jim Watson, AFP
Trump declared "America is back" Tuesday in his first address to Congress since returning to power, facing instant Democratic hostility as he touted radical social and economic policies, while hailing his billionaire adviser Elon Musk.
With Musk, the world's richest person, among those attending the primetime televised speech, the 78-year-old Republican said after less than two months back in power he is "just getting started".
The "American dream is unstoppable," he declared.
Almost every line got loud applause from Republican Party members, including on two occasions when Trump singled out Musk, who stood up to salute the Congress.
But protests also began within minutes.
One Democratic congressman, Al Green, was ordered ejected because he refused to stop heckling, claiming Trump has no mandate to dismantle healthcare programs, and shaking his walking stick at the president.
Other Democrats silently held up placards including "False" and "Musk steals" and "That's a lie!"
And at one moment, numerous Democrats yelled "January 6!" at Trump, referring to his supporters' violent attack on the Capitol in 2021 after he refused to concede his election loss.
The Republican president was undeterred, hailing his first six weeks and vowing to press on with his polarising bid to reshape the US government and end the Ukraine war – whatever the cost.
Reality TV style
Trump reverted to his tried-and-tested reality TV instincts. At one point he called attention to a boy with brain cancer who dreamed of becoming a policeman and – in front of Congress – was handed an official ID by the head of the Secret Service.
But in what mostly sounded like a campaign speech rather than an address to the nation, Trump made no attempt to reach out to opponents.
He got big cheers from supporters on pronouncing that his culture war on diversity programs and transgender rights meant "our country will be woke no longer".
He claimed that he was trying to resolve an "economic catastrophe", despite actually inheriting the strongest developed economy in the world from his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.
Trump declared "America is back" Tuesday in his first address to Congress since returning to power, facing instant Democratic hostility as he touted radical social and economic policies, while hailing his billionaire adviser Elon Musk.
With Musk, the world's richest person, among those attending the primetime televised speech, the 78-year-old Republican said after less than two months back in power he is "just getting started".
The "American dream is unstoppable," he declared.
Almost every line got loud applause from Republican Party members, including on two occasions when Trump singled out Musk, who stood up to salute the Congress.
But protests also began within minutes.
One Democratic congressman, Al Green, was ordered ejected because he refused to stop heckling, claiming Trump has no mandate to dismantle healthcare programs, and shaking his walking stick at the president.
Other Democrats silently held up placards including "False" and "Musk steals" and "That's a lie!"
And at one moment, numerous Democrats yelled "January 6!" at Trump, referring to his supporters' violent attack on the Capitol in 2021 after he refused to concede his election loss.
The Republican president was undeterred, hailing his first six weeks and vowing to press on with his polarising bid to reshape the US government and end the Ukraine war – whatever the cost.
Reality TV style
Trump reverted to his tried-and-tested reality TV instincts. At one point he called attention to a boy with brain cancer who dreamed of becoming a policeman and – in front of Congress – was handed an official ID by the head of the Secret Service.
But in what mostly sounded like a campaign speech rather than an address to the nation, Trump made no attempt to reach out to opponents.
He got big cheers from supporters on pronouncing that his culture war on diversity programs and transgender rights meant "our country will be woke no longer".
He claimed that he was trying to resolve an "economic catastrophe", despite actually inheriting the strongest developed economy in the world from his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.
Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib protests against President Donald Trump during his speech to Congress
© SAUL LOEB / AFP
He defended his disruptive economic moves – even as the trade war he launched against Canada, China and Mexico is prompting jitters on world markets.
After a torrent of warnings that tariffs will badly hurt US exporters, including politically powerful farmers, he conceded they would bring "a little disturbance".
"Have a lot of fun," Trump said to farmers, whom he said "I love".
And after enumerating a series of murders committed by migrants, Trump got big applause when he vowed to "wage war" on Mexican drug cartels.
Well before he had finished, dozens of Democrats had already walked out.
Quest for power
Trump is pushing to extend presidential power to its limits, with the popular vote behind him and a Republican-controlled House and Senate doing his bidding.
Aided by tech tycoon Musk, Trump has cracked down on the federal bureaucracy, firing thousands of workers, shuttering entire agencies and decimating foreign aid.
But there are early signs in the polls that Trump's sweeping cuts and his failure to tackle inflation are hitting his popularity.
Trump is also upending US foreign policy with his pivot to Moscow over the Ukraine war, which has stunned Kyiv and allies alike.
Days after a televised row in the Oval Office with Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump reiterated it was time to end the "senseless war" but did not address growing accusations that he is following the Kremlin's lead, while ignoring ally Ukraine.
He said he had just received a letter from Zelensky in which the Ukrainian president said he was "ready" for peace negotiations and could sign a US-Ukraine minerals sharing deal "any time".
Trump also doubled down on his controversial vows on "taking back" the Panama Canal and getting Greenland from Denmark by "one way or another".
Democrats have so far struggled to counter Trump's flood-the-zone strategy and his hogging of the news cycle with constant press conferences.
The Democratic rebuttal to Trump's address will be provided by new Michigan senator Elissa Slotkin, a 48-year-old former CIA analyst and rising star in the party.
On the Democrats' rebuttal speech, Senator Elissa Slotkin aimed her sober address at middle class Americans, calling Trump and Musk "reckless" at home and giving up on "American leadership" abroad.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
He defended his disruptive economic moves – even as the trade war he launched against Canada, China and Mexico is prompting jitters on world markets.
After a torrent of warnings that tariffs will badly hurt US exporters, including politically powerful farmers, he conceded they would bring "a little disturbance".
"Have a lot of fun," Trump said to farmers, whom he said "I love".
And after enumerating a series of murders committed by migrants, Trump got big applause when he vowed to "wage war" on Mexican drug cartels.
Well before he had finished, dozens of Democrats had already walked out.
Quest for power
Trump is pushing to extend presidential power to its limits, with the popular vote behind him and a Republican-controlled House and Senate doing his bidding.
Aided by tech tycoon Musk, Trump has cracked down on the federal bureaucracy, firing thousands of workers, shuttering entire agencies and decimating foreign aid.
But there are early signs in the polls that Trump's sweeping cuts and his failure to tackle inflation are hitting his popularity.
Trump is also upending US foreign policy with his pivot to Moscow over the Ukraine war, which has stunned Kyiv and allies alike.
Days after a televised row in the Oval Office with Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump reiterated it was time to end the "senseless war" but did not address growing accusations that he is following the Kremlin's lead, while ignoring ally Ukraine.
He said he had just received a letter from Zelensky in which the Ukrainian president said he was "ready" for peace negotiations and could sign a US-Ukraine minerals sharing deal "any time".
Trump also doubled down on his controversial vows on "taking back" the Panama Canal and getting Greenland from Denmark by "one way or another".
Democrats have so far struggled to counter Trump's flood-the-zone strategy and his hogging of the news cycle with constant press conferences.
The Democratic rebuttal to Trump's address will be provided by new Michigan senator Elissa Slotkin, a 48-year-old former CIA analyst and rising star in the party.
On the Democrats' rebuttal speech, Senator Elissa Slotkin aimed her sober address at middle class Americans, calling Trump and Musk "reckless" at home and giving up on "American leadership" abroad.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
'The litany of lies is endless': Internet rips Trump apart over 'utterly bonkers' speech
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech to a joint session of Congress, in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 4, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
March 05, 2025
ALTERNET
On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump gave his first joint address to Congress. He was almost immediately picked apart by journalists, fact-checkers, elected officials and others for his rapid pace of outright lies and false claims.
In just the first few minutes of the speech, Trump proclaimed that he won the 2024 election with "a mandate like has not been seen in many decades." New York Times reporter Kenneth Vogel pointed out that Trump won the popular vote by just a 1.48% margin, while Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama each had margins of victory of 4.45% and 7.27%, respectively.
This led Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) to stand up and shout that he has "no mandate to cut Medicaid." House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) then ordered the House sergeant-at-arms to remove the longtime lawmaker from the chamber. Aaron Fritschner, who is the deputy chief of staff for Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) posted the viral photo of Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shouting during Biden's State of the Union address with the text: "They weren't removed."
READ MORE: 'Remove this gentleman from the chamber': Johnson kicks out Dem rep for shouting at Trump
Trump also used a significant portion of his speech to falsely assert there was widespread fraud in the Social Security Administration (SSA), arguing that people well over 100 years old were receiving benefits. On Bluesky, Washington Post columnist Philip Bump called that claim "total horses---" and posted a link showing that Trump was misreading data from the SSA. The agency has a database of every American who has been issued a Social Security number, but many of them don't have a date of death listed, as they passed away before electronic records were put in place.
Kansas University law professor Corey Rayburn Yung described the president's remarks about Social Security as "a lengthy diatribe that is all false." And Social Security Works executive director Alex Lawson called Trump a "f---ing liar" who is "coming to steal our Social Security."
"Trump is making up stats about Social Security so he has an excuse to cut your benefits," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) wrote on Bluesky.
At one point, Trump gave a shout-out to centibillionaire Elon Musk, and mentioned that he leads the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Multiple legal experts immediately flagged this claim and pointed out that the Trump administration has argued in federal court that Musk does not lead DOGE. This may result in legal problems down the road, with Tech Policy Press journalist Cristiano Lima-Strong reminding his Bluesky followers: "This is a point of contention in ongoing lawsuits over its work."
Trump also promised to cut Americans' taxes. But as Brendan Duke of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities pointed out, Trump's new 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico "would wipe out any tax cuts the bottom of 40% of Americans would receive." And he noted that this "doesn’t count additional import taxes he’s considering or the cuts to Medicaid and nutrition assistance."
"Donald Trump, who is trying right now to pass a $4 trillion tax cut that would give households in the 0.1% a $278k tax cut, says he's going to balance the budget," wrote Center for American Progress senior director of federal budget policy Bobby Kogan.
Other journalists were amazed at the dizzying speed at which Trump lied. Journalist Mythili Sampathkumar observed that "quite literally every line of this State of the Union is a lie and/or has factual error." Former CBS News journalist Zev Shalev wrote: "The litany of lies is endless — it's impossible to keep track of."
"This is a rally speech, but it's also a list of things he claims to have done that he actually hasn't done," tweeted Atlantic contributor Tom Nichols. "It's utterly bonkers."
ALTERNET
On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump gave his first joint address to Congress. He was almost immediately picked apart by journalists, fact-checkers, elected officials and others for his rapid pace of outright lies and false claims.
In just the first few minutes of the speech, Trump proclaimed that he won the 2024 election with "a mandate like has not been seen in many decades." New York Times reporter Kenneth Vogel pointed out that Trump won the popular vote by just a 1.48% margin, while Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama each had margins of victory of 4.45% and 7.27%, respectively.
This led Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) to stand up and shout that he has "no mandate to cut Medicaid." House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) then ordered the House sergeant-at-arms to remove the longtime lawmaker from the chamber. Aaron Fritschner, who is the deputy chief of staff for Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) posted the viral photo of Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shouting during Biden's State of the Union address with the text: "They weren't removed."
READ MORE: 'Remove this gentleman from the chamber': Johnson kicks out Dem rep for shouting at Trump
Trump also used a significant portion of his speech to falsely assert there was widespread fraud in the Social Security Administration (SSA), arguing that people well over 100 years old were receiving benefits. On Bluesky, Washington Post columnist Philip Bump called that claim "total horses---" and posted a link showing that Trump was misreading data from the SSA. The agency has a database of every American who has been issued a Social Security number, but many of them don't have a date of death listed, as they passed away before electronic records were put in place.
Kansas University law professor Corey Rayburn Yung described the president's remarks about Social Security as "a lengthy diatribe that is all false." And Social Security Works executive director Alex Lawson called Trump a "f---ing liar" who is "coming to steal our Social Security."
"Trump is making up stats about Social Security so he has an excuse to cut your benefits," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) wrote on Bluesky.
At one point, Trump gave a shout-out to centibillionaire Elon Musk, and mentioned that he leads the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Multiple legal experts immediately flagged this claim and pointed out that the Trump administration has argued in federal court that Musk does not lead DOGE. This may result in legal problems down the road, with Tech Policy Press journalist Cristiano Lima-Strong reminding his Bluesky followers: "This is a point of contention in ongoing lawsuits over its work."
Trump also promised to cut Americans' taxes. But as Brendan Duke of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities pointed out, Trump's new 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico "would wipe out any tax cuts the bottom of 40% of Americans would receive." And he noted that this "doesn’t count additional import taxes he’s considering or the cuts to Medicaid and nutrition assistance."
"Donald Trump, who is trying right now to pass a $4 trillion tax cut that would give households in the 0.1% a $278k tax cut, says he's going to balance the budget," wrote Center for American Progress senior director of federal budget policy Bobby Kogan.
Other journalists were amazed at the dizzying speed at which Trump lied. Journalist Mythili Sampathkumar observed that "quite literally every line of this State of the Union is a lie and/or has factual error." Former CBS News journalist Zev Shalev wrote: "The litany of lies is endless — it's impossible to keep track of."
"This is a rally speech, but it's also a list of things he claims to have done that he actually hasn't done," tweeted Atlantic contributor Tom Nichols. "It's utterly bonkers."
'Remove this gentleman from the chamber': Johnson kicks out Dem rep for shouting at Trump
Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) being carried out of the House of Representatives chamber on March 4, 2025 (Image: Screengrab via X)
Carl Gibson
ALTERNET
March 05, 2025
During the first few minutes of President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) stood up and yelled at him, pointing his cane at the speaker's dais.
Trump had been speaking about the size of his 2024 election victory, in which he had the smallest margin of victory among all popular vote winners since 2000. At that point, many Democrats started loudly booing, prompting Republicans to drown them out by chanting "USA! USA!"
owever, Green continued to yell at Trump after he resumed his speech, which led to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) giving Democrats a "warning" to stop. When Green refused, Johnson then deployed security staff to forcibly carry him out. Republicans could be heard chanting "na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye" as Green was removed.
"The chair now directs the sergeant-at-arms to restore order," Johnson said. "Remove this gentleman from the chamber!"
During the first few minutes of President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) stood up and yelled at him, pointing his cane at the speaker's dais.
Trump had been speaking about the size of his 2024 election victory, in which he had the smallest margin of victory among all popular vote winners since 2000. At that point, many Democrats started loudly booing, prompting Republicans to drown them out by chanting "USA! USA!"
owever, Green continued to yell at Trump after he resumed his speech, which led to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) giving Democrats a "warning" to stop. When Green refused, Johnson then deployed security staff to forcibly carry him out. Republicans could be heard chanting "na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye" as Green was removed.
"The chair now directs the sergeant-at-arms to restore order," Johnson said. "Remove this gentleman from the chamber!"
Watch the video of Green's removal below, or by clicking this link
.
'Righteous civil disobedience': Dem's protest during Trump speech stirs up social media
Matthew Chapman
March 4, 2025
March 4, 2025
RAW STORY
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 04: U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) is removed from the chamber as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS
Just as President Donald Trump was about to start speaking in his address to Congress, Rep. Al Green (D-TX) stood up, shouted, "You don't have a mandate to cut Medicaid!" and forcefully waved his cane. Republicans immediately directed the sergeant-at-arms to remove him from the chamber.
The GOP quickly mocked Green on social media, and some political pundits expressed skepticism of the move, with MSNBC's Michael Cohen writing on X, "Don't think Rep. Al Green did Democrats any favors with that stunt."
But elsewhere, many figures celebrated Green's act of opposition.
"How so? What's the cost? Norms?" posted writer Tom Watson in response to Cohen.
"I stand with Al Green!" wrote Marcus Flowers, a former congressional candidate who ran unsuccessfully against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
"Looks like there's gonna be arrests in the chamber tonight! Righteous civil disobedience," wrote investigative reporter Lauren Windsor.
"Lmao it sounds like Rep. Al Green's protest hurt Trump's feelings," wrote Mashable reporter Matt Binder.
"Good for Al Green — f--- these liars," wrote Democratic strategist Mike Nellis.
"Every single Democrat should be doing what Al Green just did," wrote Sam Weinberg of the youth group Path to Progress.
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 04: U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) is removed from the chamber as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS
Just as President Donald Trump was about to start speaking in his address to Congress, Rep. Al Green (D-TX) stood up, shouted, "You don't have a mandate to cut Medicaid!" and forcefully waved his cane. Republicans immediately directed the sergeant-at-arms to remove him from the chamber.
The GOP quickly mocked Green on social media, and some political pundits expressed skepticism of the move, with MSNBC's Michael Cohen writing on X, "Don't think Rep. Al Green did Democrats any favors with that stunt."
But elsewhere, many figures celebrated Green's act of opposition.
"How so? What's the cost? Norms?" posted writer Tom Watson in response to Cohen.
"I stand with Al Green!" wrote Marcus Flowers, a former congressional candidate who ran unsuccessfully against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
"Looks like there's gonna be arrests in the chamber tonight! Righteous civil disobedience," wrote investigative reporter Lauren Windsor.
"Lmao it sounds like Rep. Al Green's protest hurt Trump's feelings," wrote Mashable reporter Matt Binder.
"Good for Al Green — f--- these liars," wrote Democratic strategist Mike Nellis.
"Every single Democrat should be doing what Al Green just did," wrote Sam Weinberg of the youth group Path to Progress.
Watch a clip of the protest below or at this link.
No comments:
Post a Comment