Six weeks into his presidency, Donald Trump addressed the Republican-controlled US Capitol to talk about his first successes. He claimed that “many” believe that his presidency is off to the most successful start in US history and said that there was a mood of “pride” and “confidence” in the country. Trump also compared himself to George Washington and boasted about his election victory, on Wednesday, the 5th of March, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
“We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations have accomplished in four or eight years, and we are just getting started,” he told a joint session of Congress.
THE TUMULTUOUS START TO HIS PRESIDENCY OPENED UP A WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS FOR TRUMP, ON WHICH HE DID NOT SHY AWAY FROM SPEAKING.
He listed a long list of achievements: hundreds of executive orders and measures, a freeze on foreign aid, lower levels of illegal border crossings, withdrawal from international organisations and agreements.
He also spoke at length about the ban on transgender people from participating in sports competitions and about measures aimed at pushing “woke ideology” out of US schools and the military.
He criticised “wokeness”, calling it a “problem” and “bad”, and claimed that it has disappeared in the country and “we feel much better”.
Meanwhile, the Democrats, who filled half the auditorium, sat in icy silence while the President repeatedly blamed them, former President Joe Biden and the “radical left-wing lunatics” for all the country’s problems.
SEVERAL people HELD UP SMALL BLACK SIGNS WITH WORDS LIKE “FAKE” AND “LIE”.
He mocked his political opponents, ridiculing their refusal to applaud his statements and joking that attempts to prosecute him had “failed”.
Meanwhile, Texas Congressman Al Green interrupted the speech by waving his cane and shouting in protest. He was escorted from the Chamber. Outside, he told reporters that he was protesting proposed cuts to Medicaid, the government-run health insurance for low-income Americans.
After highlighting his first achievements, Trump devoted most of his speech to his future goals.
HE BLAMED THE CURRENT STATE OF THE ECONOMY, INCLUDING THE HIGH PRICE OF EGGS, ON THE BIDEN AND PROMISED TO “SAVE IT”, MAKING IT A TOP PRIORITY TO PROVIDE RELIEF FOR WORKING FAMILIES.
He addressed Elon Musk in the audience and said the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) he heads would reduce inflation by cutting wasteful spending and fraud, cutting foreign aid and other government programmes.
Trump promised further progress on immigration and defended his tariff policy, saying it “protects the soul of our country”, although most economists warn that it will lead to higher prices for American consumers.
Trump admitted that tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China would cause “disruption” for farmers but showed no sign of backing down from this step. Instead, he promised to impose retaliatory tariffs on all US trading partners next month.
Trump promised to balance the budget but offered nothing on how to do it. Instead, he proposed more tax cuts, including no taxes on tips, overtime and social benefits.
If implemented, these cuts would add hundreds of billions to the deficit of almost two trillion US dollars.
Trump said little about foreign policy in his speech, despite of the impact he made on global politics at the beginning of his second term. He reiterated his interest in annexing Greenland and controlling the Panama Canal but spoke only briefly about Gaza and the Middle East.
He talked more about peace talks with Russia over the war in Ukraine, without mentioning the earlier reports about the cessation of military aid to Ukraine.
In the end, his speech set a record for its length, giving his supporters much to cheer and his critics much to criticise.