Trump’s Joint Address to Congress 

On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump gave a speech to a joint session of Congress attended by most high-ranking government officials, including the Supreme Court and the Joint Chiefs. Only a few minutes into Trump’s speech, after he began to brag about his historic electoral victory, heckling from the Democrats caused House Speaker Mike Johnson to restore order in the chamber. 

Continued yelling caused Democrat Representative Al Green to be repeatedly reprimanded before Johnson ordered the Sergent at Arms to remove Green from the Chamber to the loud applause of Republicans. In a more subtle protest, many female Democrat Representatives wore pink, similar to their ‘white out’ during Trump’s last speech to Congress. Representatives also held signs saying “false,” “Musk Steals” and “Protect Veterans.” 

Almost all Democrats refused to stand at any point during Trump’s speech, including controversially not standing when Trump announced the capture of the terrorist behind the Abby Gate bombing during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and when Trump named 13-year-old brain cancer survivor DJ Daniel as an honorary member of the Secret Service. 

Trump focused heavily on his administration’s current domestic policy, including the facilitation of domestic manufacturing through regulation cuts, tax cuts and billion-dollar investments from Japan and South Korea into a massive oil pipeline in Alaska. In addition, he spoke about social policy, such as banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports. 

Trump also harped on his administration’s goal of reducing government waste via cutting federal jobs and spending. This task is being headed by the newly created DOGE, headed by Elon Musk. Trump listed many of the funds that DOGE classified as wasteful, such as eight million dollars for LGBTQI+ in Lesotho and 101 million dollars in D.E.I. contracts at the DOE. 

Trump also gave significant time to one of his biggest issues, immigration, and chose to highlight two women who were brutally assaulted and murdered by illegal immigrants. Besides claiming the rate of immigrants crossing the border had fallen to the lowest levels in history, Trump brought out the family of Laken Riley and brought up the Laken Riley Act. As well, Trump brought out the family of Alexis Nungaray, a 12-year-old who was murdered near Houston, and announced a local wildlife refuge would be named after her. 

In terms of foreign policy, Trump reaffirmed his stance on the U.S.’s reacquisition of the Panama Canal, saying that BlackRock’s purchase of the two main ports of the canal is not enough. As well, Trump called for Greenlandic self-determination to join the United States, and stated that the U.S. needed Greenland for national and international purposes. 

Trump also stated he is working to end the Israel-Hamas Conflict and the Russo-Ukrainian War, mocking Europe for supposedly spending more on Russian gas than they spent on Ukraine. The president also read an X post from Zelensky earlier in the day in which he stated he was ready to negotiate a peace deal. 

Trump did not fail to mention the assassination attempt he suffered in Butler, Pennsylvania, during his campaigning, bringing the family of Corey Comperatore, the man who lost his life at the rally and said he believed God saved him that day to make America great again.