Trump describes first 43 days of his second term as most successful in history
President Donald Trump used his speech to tout the rapid pace of change his administration is pushing forward.
NBC-Standing in the U.S. Capitol—where he was sworn in just six weeks ago—President Donald Trump used his speech to tout the rapid pace of change his administration is pushing forward, declaring, “And we are just getting started.” Trump defended his controversial tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, emphasizing their role in “making America rich again.” Despite recent stock market drops and concerns about the potential for a trade war that could further hike prices, he downplayed the economic disturbances, saying, “There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re okay with that. It won’t be much.”
The president also took time to praise billionaire Elon Musk for his hard work and the Department of Government Efficiency for reducing the size of the government, even as Democratic lawmakers invited fired federal workers as their guests for the speech. In response, Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, delivering the Democratic rebuttal, criticized the administration’s cuts to government services. She argued that these cuts were designed to deliver tax breaks to the wealthy while leaving working-class families facing rising grocery and home prices. “Grocery and home prices are going up, not down, and he hasn’t laid out a credible plan to deal with either of those,” Slotkin said.
Tensions escalated during the speech when Texas Democrat Al Green was escorted out after vocally objecting to President Trump’s assertion that his election victory gave him a “mandate” on immigration. On immigration, the president once again called on Congress to allocate more funding for mass deportations and border security, while taking a swipe at Democrats who sought new legislation to address border issues. “It turned out that all we really needed was a new president,” Trump said, drawing applause from supporters.
Turning to international issues, Trump discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine, revealing that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had reached out to him following their previous clash in the Oval Office, which had led to a freeze on military aid to Ukraine. Trump reiterated his commitment to ending the conflict, stating, “I’m also working tirelessly to end the savage conflict in Ukraine.”
In what was at times a combative address, Trump promised to continue shaking up the government and pushing forward his agenda. His speech underlined the administration’s commitment to its economic policies and the president’s readiness to confront both domestic and international challenges.
