On March 4, President Donald Trump gave remarks before a joint session of Congress. During his speech, Trump highlighted key initiatives of the administration, touching on subjects such as immigration and cutting wasteful government spending.
Trump spoke for over an hour and forty minutes, making it the longest first address to a joint session of Congress or State of the Union speech.
Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was removed from the chamber during Trump’s address after he shook his cane toward the president and interrupted the opening moments of his speech.
“Members are directed to uphold and maintain decorum in the House and to cease any further disruptions,” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said as a warning to Green.
After refusing to sit down, Johnson called for Green to be removed from the chamber. Some have called Green a hero, while others have argued that the disruption was unnecessary and uncivilized.
“Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the golden age of America,” Trump said in the opening of his remarks. “From that moment on, it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country.”
His speech primarily focused on the major immigration reform that the administration has spearheaded.
“Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency on our southern border, and I deployed the US military and border patrol to repel the invasion of our country. And what a job they’ve done,” Trump said. “As a result, illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded. Ever.”
Trump also touched on his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Human Rights Council. During his speech, he highly criticized these ties as “costing us trillions of dollars” and “ridiculous.”
The economy and the environment were two major themes of the night. During his speech, Trump applauded Elon Musk’s work with the Department of Government Efficiency’s in cutting spending. Trump also highly criticized former President Joe Biden’s environmental policies.
“We ended all of Biden’s environmental restrictions that were making our country far less safe and totally unaffordable,” Trump said.
Trump also spoke about eliminating Diversity, Equity and inclusion policies within the federal government.
“We believe that whether you are a doctor, an accountant, a lawyer or an air traffic controller, you should be hired and promoted based on skill and competence, not race or gender,” Trump said.
Notably, during the speech, Trump called Joe Biden, “the worst president in American history.”
The following day in a statement, The White House recapped the night, highlighting how Democrats refused to applaud during Trump’s speech.
“Unfortunately, Congressional Democrats were too consumed by their own hatred of President Trump, refusing to show support for lowering taxes, fighting childhood cancer, capturing terrorists, protecting women and girls in sports, or law and order — to name only a few,” the statement said.
In the same statement, The White House listed off several moments in the address in which Democrats did not applaud.
“Tonight, Democrats refused to applaud: The capturing of an ISIS terrorist that masterminded the Abbey Gate attack, A young boy fighting brain cancer, A call to lower taxes for middle-class Americans…” the statement said.
This address to a join session in Congress marked a pivotal moment in modern-day American politics. Divide and tension is high, and this address illustrated key differences between Congressional Democrats and President Trump. Some have viewed Trump’s speech as historic and monumental, while others have highly criticized his beliefs.
