In an epic 100-minute address to Congress on Tuesday, Donald Trump trumpeted the achievements of his second term.
Despite being in office for only six weeks, Trump told his audience he had “accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years, and we are just getting started”.
Half of the lawmakers, mostly Republicans, whooped and cheered as he spoke, while the other half, mostly Democrats, stayed largely silent.
The president used the combative speech – the longest address to Congress on record – to tout his assault on the administrative state, curbing of military aid to Ukraine and crackdown on border security.
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Democrats: ‘These people will not clap’
In an unusually partisan address reminiscent of his campaign speeches, Trump repeatedly cajoled and criticised Democrats, underscoring the deep fissures that divide the US.
Minutes into the speech, Democratic congressman Al Green interrupted the president, shouting that he had “no mandate to cut Medicaid”, the health insurance programme relied upon by millions of low-income Americans.
The Texan was ejected from the chamber for heckling the president and bringing the address to a halt, setting the tone for a confrontational night.
As Trump spoke, Democrats held up signs reading “false” and “lies”, while many wore pink to protest against the impact of the president’s policies on women. Several members left the chamber before he finished speaking.
“These people sitting right here will not clap, will not stand, and certainly will not cheer for these astronomical achievements,” said Trump.
Greenland: ‘We’re going to get it’
Trump repeated a call for Greenland to become part of the US, addressing the island’s inhabitants directly and promising to make them “safe” and “rich”.
“I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland,” said Trump. “We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.”
But his conciliatory tone quickly became more aggressive as he pledged: “I think we’re going to get it, one way or the other.”
While surveys suggest Greenlanders have little interest in joining the US, the president has insisted ownership of the Danish territory is key for US national security.
“We will keep you safe, we will make you rich, and together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before,” Trump told the islands’ citizens.
Ukraine: ‘You have to talk to both sides’
Trump insisted it was “time to end this senseless war” in Ukraine and that a “beautiful” peace deal was within reach three years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion – and a day after he froze military assistance to Kyiv.
The president said he had received a letter from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday suggesting the country was ready to sign a US-sponsored minerals deal, just days after the two leaders clashed publicly in the Oval Office.
But he also defended his outreach to Vladimir Putin and said he had “received strong signals” that Moscow was “ready for peace”.
“It’s time to stop this madness,” he said. “It’s time to halt the killing. It’s time to end this senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides.”
Culture wars: ‘Our country will be woke no longer’
Trump repeatedly hit on divisive social issues, insisting he would bring back “common sense” and remove “wokeness” from American society once and for all.
The president touted executive orders banning transgender athletes from women’s sports, defining two official genders and curbing the “tyranny” of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
“Common sense has become a common theme, and we will never go back,” he said to vociferous applause from the Republican benches. “Our country will be woke no longer ... wokeness is trouble. Wokeness is bad. It’s gone.”
Doge: ‘Ending the flagrant waste of taxpayer dollars’
The president praised Elon Musk’s controversial effort to gut federal bureaucracy and remove waste from the government through the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
“We’ll be ending the flagrant waste of taxpayer dollars,” said Trump, before launching into a list of supposed waste that Doge had unearthed, including funding for DEI scholarships in Myanmar, “Arab Sesame Street” in the Middle East, a “leftwing propaganda operation” in Moldova and “making mice transgender”.
“Under the Trump administration, all of these scams – and there are far worse – [will be] swiftly terminated,” Trump said, as Musk looked on from the gallery.
As the president spoke, some Democrats held up signs saying “Musk steals”.
– Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
