Key lines from President Donald Trump's address to Congress

05-03-2025 12:42:39 World

President Donald Trump addressed a joint session to Congress and Americans on Tuesday, outlining his accomplishments in the first weeks of his second term and his vision for the rest of the four years going forward. It was officially the longest of such speeches on record.

“America is back,” Trump said at the top of his speech, to cheers from mostly the Republican side of the chamber.

Trump has so far reimagined the use of executive authority, shifted the role of the US in the world, and transformed the size and scope of the federal government.

Here are some of the key lines from the speech:

Touting actions: The president touted his actions to pull the US out of multiple international agreements like the Paris Climate Accord and organizations like the World Health Organization. He lambasted the CHIPS and Science Act, which passed with bipartisan majorities in 2022 and said that he got rid of an “electrical vehicle mandate” enacted by the Biden administration. But there has never been a federal mandate prohibiting Americans from buying gasoline-powered cars.

Ukraine: Coming off a heated meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, Trump said the Ukrainian president sent him a letter saying he was ready to negotiate and sign a minerals agreement. He also said he would take “historic action to dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths” in the US later this week. On the war, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin felt empowered to invade Ukraine because of how the Biden administration handled the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

DOGE and federal workers: Giving a shoutout to Elon Musk and the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency, Trump said “everybody here” appreciates the new agency’s efforts — including Democrats. He also said Musk was the head of DOGE. While his administration moves forward with restructuring the federal workforce, Trump warned that if workers resist his administration’s policies, they will be fired.

Economy: On the economy, Trump proposed making tax cuts from his first term permanent and pass legislation to eliminate taxes on tips and overtime, among other proposals. He blamed former President Joe Biden for high egg prices, but avian flu has caused prices to surge because the United States Department of Agriculture requires the culling of entire flocks to stop the spread if the virus is detected.

Tariffs: Trump spent several minutes doubling down on his tariff agenda, which has sent stocks sinking, businesses scrambling and consumer confidence plunging. He said his tariffs would “make America rich again,” but acknowledged “there could be a little disturbance” and “there could be an adjustment period.” Tariffs that match other countries, dollar for dollar, are set for April 2, Trump said.

Greenland and the Panama Canal: Trump reiterated his desire to take control of Greenland in tonight’s speech, and said, “we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it.” Trump also claimed that the US had begun to reclaim the Panama Canal after making a campaign promise to bring the canal back under US control.

Guests in the chamber: Trump highlighted a recent executive action he signed banning transgender women from women’s sports by telling the personal story of Payton McNabb, who was attending the address as one of first lady Melania Trump’s guests. He also recognized Laken Riley’s family, who was in attendance, highlighting his first major legislative victory, the Laken Riley Act.

/CNN

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