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Trump says he is 'just getting started,' as he faces vocal protests from Democrats
President Trump addresses a joint session of Congress on Tuesday.
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Win McNamee
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POOL Getty Images
)
NPR is bringing you the latest from President Trump's joint address to Congress . For more updates get our NPR Politics newsletter or the NPR Politics Podcast .
President Trump started off his joint address to Congress on Tuesday by touting his election win and declaring "America is back."
"America's momentum is back. Our spirit is back. Our pride is back. Confidence is back," Trump declared to applause from the Republican side of the hall, and silence from Democrats.
Check out NPR's annotation of.his remarks ▶
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Shortly after beginning his speech, Trump was interrupted by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who stood and shouted that Trump didn't have a mandate. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., ordered Green escorted from the House chamber . After Green's exit, Trump continued his remarks, railing against Democratic lawmakers who he said wouldn't be happy with anything he did.
The president then outlined a laundry list of actions from his first six weeks in office, including ending foreign aid, banning trans athletes from participating in school sports and establishing the Department of Government Efficiency — an initiative to slash the size of the federal government that Trump has tapped billionaire Elon Musk to lead. Musk attended the speech in person, and was thanked personally by the president.
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Trump called Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a "traitor" after his revoking political endorsement of her. Greene said Sunday his words can "put my life in danger." -
The dismissal of Greene — once the epitome of "Make America Great Again" — appeared to be the final break in a dispute simmering for months. -
The U.S. didn't send delegates to this year's world climate conference called COP30. But that void is being filled by leaders from state and cities including California.
Trump said that DOGE has found evidence of "hundreds of billions" of dollars of fraud, though the administration has not provided a full accounting of those numbers.
Trump said he was working to make prices more affordable for Americans, and blamed former President Biden for things like the high price of eggs; the recent spike in costs is due to the bird flu. He said he would also bring down prices by lowering energy costs through investments in a natural gas pipeline in Alaska, and expanding the production of rare earth minerals.
On cutting government spending, Trump said, "We're going to find out where that money is going and it's not going to be pretty but slashing all of the fraud, waste and theft we can find will defeat inflation, bring down mortgage rates, lower car payments and grocery prices, protect our seniors and put more money in the pockets of American families."
Other Democratic members of Congress continued to protest Trump during his remarks, with many holding up black placards that had phrases like "Save Medicaid" and "Musk Steals." A few members protested by walking out in the middle of the speech.
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The president's speech comes as tensions have escalated with the United States' three largest trading partners. On Tuesday, the U.S. initiated new tariffs against China, Canada and Mexico, which resulted in retaliatory tariffs. The budding trade war is expected to raise costs for consumers, and it sent markets plummeting on Tuesday.
Trump has also said that he would talk about a potential agreement on critical minerals with Ukraine in his speech.
Earlier Tuesday, after Trump announced a pause on military aid to Ukraine for its war against Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X that Ukraine is ready to sign the deal.
"We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively," Zelenskyy said.
The agreement, if finalized, would follow last week's blowout meeting between Zelenskyy, Trump and Vice President Vance in the Oval Office. The meeting ended with Zelenskyy leaving the White House earlier than planned.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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