- Trump is delivering an address to a joint session of Congress tonight.
- His speech was quickly disrupted by heckling from Rep. Al Green of Texas.
- It’s not officially a State of the Union speech, but it’s very similar.
President Donald Trump began his speech on Tuesday evening by declaring to the nation that the US is on the verge of a historic comeback. His opening remarks, however, were quickly disrupted by Rep. Al Green of Texas, who was escorted out of the chamber after repeated warnings from House Speaker Mike Johnson.
“Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the Golden Age of America. 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,” Trump said in his address to Congress. “We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplish in 4 years or 8 years — and we are JUST GETTING STARTED.”
Before he was escorted out, Green shouted, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!” at the president.
On Tuesday, ahead of his speech, markets tanked after he imposed 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said after markets closed on Tuesday that a compromise could “probably” be imminent.
Trump sounds like a leader gearing up for a trade war.
“Whatever they tariff us, we tariff them. Whatever they tax us, we tax them. If they do non-monetary tariffs to keep us out of their market, then we do non-monetary barriers to keep them out of our market,” Trump is expected to say. “We will take in trillions of dollars and create jobs like we have never seen before.”
Elon Musk, the de facto head of the White House DOGE office, is also in the chamber and wearing a suit. Former federal workers who Musk has helped fire were invited as guests by Democratic lawmakers.
It’s a State of the Union address in all but name — technically, in the president’s first year, it’s just a joint address to Congress.
The last time Trump was in the House chamber was during the final year of his first term when he delivered his final State of the Union address on the eve of the Senate acquitting him in his first impeachment trial.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, the January 6 insurrection, the Biden administration, and Trump’s improbable political comeback.
Trump’s speech could last up to two hours, according to White House press guidance. He’s likely to address trade, the state of the economy, artificial intelligence, the war in Ukraine, and DOGE.
As is often the case with Trump, it’s possible the president goes off-script.
This story will be updated with new details from Trump’s address when it begins.
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