The White House previewed Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, the longest in history and one that was interrupted by a protest from Rep. Al Green (D-TX), as an opportunity for the president to champion what he has achieved during the last two-and-a-half months.

But Trump used his prime-time remarks, themed “The Renewal of the American Dream,” to reminisce about last year’s election win as well, which is what prompted Green’s response before House Speaker Mike Johnson had him removed from his chamber.

“I look at the Democrats in front of me, and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy, or to make them stand, or smile, or applaud,” Trump said. “Just this one night, why not join us in celebrating so many incredible wins for America?”

The president added later: “Americans have given us a mandate for bold and profound change.”

In addition to underscoring the record-breaking number of executive actions he has taken since inauguration, including withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organization, and the U.N. Human Rights Council, Trump emphasized his efforts to reform the federal government, reduce regulation, and introduce sweeping policies, from renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and dictating that there are only two genders to even trying to end birthright citizenship.

“We amended weaponized government, where, as an example, a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent like me. How did that work out?” he asked Democrats. “Our country will be woke no longer.”

But amid the stock market’s reaction to his 25% tariffs on allies Canada and Mexico, the White House has sought to tie any economic pain to the previous Biden administration.

“My very highest priority is to rescue our economy and get dramatic and immediate relief to working families,” Trump said. “Joe Biden, especially, let the price of eggs get out of control,” he added to audible groans from Democrats.

Regardless of the Dow losing 670 points, or 1.55%, at 42,521 because of the tariffs on Tuesday, Trump appeared undeterred with reciprocal duties expected to start on April 2.

“Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again,” he said. “It’s happening and it will happen rather quickly. There will be a little disturbance, but we’re okay with that.”

The White House conceded to the Washington Examiner that February’s consumer price index, poised to be published next week, could undermine Trump’s campaign promise to decrease inflation from day one.

Trump had hoped his energy policies would put downward pressure on prices, but inflation increased in the month ending January by 0.5% for an annual rate of 3%.

To that end, Trump announced Tuesday that his administration had approved “a gigantic natural gas pipeline in Alaska, among the largest in the world, where Japan, South Korea, and other nations want to be our partner.”
 
“Later this week, I will also take historic action to dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths here in the USA,” he said.

‘All we really needed was a new president’

At the same time, Trump welcomed improvements at the border, including recording “the lowest numbers of illegal border crossings ever” last month. U.S. Border Border Patrol apprehended approximately 8,300 illegal migrants in February.

“The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation,” Trump said. “We must have legislation to secure the border, but it turned out that all we really needed was a new president.”

Trump did use Tuesday’s speech to implore Congress to provide more funding for his administration to deport illegal immigrants and build the border wall as Republicans, who have majorities, however slim, in both chambers, remain in disagreement over how to keep the federal government open after March 14 and pass the president’s priorities, including tax code changes.

“We’re seeking permanent income tax cuts all across the board, and to get urgently needed relief to Americans hit especially hard by inflation I’m calling for no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security benefits for our great seniors,” he said.

In the past, Trump, a former reality TV star, has taken advantage of the spotlight to create made-for-TV moments.

Trump did it again on Tuesday by designating the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge the “Jocelyn Nungaray National Refuge” after the 12-year-old girl who was killed last year by two illegal immigrants and naming 13-year-old pediatric cancer survivor DJ Daniels as an honorary U.S. Secret Service agent.

The president also informed high school senior Jason Hartley, whose Los Angeles County sheriff father died when he was a child, that he had been accepted into the West Point and that one of the alleged masterminds behind the ISIS-K Abbey Gate bombing during the Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021 had been captured by Pakistan.

Earlier Tuesday, the White House publicized some of the special guests who would accompany first lady Melania Trump and sit beside her in her box inside the House.

Guests included the family of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who was fatally shot during the first attempt on Trump’s life last summer in Butler, Pennsylvania, and Marc Fogel, the history teacher, also from Butler, who was released last month after being wrongly detained by Russia for 14 years.

“I believe that my life was saved that day in Butler for a very good reason,” Trump said. “I was saved by God to Make America Great Again.”

The family of Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student who was murdered last year by an illegal immigrant and for whom the first bill Trump signed into law, an immigration and border security measure, is named, were also in attendance.

Elon Musk’s work is just ‘beginning’

The other special guest was Elon Musk, who was originally welcomed with tepid applause and reprimanded by U.S. Capitol Police for recording in the room, but received a warmer reception later in the evening when Trump mentioned his Department of Government Efficiency.

“He’s working very hard,” Trump said. “We got it just in time. This is just the beginning.”

Despite a White House official confirming that Trump would focus on domestic politics, the president did not overlook foreign policy, particularly Ukraine after last week’s showdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.

“It’s time to stop this madness,” he said. “It’s time to halt the killing. It’s time to end the senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides.”

Trump reiterated his desire to takeover Greenland and the Panama Canal too, telling the former “if you so choose, we welcome you into the United States.”

“One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” he said of Greenland.

Meanwhile, Democrats were seeking to bring to the fore public dissatisfaction with DOGE by bringing fired federal employees upset by the cuts.

“We think one of the best ways to let the American people know how horrible Donald Trump’s first 30 days have been is to bring those who have been affected, the victims of his malevolence, of his desire, tax breaks to the billionaires and make Americans pay for it,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told reporters earlier Tuesday.

But Democratic protests, even Green’s, did not break through, as lawmakers waved “False/Save Medicaid” placards or departed with shirts saying “resist” on the back.

The House Freedom Caucus had placed Democrats “on notice” to demonstrate decorum, irrespective of Republicans’ recent reputation for rabble-rousing under Biden.

“The President’s address to tonight’s joint session of Congress is a constitutional obligation — not a sideshow for Democrats to use noisemakers, make threats, throw things or otherwise disrupt,” the group’s leadership wrote. “Our colleagues are on notice that the heckler’s veto will not be tolerated. You will be censured.”

TRUMP LIKELY TO EASE CANADA AND MEXICO TARIFFS ON WEDNESDAY: LUTNICK

Trump already held the record for the longest average address to Congress at one hour and 15 minutes, drawing his largest audience of 47.7 million viewers in 2017. Tuesday’s was one hour and 41 minutes.

Vice President JD Vance was overheard asking Johnson beforehand how he bears these occasions “for 90 minutes.”

“The hardest thing was doing it during Biden, when the speech was a stupid campaign speech,” Johnson said.

Samantha-Jo Roth and Rachel Schilke contributed to this report.