President Donald Trump has declared that his administration is “just getting started” in his first joint address to Congress of his second term, as he touted his domestic and international achievements and criticised Democrats.
The speech, delivered to a palpably divided chamber in which several Democrats held signs of protest, caps a dramatic few months in which Trump has unleashed an aggressive agenda to reshape US trade and foreign policy.
It comes on the day Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, the US’s biggest trading partners, as well as additional 10 per cent levies on China, sending US stocks plummeting.
During his address, Trump defended his tariffs, arguing that the measures were “not just about protecting American jobs, they’re about protecting the soul of our country”. However, he admitted that the levies would cause “disturbance”.
Trump said he had received a letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicating that Kyiv was ready to sign a deal over its minerals. The US president added that he had had “serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace”.
The conciliatory remarks come on the heels of Trump’s move to cut off military aid to Kyiv and last week’s Oval Office altercation with Zelenskyy.
Trump also pledged to balance the federal budget, while also saying he would press ahead with planned tax cuts. He added that his administration would “reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy” amid an aggressive push to slash federal government spending.
Trump boasted of the “most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history” and vowed to rapidly round up and deport migrants with criminal records.
He said that he would “get” Greenland, the Arctic island he has repeatedly said he wants to take over, “one way or another”.
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