Trump takes credit for ‘swift and unrelenting’ action in speech to Congress

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to keep up his campaign of “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy in an unyielding address to Congress and the nation that left Democratic legislators to register their dissent with stone faces, placards calling out “lies,” and one legislator’s ejection.

Trump’s prime-time speech was the latest marker in his takeover of the nation’s capital, where the Republican-led House and Senate have done little to restrain the president as he and his allies work to slash the size of the federal government and remake America’s place in the world.

The more than 90-minute address added up to a defiant sales pitch for the policies that he promised during his campaign and leaned into during his first weeks back in office. Trump pledged to keep delivering sweeping changes to the country, rescuing it from what he described as destruction and mistakes left by his predecessor while repeatedly needling Democratic lawmakers who protested his remarks.

Emboldened after overcoming impeachments in his first term and criminal prosecutions in between his two administrations and with a tight grip on the Republican-controlled Congress, Trump embarked on a mission to dismantle parts of the federal government, remake the relationship with America’s allies and spark a North American trade war that is compounding economic uncertainty.

“It has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action,” Trump said of his opening weeks in office. “The people elected me to do the job, and I am doing it.”

Trump, who has billionaire adviser Elon Musk orchestrating his efforts to slash the size and scope of the federal government, said he is working to “reclaim democracy from this unaccountable bureaucracy” and threatened federal workers anew with firings if they resist his agenda.

Musk, seated in the House gallery, received a pair of standing ovations from Republicans in the chamber, as Trump exaggerated and shared false claims about alleged government abuse uncovered by the Tesla and SpaceX founder and his team of disrupters.

Trump repeated false claims that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments, prompting some Democrats to shout, “Not true!” and “Those are lies!”

Trump spoke at a critical juncture in his presidency, as voters who returned him to the White House on his promise to fix inflation are instead finding economic chaos. All the gains the S&P 500 have made since Election Day are now gone, while consumer sentiment surveys show the public sees inflation as worsening.

Trump seemed to double down on his trade war, which experts have warned will raise prices for consumers.

The backdrop was the new economic uncertainty unleashed after the president opened the day by placing stiff tariffs on imports from the country’s neighbors and closest trading partners. A 25% tax on goods from Canada and Mexico went into effect early Tuesday — ostensibly to secure greater cooperation to tackle fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration — triggering immediate retaliation and sparking fears of a wider trade war. Trump also raised tariffs on goods from China to 20%.

“Whatever they tariff us, we tariff them. Whatever they tax us, we tax them,” he said. He sought to ease concerns about price increases, saying, “There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re okay with that. It won’t be much.”

Trump said one of his “very highest priorities” was to rescue the economy and offer relief to working families. He promised to organize the federal government to lower costs on eggs and energy, blaming his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden for the situation and offering scant details of his own plans.

Trump also called for the extension of his first-term tax cuts and additional federal funding for his border crackdown, including for his promised efforts at “mass deportation” of people in the U.S. illegally.

He seemed to goad Democrats, saying: “I’m sure you’re going to vote for those tax cuts. Because otherwise I don’t believe the people will ever vote you into office.”

Trump also celebrated his sharp crackdown on migration to the U.S., fulfilling a key campaign promise and taunting Democrats for not doing more to secure the border, saying, “It turns all we really needed was a new president.”

Republicans were boisterous as Trump stepped to the lectern in the House, chanting “USA! USA!” as the president basked in the cheers. The GOP lawmakers were jubilant, having won a trifecta of the White House, Senate and House in the elections. However, they face a high-stakes task of delivering on Trump’s agenda as well as avoiding a government shutdown later this month.

Across the aisle, out-of-power Democrats set the tone early, with most remaining seated without applauding or making eye contact with Trump as he was introduced in the chamber.

After several interruptions, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., jumped in and called for decorum to be restored in the chamber as Republicans shouted “USA” to drown out the cries from the other side of the aisle. Johnson then ordered Texas Rep. Al Green removed from the chamber.

“It’s worth it to let people know that there are some people who are going to stand up” to Trump, Green told reporters after being thrown out of the chamber.

Other Democrats held up signs with criticisms and slogans including “Save Medicaid” and “Protect Veterans” during Trump’s remarks, seeking to drive public awareness to elements of Trump’s agenda they believed might offer them a pathway back to the majority.

Some Democrats chose to highlight the impact of Trump’s actions by inviting fired federal workers as guests, including a disabled veteran from Arizona, a health worker from Maryland and a forestry employee who worked on wildfire prevention in California. They also invited guests who would be harmed by steep federal budget cuts to Medicaid and other programs.

Trump also used his speech to address his proposals for fostering peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, where he has unceremoniously upended the policies of the Biden administration in a matter of just weeks. On Monday, Trump ordered a freeze to U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, ending years of staunch American support for the country in fending off Russia’s invasion.

Many Democratic lawmakers wore blue and yellow ties and scarves in a show of support for Ukraine.

Democratic congresswomen aimed to send a feminist message at President Trump’s speech with their blazers, dresses and scarves. More than three dozen members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus wore pink and burgundy clothing, a color palette the women believe represents female empowerment. At least a half dozen congressmen joined in on the action with pink ties.

Trump also said he ended a “weaponized government” that he accused Democrats of wielding against him, referring to his legal troubles over the years, claiming they were political persecution.

Throughout the speech, Democrats stood to leave the chamber.

The president also pressed his efforts to reshape the country’s approach to social issues, as he looked to continue to eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the country and to roll back some public accommodations for transgender individuals.

Trump said he ended the “tyranny” of diversity, equity and inclusion policies that he rolled back for the federal government and military, along with pushing similar moves in the private sector. “Our country will be woke no longer,” he declared.

Watching from the gallery with first lady Melania Trump were guests including 15-year-old Elliston Berry, of Aledo, Texas, who was the victim of an explicit deepfake image sent to classmates.

Other White House guests included Stephanie Diller, the widow of New York Police Department Officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed in the line of duty during a traffic stop in March 2024; Marc Fogel, the Pennsylvania teacher who came home last month after years of detention in Russia, and his 95-year-old mother, Malphine; and relatives of Corey Comperatore, the former Pennsylvania fire chief who was killed as he protected his family during an assassination attempt on Trump last summer.

Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin delivered the Democratic response to Trump’s speech from Wyandotte, Michigan, where she noted that both she and Trump won with voters last November.

She criticized a Trump administration effort led by Musk for firing scores of federal employees only to rehire them then after realizing those dismissed worked on critical issues.

She implored listeners, “Don’t tune out. It’s easy to be exhausted. But America needs you now more than ever.”

She described herself as a student of history and said that the U.S. is resilient and has emerged stronger from periods of social and political upheaval in the past.

“We’ve gone periods of political instability before,” she said, “and ultimately, we’ve chosen to keep changing this country for the better.”

Trump started his address by taking a line from his predecessor, Biden: “America is back.” Here are some highlights from the speech:

Arrest and extradition in connection with Afghanistan attack

Trump said the U.S. government is extraditing a suspect in the deadly Abbey Gate bombing in the final days of the Afghanistan withdrawal that killed 13 American servicemembers.

The White House identified the man as Muhammed Sharifullah and said he was on his way to the U.S. to face charges.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the extradition was the result of work by the FBI, Justice Department and CIA.

Trump claims responsibility for a rise in Army recruitment that preceded his presidency

Trump claimed the Army had its best recruiting in January, suggesting the turnaround is tied to his time in office.

In fact, according to Army data, recruiting numbers increased steadily over the past year, with the highest total coming in August 2024 — before the November election. Army officials closely track recruiting numbers.

Trump wants to ‘reclaim’ the Panama Canal

Trump gave a shoutout to Marco Rubio, his secretary of state, as the president detailed his plans to “reclaim” the Panama Canal. But Trump’s comments appeared to also be a veiled warning for his Cabinet official, who is under immense pressure to execute massive cuts to U.S. foreign policy efforts abroad.

“Good luck, Marco,” he said. “Now we know who to blame if anything goes wrong.”

Democrats applaud acknowledgement of US aid for Ukraine

It was the only line from Trump’s speech that drew more applause from Democrats than Republicans: Trump acknowledged that the U.S. sent billions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine.

A few Republicans also applauded but were more subdued. However, GOP lawmakers rose in a standing ovation when Trump told them that Ukraine was showing it was ready to negotiate a peace deal.

Trump recited a letter he received earlier Tuesday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying that the wartime president wants to come back to the table after an explosive Oval Office meeting last week broke down negotiations for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

“We’ve had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace,” Trump said. “Wouldn’t that be beautiful?”

Seated Democrats joined Republicans’ standing applause for Americans recently released from Russia through a deal brokered by the Trump administration.

Trump says, ‘We need Greenland’

Trump said the U.S. supports Greenland’s right to determine its own future but would “welcome” the country into the United States for national security — and to make them rich, he claims.

“I think we’re going to get it,” he said of Greenland. “One way or another, we’re going to get it.”

Since his first term in office, Trump expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally and a founding member of NATO. It is also home to a large U.S. military base.

Trump’s fast-track for rich immigrants

Trump touted a plan he announced on Feb. 26 to offer a “gold card” for prospective rich immigrants.

“For $5 million, we will allow the most successful job creating people from all over the world to buy a path to U.S. citizenship,” he said. “It’s like the green card, but better and more sophisticated.”

The program will replace an existing one offering U.S. visas to investors who spend about $1 million on a company that employs at least 10 people.

Under Trump’s plan, investors would have to pony up $5 million. They would have to pay taxes in the U.S., Trump said.

Trump calls out woman injured by transgender athlete

One of Trump’s orders is intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. At least 24 states already passed similar laws, though a federal version sputtered this week in the U.S. Senate.

“From now on, schools will kick the men off the girls team or they will lose all federal funding,” Trump said during his speech.

Like others, he portrays the order as a way to protect girls and women.

In the audience was Payton McNabb, a former North Carolina high school athlete who suffered a concussion and neck injury that ended her athletic career after a ball hit by a transgender athlete struck her in a 2022 match.

The president of the NCAA said last year he was aware of fewer than 10 active NCAA athletes who identified as transgender.

Trump wants to reduce childhood cancer

Trump said driving down childhood cancer rates and studying autism cases in the U.S. will be a top priority for his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine and environmental advocate who is lobbying to redesign the U.S. food supply.

“Our goal is to get toxins out of our environment, poisons out of our food supply and keep our children healthy and strong,” Trump said.

Childhood cancer remains rare in the U.S., with about 15,000 children diagnosed with the disease every year. Cases of pediatric cancer increased in recent years but treatments improved, leading to a decline in deaths from the disease.

Among 8-year-olds in the U.S., about 1 in 36 were diagnosed with autism in 2020.

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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Stephen Groves and Kevin Freking in Washington, Darlene Superville in Kissimmee, Fla., and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.