As Republicans thunderously applauded and Democrats walked out in droves, Trump’s Congress speech showcased the US divide | Lloyd Green

Donald Trump is busy while the world around him is mired in chaos. Six weeks into his second term, he has reversed the course of US policy towards Ukraine, imposed tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, and delegated the task of slashing government to Elon Musk. The stock market swoons.

Recession and stagflation are no longer hypotheticals. The term “trade war” fills the headlines. The Dow sits hundreds of points below where it stood on Inauguration Day. Trump’s second term is already consequential and controversial.

In the opening words of his speech to a joint session of Congress, he proclaimed that America was back, that the country’s golden age lay ahead, and that “momentum” had returned. He spoke for nearly two hours, the longest speech to Congress ever. Trump was nakedly partisan, the reception in the House chamber was raucous.

Republicans thunderously applauded while Democrats delivered a chorus of catcalls. Early on, Speaker Mike Johnson demanded order, and called the sergeant-at-arms to remove Al Green, a Texas Democrat, from the hall. Democrats walked out in droves. The speech showcased the American divide.

Throughout the night, Trump made Joe Biden his foil and punching bag. He labeled his predecessor the worst president in American history, lambasting his policies a disaster. Trump also took congressional Democrats to task for their refusal to stand or applaud during his speech. He continues to yearn for adulation.

On that note, he compared himself as second to only George Washington, the first president. As ever, self-deprecation and modesty were nowhere to be found.

Immigration and social issues policy took pride of place. Here, the speech sounded like a continuation of the fall campaign. Trump pointed to quiet at the southern border and read a laundry list of changes implemented by his administration.

He bragged of making English the official language of the US, abolishing DEI in and out of government, and barring transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. Said differently, his campaign slogan, “Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you”, continues to retain its salience.

Trump remains a culture warrior, a tack that twice led him to the White House. Throughout the evening, he returned to immigration as a rhetorical touchstone. He also attacked street gangs, urban crime and street violence. For the Democrats to regain competitive political footing, they will need to reconcile themselves to the reality that mass immigration is unpopular, that being tough on crime is a winner, and that the language of “wokeness” goes no further than the faculty lounge.

Past demands to defund the police will likely haunt the party for the foreseeable future. The fact that Trump repeated his call for an immigration gold card, with citizenship sold to Russian oligarchs at $5m a pop, does not detract from the potency of immigration as an issue.

By the numbers, nearly half the US supports building a wall along the entire US-Mexico border. At the same time, support for conferring legal status to undocumented or illegal immigrants brought to the US as children declines.

As to be expected, Trump ignored the stock market drop and instead pointed to a decline of interest rates. Whether the latter is a harbinger of a decline in inflation, a slowing economy, or both, remains to be seen. He repeated his call to “drill, baby, drill”. He also gave Elon Musk, his largest campaign donor and the head of Doge, star treatment and a shout-out.

Foreign policy occupied little space. Trump repeated his threat toward Denmark over Greenland. “I think we’re going to get it – one way or the other, we’re going to get it.” He again staked a US claim to Panama. Ukraine came late, almost as an afterthought.

Despite market turmoil, “tariffs” remained a beautiful word in the Trumpian lexicon. On Tuesday night, he announced that US-imposed reciprocal tariffs will kick in on 2 April, less than a month away. Much can go wrong between now and then.

The possibility of averting a trade war does not appear to have lessened during the course of the speech. He said tariffs are about the “soul” of the country while acknowledging that they may bring temporary dislocation. Still, he didn’t seem all that bothered.

The speech won’t unite a nation, but it will rally the Republican base.