Five Takeaways From Trump’s Joint Speech To Congress

During a viciously partisan and seemingly never-ending speech littered with attacks on Democrats as the enemy of the country and lies about government spending, President Donald Trump accidentally screwed himself in court.

In touting the work of billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, Trump thanked Musk and declared that the agency is “headed by Elon Musk.” That is going to be a major problem for Trump, Musk and DOGE as Musk’s position and many of the actions taken by DOGE are challenged in numerous lawsuits as illegal due to Musk exercising power that he should not legally have.

DOGE faces numerous legal challenges where this statement will now play a major role. One lawsuit directly challenges Musk’s position as illegal under the Appointments Act for exercising powers that can only be exercised by a Senate confirmed appointee. Others challenge DOGE’s access to payment systems for being illegally authorized due to Musk’s improper appointment.

The Trump administration has sought to obfuscate Musk’s position in government by, first, refusing to state in court who heads DOGE and, then, naming Amy Gleason as its administrator. But now Trump’s declaration to the whole nation that DOGE is “headed up by Elon Musk” undermines Gleason’s alleged appointment and the arguments Trump’s Justice Department is making in court.

Plaintiffs in one case challenging DOGE’s actions and Musk’s appointment filed a notice of new evidence highlighting Trump’s comment after his speech concluded.

Oops.

Here are four more takeaways:

Social Security Appears To Be In Trump’s Sights

Trump went on at great length about the supposed scourge of the Social Security Administration wrongly paying retirement benefits to people listed in the agency’s system as well over 100 years old.

“A lot of money is paid out to people because it just keeps getting paid and paid and nobody ― it really hurts Social Security and hurts our country,” Trump said. “1.3 million people from ages 150 to 159 and over 130,000 people, according to the Social Security databases, are over 160 years old. We have a healthier country than I thought.”

The super elderly Social Security recipients myth got heavily debunked last month after Elon Musk misread a chart, prompting even Trump’s acting Social Security commissioner to say, “These individuals are not necessarily receiving benefits” in a statement on the SSA’s website.

The fact that Trump still plowed ahead with the bogus story in his address to Congress and said Social Security is full of “probable fraud” could be a bad sign for the popular retirement program, which Trump has usually said he would never touch even as he calls for massive cuts to much of the rest of the government.

“There May Be A Little Disturbance,” Trump Says While Touting Tariffs

Where Trump’s callout of praise for Elon Musk may wind up playing a big role in court, it was another statement he made while engaging in further self-gratification that may wind up playing a role in the midterm elections.

“There may be a little disturbance,” Trump admitted while touting the benefits that will flow from his tariffs on foreign goods.

That “little disturbance” is already being felt after Trump put 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico and 10% on goods from China on Tuesday. The S&P 500 wiped out all of the gains posted since Trump’s election in November in just two days. The Federal Reserve’s economic uncertainty index is now higher than at any point during the Great Recession. Inflation expectations are spiking and consumer confidence is down.

The country could slip into a recession due to the uncertainty around Trump’s trade policy and his efforts to gut the federal government.

“There may be a little disturbance,” is not the clip you want running on repeat if you’re a Republican up for election in 2026 if the president’s policies sink the country into a recession.

“Protecting” Women As A Justification For GOP Goals

Trump took multiple opportunities to justify right-wing goals — specifically, attempts at barring trans women from participating in sports and deporting immigrants from the United States — by portraying them as necessary to protect American women, including those in the audience.

Among the guests of first lady Melania Trump were several women with stories of being harmed by trans individuals or immigrants. They included Payton McNabb, a former high school athlete who was seriously injured during a volleyball match when she was hit by a ball spiked by a trans player on the opposing team. Trump referenced McNabb’s story to explain the executive order he signed to ban trans women in sports: “When her girls’ volleyball match was invaded by a male, he smashed the ball so hard in Payton’s face, causing traumatic brain injury.”

Also present was the mother of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was assaulted and murdered by two undocumented immigrants; and the mother and sister of Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student who was murdered by an undocumented immigrant while jogging last year and has since become the namesake of a law to detain undocumented immigrants accused of crimes.

“Laken was viciously attacked, assaulted, beaten, brutalized, and horrifically murdered,” Trump described the crime, as Riley’s family looked on. “Laken was stolen from us by a savage illegal alien, gang member, who was arrested while trespassing across Biden’s open southern border and then set loose into the United States.”

Conservatives have often used the notion that they are acting out of concern for women as a rationale to push culture war policies like anti-trans actions, or Republican agenda priorities like immigration restrictions. One of Trump’s executive orders from January, which is titled in part “Defending women from gender ideology,” claims that men are identifying as women to “gain access to intimate single-sex spaces and activities ― and the president has claimed that immigration restrictions are necessary to prevent assaults on and sex trafficking of women. 

Democrat Al Green Becomes First Member Ejected During A Presidential Address

Democrats pulled several stunts during Trump’s address ― none more dramatic than Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) getting thrown out by security. 

Minutes into Trump’s speech, Green stood and yelled that Trump had no electoral mandate to cut Medicaid, the health care program for more than 70 million low-income Americans. 

Republicans loudly yelled at Green and chanted “USA” as the Texas Democrat remained standing, saying, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid.” 

Trump tried to keep the speech going but couldn’t be heard over the commotion. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) then ordered the House sergeant-at-arms, the chamber’s chief law enforcement officer, to remove Green from the room. 

“I’m willing to suffer whatever punishment is available to me,” Green said afterward, adding it was worth it to show that there are people willing to stand up to Trump. 

Other Democrats help up signs proclaiming Trump’s statements as “false,” and “Musk steals,” in reference to Elon Musk, the billionaire Trump has deputized to slash federal bureaucracies. At one point, several progressive House Democrats stood and turned their backs on Trump before leaving. By the end of Trump’s speech, even a group of more moderate Senate Democrats had walked out.