Trump speech to Congress: Trump airs familiar grievances in address before Congress
Last updated: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 4:56AM GMT
The president touted the moves his administration has made in his first weeks in office, touching on tariffs, the war in Ukraine and the border.
President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, six weeks into his historic return to the White House.
During the speech, Trump said "America is back" and defended the tariffs on key U.S. trading partners. He touched on immigration and the mineral deal with Ukraine, but neglected to go into detail on his economic plan. The speech was also met with protests and disruptions from Democrats.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 670 points, or 1.5%; while the S&P 500 fell 1.2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq ticked down 0.3%.
The policy taxes imports from Mexico, Canada and China -- the three largest trading partners of the United States -- meaning that it could raise prices for everything from gasoline to avocados to iPhones.
The Trump administration's long-promised tariffs took hold on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 670 points, or 1.5%.
ByIsabella Murray
Mar 04, 2025, 11:51 PM GMT
Fired federal workers sound off before attending speech with Democrats
A group of recent federal employees will be attending the speech as guests of Democratic senators and spoke to reporters Tuesday afternoon.
Alissa Ellman, a disabled Army Veteran who was recently fired from the Buffalo Department of Veterans Affairs, is a guest of Sen. Chuck Schumer and discussed her sudden dismissal.
"I worked until this last Tuesday, when my boss and myself were not even notified about my layoff. I was just locked out of my computer. I gave up my Social Security Disability payment to return to work for less than $500 a month. My story is not unique," she said.
Former Veterans Affairs Inspector General Michael Missal spoke about his concerns.
"By firing the inspectors general without proper notice, and without giving the detailed, case-specific reasons that the law requires, it's going to chill independent and non-partisan oversight, and I worry about the impact it's going to have on our government," he said.
Mar 04, 2025, 11:45 PM GMT
Melania Trump's guests for tonight include Marc Fogel, families of Corey Comperatore and Laken Riley
The White House has released the list of guests of first lady Melania Trump who will be attending tonight's joint session of Congress.
American Marc Fogel lands in U.S. - meets with Trump after being freed from Russian captivity.
Also invited is the family of Corey Comperatore, a firefighter who was killed by the gunman who also shot President Trump during his campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, last July.
Other guests of the first lady are Stephanie Diller, the widow of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller; Allyson and Lauren Phillips, the mother and sister of Laken Riley; and Border Patrol agent Roberto Ortiz.
Mar 04, 2025, 10:26 PM GMT
Who is speaking for the Democratic Party?
Each year, the opposing party has a televised response to the president's message. This year, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin will deliver the Democratic response following Trump's address to Congress.
"The public expects leaders to level with them on what's actually happening in our country. From our economic security to our national security, we've got to chart a way forward that actually improves people's lives in the country we all love, and I'm looking forward to laying that out," Slotkin, a freshman senator, said in a statement.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., speaks during the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Slotkin is a political survivor who won her Senate seat in November by less than 20,000 votes, even though Trump carried the state on the presidential level.
The former CIA analyst and Pentagon official also served two terms in the House, after flipping a suburban Detroit seat in 2018. Trump won her district by 4 points in 2016 and lost it by .5 points in 2020.
Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, will deliver the Spanish language response to Trump. He's the first Dominican American -- and formerly undocumented immigrant -- to serve in Congress.
