US President Donald Trump declared that the actions of his administration in the first days of his term were the first wave of the "common sense revolution" and leveled accusations at the Democratic Party during his first speech to Congress since returning to the White House. "America's momentum is back", Trump said in the speech that lasted an hour and 40 minutes - a record-breaking speech to Congress. "Our spirit is back. Our pride is back.”
After the clash with Zelensky
After the open dispute in the White House with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Donald Trump signaled rapprochement between the two countries. Ukraine is ready to sign an agreement on raw materials, Trump said. The Ukrainian president had already expressed his willingness to work towards rapprochement with Washington earlier in a post on his X account. In it, Zelensky said it was "unfortunate" that it came to the dispute with Trump at the White House on Friday.
Trump mentioned that he had received an "important letter" from Zelensky. "At the same time, we had serious talks with Russia and received strong signals that they are ready for peace", Trump said. "Wouldn't that be great?"
"We are just getting started"
The Republican gave himself an excellent assessment of his work over the past 43 days: His administration has achieved more than any other administration in four or even eight years - "and we are just getting started", the president said. The speech largely resembled a campaign speech. The Republican, however, did address some specific points.
The US president clearly wants to continue to rely heavily on his customs policy. He announced that "reciprocal tariffs" would take effect on April 2. As soon as another country imposes tariffs on American products, the United States will follow suit. He did not mention any exemptions for individual countries, so the European Union is likely to be affected as well.
On a day when stock markets crashed after Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico - and in the midst of a diplomatic standoff with Ukraine that has alarmed allies - Trump promised that it was all part of a plan to enrich the country and force its neighbors to fight drug trafficking.
Automotive concerns
According to Trump, the new tariffs would boost the US auto industry. Automakers recently warned that tariffs already in place for neighboring countries Mexico and Canada would lead to higher prices and disrupt supply chains that have existed for 25 years.
The Republicans' applause, which was thunderous at the beginning of his speech when the tariffs were mentioned, was no longer so enthusiastic: at this point, only about half of his party colleagues were clapping, some remained seated, others stood up.
Greenland - a condition for "security"?
Trump again emphasized that he wants to take control of Greenland. "We need Greenland for national and even international security, and we are working with all countries to try to get it," he said of the island, which is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Although very few people live there, Greenland is "a very large piece of land and is very, very important for military security".
In recent months, Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to take control of the world's largest island. He has not ruled out the possibility of military or economic coercion. The Greenland government has repeatedly stressed that it is working towards eventual independence from the Kingdom of Denmark, but does not want to become part of the United States.
Democrats protest in the hall
Representatives of the Democratic Party in Congress demonstrated their attitude towards Trump in different ways. Democrats did not applaud the president and remained in their seats, while their Republican colleagues stood in a sign of respect for Trump.
Many in the hall held up signs during Trump's speech that read various things - for example, "Not true" and "Musk is stealing". Democratic Representative Al Green of Texas was even thrown out of the chamber after shouting that "Trump was not given a mandate", while the president was saying that voters had given him the opportunity to make sweeping changes. After being escorted out of the chamber, Green explained that he meant that Trump was "not given a mandate to cut spending on the American health care system, Medicaid".