5 Key Takeaways From President Trump's Address to Congress

While the country was grappling with the reality of the 25% tariffs hitting Mexico and Canada on Tuesday, President Trump was set to address Congress in the evening.

There were quite a few things the president addressed, many of which drew protests from the Congressional Democrats in the room, who heckled and disrupted him throughout his speech.

Here are 5 takeaways from President Trump's address to Congress.

The Tariffs Debate

Raising tariffs on our neighboring countries have made many people and economists concerned for prices of consumer goods and for the future state of the U.S. economy.

Despite this concern, Trump defended his tariffs, saying "now it's our turn". Referencing how other countries have levied them against the U.S.

Such as with the "chicken war" with Europe in the 1960's, or the war on lumber with Canada in the 1980's.

“It’s very unfair,” Trump said as Republicans stood and applauded his tariffs, which he said “are about protecting the soul of our country.”

Although President Trump claimed there would only be "a little disturbance", stocks plunged on Tuesday when the tariffs went into effect. Some Democrats shouted "stock market!"

The president blamed issues such as inflation and egg prices on the former President Biden, while promising to revive the economy.

The Democrats Protest

It didn't take long for Trump to start speaking until Congressional Democrats started yelling. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas yelled, "You have no mandate to cut Medicaid," to which he was escorted out after he refused to stop.

Many others yelled through the speech and several walked out in protest. A group of House Democrats even held signs reading things like, "MUSK STEALS", "SAVE MEDICAID", and "PROTECT VETERANS".

Instead of a pre-made sign, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. brought a whiteboard and wrote different messages during the speech such as , "NO KING" and "LIES".

Other Democrats laughed out loud when Trump stated that the era of rule by "unelected bureaucrats" is over, to which they responded by poitning to billionaire, Elon Musk, watching from the gallery.

Sen. Chris Murphy, of Connecticut and Sen. Patty Murray, of Washington were just some of the Democrats that skipped the speech entirely. However, the top three Democratic leaders in each chamber were present and sat quietly along with others.

The Republicans Cheer

As we've seen in the past, President Trump loves to play to the crowd, however we haven't seen one in months. That all changed on Tuesday.

Trump received a hero's welcome and a standing ovation from the Republicans in the Capitol. They also chanted his name after the president said he is waging the "most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history".

He addressed the Deomcrats in the room, saying there was nothing he could say to make them smile or clap like the opposing party. The presdient later blasted "radical left lunatics", calling them weak on crime, to which Deomcrats yelled, "January 6th!" This in reference to the rioters who were pardoned after storming the Capitol.

Trump scolded Democrats for not giving him enough, in contrary to 2021 when Biden chose to offer a team effort on "bipartisan" goals on things like cancer research and access to education in his address to Congress.

Biden was referred to as "the worst president in history" early into his speech, blaming many of the problems the U.S. is facing on his predecessor, which is not unlike what many other presidents have done in the past.

Ukraine, the Panama Canal, and Greenland

President Trump addressed the billions of dollars the U.S. spent to help Ukraine defend themselves from Russia's attack, which drew some applause from Democrats who supported the military assistance.

Trump asked, "You want to keep it going for another five years?"

“Pocahontas says yes,” he added, referring to a ridiculing nickname for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. This caused several Democrats to walk out of the chamber.

At the start of his second term, Trump had expressed his interest in bringing the Panama Canal and Greenland into control of the U.S.

Referencing the Panama Canal, Trump said, "We didn't give it to China. We gave it to Panama. We're taking it back."

He continued, "We need Greenland for national security and international security. Very, very large piece of land."

"I think we're going to get it. One way or ther other, we're going to get it." To this, Republicans applauded and laughed.

What He Didn't Say

While Trump rallied Republicans and backed his controversial decisions, there were a few topics that he didn't touch on.

He only briefly mentioned the return of Israeli and American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, however didn't dicuss larger issues like Israel's ceasefire with Hamas or plans for rebuilding Gazas, which he has talked about on social media.

As the GOP works on budget and spending plans, Trump didn’t mention Medicaid, a significant part of the federal budget that could face changes, nor did he address health care in detail, aside from a quick endorsement of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

While he acknowledged Elon Musk and talked about cuts the Department of Government Efficiency wants to make, Trump avoided discussing the federal worker cuts that have worried some Republicans and the public. He did mention that federal workers must return to in-person work or risk being fired.

Overall, Trump stated that his "administration will reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy" made up of "hundreds of thousands" of federal workers who he claimed have not been showing up for work.