United States President Donald Trump addressed Congress on Wednesday (Tuesday in the US) for the first time since returning to power for his second term. Trump's speech was on the heels of his sweeping decisions on tariffs, immigration, Ukraine and the layoff of federal employees.
Trump recently imposed retaliatory tariffs on rival China and neighbouring nations like Canada and Mexico. In another bold move, the US President paused aid to war-ravaged Ukraine, steering away from the predecessor Biden's policy of backing Kyiv.
The stopping of aid to Ukraine came after an ugly verbal spat between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Oval Office.
"

America is back

" is how Trump began his address to the Congress amid Republicans chanting USA! in the House.

Here are the takeaways from Donald Trump's speech

Donald Trump opened his address to a joint session of Congress with a bold declaration that "America is back". Reflecting on his early days in office, Trump said: "Just six weeks ago, I stood beneath this Capitol's dome and spoke of the 'dawn of the golden age of America'. Since then, we have taken swift and decisive action to bring about one of the most successful periods in our nation’s history."

Addressing the disruptions, Speaker Mike Johnson urged audience members to uphold decorum. "Consider this your warning", he stated. "Members are deliberately and repeatedly violating decorum, and if necessary, the chair will instruct the sergeant at arms to restore order to the joint session".
About 10 Democrats walked out after revealing black T-shirts with messages on them. Representative Jasmine Crockett's shirt on the back said, "RESIST." Crockett left along with Representative Maxwell Frost whose shirt said, "NO KINGS LIVE HERE".

The US President took a dig at the Democrats saying: "I look at the Democrats in front of me and I realise there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud, nothing I can do."
"I could find a cure to the most devastating disease, a disease that would wipe out entire nations," Trump said. "These people sitting right here will not clap, will not stand, and certainly will not cheer for these astronomical achievements. They won't do it no matter what... It's very sad. And it just shouldn't be this way... Democrats sitting before me, for just this one night, why not join us in celebrating, so many incredible wins for America," Trump said in the longest presidential speech to Congress.

"Our country will be woke no longer", Trump said, referring to his moves to eliminate diversity measures in the federal government. "We've ended the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion policies all across the entire federal government, and indeed, the private sector, and our military," Trump said. Crockett left along with Representative Maxwell Frost whose shirt said, "NO KINGS LIVE HERE".

While addressing the Congress, Trump said: " We have removed the poison of critical race theory from our public schools. I signed an order making it the official policy of the US government that there are only two genders, male and female."

The US President declared that he will announce reciprocal tariffs on April 2, matching barriers in other countries. "Whatever they tax us, we will tax them. If they do non-monetary tariffs to keep us out of their market, then we will do non-monetary barriers to keep them out of our market." Trump also listed India among countries charging high tariffs on American imports.
"On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India...and countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them, it is very unfair. India charges us tariffs 100 per cent. the system is not fair to US, it never was," Trump said.

Trump said he received a new letter from Zelenskyy, advocating for peace in war against Russia.
"The letter reads, Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians.' He said, 'My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts. We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it at any time that is convenient for you," Trump said.
"I appreciate that he sent this letter, just got it a little while ago. Simultaneously, we've had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace. Wouldn't that be beautiful," he said.
On Gaza, Trump said: "In the Middle East, we're bringing back our hostages from Gaza,", calling the Middle East "a rough neighborhood."

Trump claimed he had done away with the "ridiculous Green New Scam", referring to the clean energy and environmental policies introduced under former President Joe Biden. However, key provisions of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act—such as tax credits for electric vehicles, hydrogen, and solar power—are still in place. To fully roll back these measures, Congress would need to amend or repeal the IRA.

Donald Trump called his predecessor "worst President in the history of American history", claiming that thousands of illegal crossings happened in America under Biden's presidency.
"Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency on our southern border. I deployed US military and border patrol to repel the invasion of our country and what a job they have done! As a result, illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded. In comparison, under Joe Biden - the worst President in American history, there were hundreds of thousands of illegal crossings a month," Trump said.

Trump pledged to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime pay, and social security benefits for seniors, claiming that tax cuts were a major priority during his first term.
Meanwhile, a Republican-led effort in the Senate to make Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent—without accounting for the impact on the federal deficit—has sparked concerns among fiscal conservatives and independent analysts. Critics warn that the move could contribute to a growing debt burden, potentially threatening economic stability.