Members of Congress watching President Donald Trump’s pointed speech Tuesday night reflected the country’s sharp divides over the president and the furious start to his second term.
On a night laced with attacks and tension, Trump set a record for longest speech to a joint session of Congress, but over the course of nearly 100 minutes the event had no notable moments of comity. He and the lawmakers watching embodied the maximalist, divided political era he has anchored.
Republicans heartily cheered throughout while Democrats sat silent or yelled angry responses.
Trump spoke just weeks into a second term that has included Elon Musk’s drastic cuts to government staffing and programs, an attempt to reshape the global order and longstanding US alliances, and a trade war that sent markets plunging leading into his address.
Here’s how his first national address since Inauguration Day played out among lawmakers:
Angry Democratic Reception: As Trump and the GOP cast aside Democrats, the minority party returned the favor: they offered no signs of support or cheer, barely acknowledging the president when he walked into the chamber and continuing the stone-faced approach throughout the address, except when they shouted angry retorts.
In a speech that at times took on the sharp edge of a campaign event, nearly all Democrats refused to stand as the president spoke — including, Republicans noted, when he honored the wife of a slain police officer, or the family of Laken Riley, a woman killed by an unauthorized immigrant.
Many Democratic women dressed in pink, a callback to the protests that greeted Trump when he took office in 2017, and others carried paddles that read “Musk Steals” and “Save Medicaid.” Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) held a sign reading “This is not normal” as Trump entered the chamber.
Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) went further, standing and shouting at Trump while waving a cane through the early moments of the speech. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) ordered him removed from the chamber.
Others walked out during the speech, including Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), who wore a shirt reading, “No Kings Live Here.” And when Trump touted support for police, Democrats shouted about the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol.
Lacking formal power, it was one of Democrats’ few ways to make a point as some in their party urge elected leaders to show more fight. It reflected their anger, but carried the risk of repeating the resistance tactics that turned off some voters.
Republican Unity: Whatever tensions exist within the GOP were on hold.
Trump won raucous receptions from Republican lawmakers. And though some have chafed at Musk’s unilateral cuts, the tech mogul won two standing ovations from Republican lawmakers when Trump praised his work with the Department of Government Efficiency.
Republicans even applauded Trump’s promises of more and tougher tariffs, an idea that makes many in the GOP uncomfortable, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and others in heavily agrarian states.
As Trump asked the public to “bear with him” through “a little disturbance,” he promised farmers he loves them — and pledged to impose levies on foreign farm goods next month, drawing applause from ag-focused lawmakers.
Later, two of Ukraine’s biggest Republican supporters in Congress, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) and Don Bacon (Neb.) stood and applauded when Trump talked about ending the war afflicting the country.
On Trump’s big night, Republicans kept any disagreements to themselves.
Tax Cut Priority: Trump set a high bar for success in Congressional Republicans’ push for passing tax cuts.
He called for not just extending his 2017 tax cuts, but for eliminating taxes on tips, overtime, Social Security benefits, and for car loans on autos made in America.
That’s a huge ask, especially as hard-line Republicans call for offsetting at least some of the cost with spending cuts — a move that could require deep and politically controversial reductions.
And Trump didn’t mention the state and local tax deduction, which New York and California Republicans insist is a must-have.
Democrats fired back that for all of Trump’s populist sounding tax plans, most of the benefits of the GOP plan would flow to the rich. They questioned his recitation of false statistics about Social Security, warning that such attacks are a prelude to slashing benefits.
Later Trump urged Thune and Johnson to also advance the other key piece of legislative priorities, more funding for border security. Johnson rose and saluted the president, though there are still GOP divides over the best strategy to tackle the twin objectives.
Trump didn’t weigh in on the details — and unlike most presidents, didn’t roll out any major new initiatives.
Looking Back: Trump’s speech focused heavily on culture war topics, including transgender issues in sports and schools, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts.
Polls, however, show worry that Trump isn’t focused on the biggest issues that powered him to the presidency: the economy and inflation.
When it came to those topics he had two primary answers: unleashing energy and blaming former President Joe Biden. Ask Republicans about the threat of rising prices under Trump, including warnings about tariffs spiking costs for everyday consumer goods, and they’ll point to the benefits of Trump’s promised increases in energy production, which they say will bring down costs.
Trump even called for undoing a bipartisan bill passed under Biden, the CHIPS Act, which aimed to increase domestic semiconductor production.
Trump will only be able to blame Biden for so long, however, especially given his campaign promises of immediate results on prices.
The inflation question is still playing out, but if costs keep rising, Trump and GOP lawmakers could be bitten by the same topic that sunk Biden.
Ken Tran in Washington also contributed to this story.
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