(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump talked immigration, among other topics, during his joint address to Congress on Tuesday.
He declared his administration has launched the “most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history.”
“The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation to secure the border — but it turned out that all we really needed was a new president,” Trump told Congress.
Referencing the Laken Riley Act, the first bill he signed after his reelection, he introduced Riley’s mother and sister as guests of honor at the address. Riley was a Georgia nursing student killed by a Venezulean national in the country illegally.
When it came to the economy, Trump pledged to work “every day to reverse damage and make America affordable again.”
Trump said his predecessor Joe Biden let egg prices get “out of control,” and said his administration is working on getting the prices back down, without elaborating on exactly what they are doing.
“We inherited from the last administration an economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare,” Trump said.
He also said the U.S. has more “liquid gold” than any other nation and that he is authorizing a team “to go and get it.”
“Frankly, we have never seen anything like it. That’s why, on my first day in office, I declared a national energy emergency. … Now, I fully authorize the most talented team ever assembled to go and get it. It’s called ‘drill, baby drill,’” Trump said.
Trump said he’ll also “take historic action” to expand the production of critical minerals and rare earths as soon as this week.
One action Trump touted was his creation of the Department of Government Efficiency.
He portrayed these cuts as crucial cost-saving measures, though the program was originally initiated by Republican predecessor George W. Bush.
At the beginning of Trump’s speech, Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green was escorted out of the House of Representatives chamber for standing up and saying “You don’t have a mandate” on Medicaid.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan gave the Democratic response to Trump’s address.
While she acknowledged the last election showed Americans want change, Slotkin said “there’s a responsible way to make change, and a reckless way.”
“And we can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country and as a democracy,” Slotkin said.
“President (Donald) Trump is trying to deliver a giveaway” to his richest supporters, Sen. Elissa Slotkin said.
Slotkin said the tariffs now imposed on Canadian and Mexican goods will raise prices.
“If he is not careful, he could walk us right into a recession,” she said.
Slotkin touched upon foreign affairs, saying Trump believes in “cozying up to dictators” like Russian President Vladimir Putin and sees American leadership as a series of real estate transactions.
“As a Cold War kid, I’m thankful it was Reagan and not Trump in office in the 1980s,” Slotkin said. “Trump would have lost us the Cold War.”
Designated survivor is Veterans Affairs Sec. Doug Collins
Veterans Affairs Sec. Doug Collins will be President Donald Trump’s “designated survivor” during his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday.
A “designated survivor” is a Cabinet member chosen by the president to stay behind during speeches like the State of the Union, leaving the United States with a leader in case of a catastrophic event.
Democrats have their own designated survivor as well — Rep. Mike Thompson of California.
JD Vance arrives in House Chamber
Vice President JD Vance has arrived in the House Chamber for President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday night.
Donald and Melania Trump on way to the Capitol
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have left the White House and are en route to the Capitol for his speech to Congress. It’s his first joint address to Congress since his reelection.
GOP caucus warns it will censure those who disrupt Trump’s speech
The House Freedom Caucus said on X that if people disrupt President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress, they will be censured.
“The President’s address to tonight’s joint session of Congress is a constitutional obligation — not a sideshow for Democrats to use noisemakers, make threats, throw things or otherwise disrupt,” the group said. “Our colleagues are on notice that the heckler’s veto will not be tolerated. You will be censured. We expect the Sergeant at Arms and Capitol Police to take appropriate action against any Members of Congress or other persons violating House rules.”
Bill O’Reilly wants to see Trump ‘reassure Americans’ in address
Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly said before Donald Trump’s speech that he wants the president, during his joint address to Congress, to “calm things down a bit.”
“That’s not going to happen,” O’Reilly said. “But I would like to see it. But most importantly, (I want him) to reassure the American people — all of them, not just MAGA people — that what he’s doing has an endgame that’s going to benefit them.”
Slightly more than half say country moving in wrong direction: Poll
A recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found a slim majority of the country says the state of the union is not strong ahead of President Donald Trump’s address to Congress. About 54% of U.S. adults surveyed believe the United States is moving in the wrong direction, per the poll’s results.
NewsNation political editor Chris Stirewalt said that when Trump gave the address during his first term, people felt much better about the country’s direction, though they liked Trump less personally.
“It’s an inverse situation now,” Stirewalt said. “The problem for Trump is he’s got his whole Republican Party on his side. He’s won them over. He owns the GOP. But those persuadable voters who gave him his victory will still definitely not hesitate to punish his party if they think things aren’t going right.”
Mulvaney: Trump will be more ‘disciplined’ in speech
Mick Mulvaney, a NewsNation contributor and chief of staff in the first Trump administration, says he expects Trump to stay on script in his joint address to Congress 95% of the time.
“Will there be some ad-libbing? Yes,” Mulvaney said on “The Hill.” “Will there be more if there are interruptions? Yes. But generally speaking, you’ll see a disciplined approach to tonight.”
Ashley Davis, a former official for President George W. Bush, said she thinks Trump will focus on successes like companies such as Apple building large facilities in America. However, the president will also have to answer everyday Americans’ concerns about high prices on items such as eggs.
“It’s going to be a tough message,” Davis said.
Some Democratic lawmakers planning to skip Trump address
A number of high-profile Democrats from the House and Senate are planning to boycott President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress.
Others are protesting through the guests they are bringing. These include federal workers fired because of recent cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Trump ‘deeply involved’ in writing and editing speech
NewsNation has learned President Donald Trump has been working throughout the day with his team on his joint address to Congress.
Sources confirmed that the president is looking at the speech “thoroughly” and is “deeply involved” in the writing and editing process.
This isn’t like previous presidents where they “practice in front of a podium … the president can do this in his sleep,” a source told NewsNation.
NewsNation is also told there will be a few surprise guests.