"Woke" is out, tariffs are in Trump lashes out for 100 minutes - the 7 most important moments
Trump's speech to Congress was a record length. In his speech, the US President listed all the cornerstones of the political turnaround he has achieved since taking office in January.
05.03.2025, 07:34
dpa
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- Donald Trump gave his first major speech to the US Congress on Tuesday evening (local time) since taking office on January 20.
- In his usual style, he lashed out against the previous administration, migrants and minorities and praised his own government's drive for a "golden age" in the USA - "which has only just begun".
- What was it about? Seven key points - from Ukraine and Greenland to tariffs and Biden.
On Tuesday evening (local time), US President Donald Trump gave an address to both chambers of Congress in the plenary chamber of the House of Representatives - the first of his second term in office.
Much self-praise
"America is back", Donald Trump greeted Congress and the citizens of the United States - a phrase from his predecessor Joe Biden, who at the time wanted to express the USA's return to stronger ties with Europe and Asia.
Trump used Biden's phrase to demonstrate that his vision of America is back. He had proclaimed "the golden age" after his election and since then his administration had acted "swiftly and relentlessly", the president said. "The people elected me to do the job. And I'm doing it," Trump said of the first 43 days of his second term.
Benevolence for Kiev's attempt at reconciliation
During his speech, Trump welcomed the latest attempts at rapprochement by Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyi following the scandal between the two politicians. Trump said that he had received a letter from Zelenskyi in which he had stated that Ukraine was ready for peace negotiations. "I appreciate that," Trump said of Zelenskyi's reconciliation efforts.
The US President quoted passages from Zelensky's message during the speech. The Ukrainian stated in the letter: "My team and I are ready to work under the strong leadership of President Trump to achieve lasting peace. We really appreciate how much America has done to help Ukraine." Ukraine is also ready to sign the raw materials agreement desired by the USA at any time, Trump went on to quote from Selenskyj's message.
The Ukrainian president had also previously spoken publicly and in a similar vein on Platform X in order to approach the US president following the heated scandal in the White House with Trump and the subsequent announcement of a halt to US military aid for Ukraine.
Trump said that his government was simultaneously holding serious talks with Moscow and had received "strong signals" that Russia was also prepared to make peace. "Wouldn't that be nice?" Trump added. "It's time to end this madness. It's time to stop the killing. It's time to end the senseless war." To do this, it is necessary to talk to both sides.
"We will get Greenland one way or another"
Trump reaffirmed his desire to take control of Greenland. "We need Greenland for national security and even for international security, and we're working with all parties to try to get it," the Republican said of the island, which belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark. "I think we're going to get it one way or another, we're going to get it." Although very few people live there, Greenland is a "very large piece of land and very, very important for military security".
In recent months, Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to take control of the largest island on earth. He has not ruled out military or economic coercion. Of course, he also has his sights set on the industrial minerals found there.
As a result, the Greenlandic government repeatedly emphasized that it was working towards independence from the Kingdom of Denmark, but did not want to become part of the USA.
Even more minerals - and gas
During his speech, Trump announced the construction of a "gigantic" gas pipeline in Alaska. It will be one of the largest in the world, said the Republican. Japan, South Korea and other nations wanted to contribute trillions of dollars.
He also wanted to take historic measures this week to dramatically expand the mining of rare earths and important minerals in the USA.
Diversity was yesterday
"Our country will no longer be woke," Trump said, devoting large portions of his speech to justifying his actions against federal diversity and inclusion programs and further manifesting the restriction of rights for trans people in the US.
"I have signed an executive order making it the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female," the president reiterated his campaign against trans people. "I want Congress to pass a law that permanently bans and criminalizes sex changes in children and puts an end to the lie that every child is trapped in the wrong body," Trump said.
Tariffs will fix it - or do minimal harm
Trump is fleshing out his plans for "reciprocal tariffs". These are to come into force on April 2, Trump announced during his speech. He did not want to implement the announcement on April 1 so that there would be no misunderstandings and the tariffs would be perceived as a joke. "Other countries have levied tariffs against us for decades, and now it's our turn to apply them against these other countries," he said. He continued: "However they tax us, we will tax them."
Trump is banking on the idea that import tariffs are the path to wealth for the United States. However, many economic experts are of the opinion that Trump's tariffs would actually harm the country, as they could further increase consumer costs.
Trump, on the other hand, said that the impact on inflation would be minimal. "There will be a little bit of unrest, but that's fine with us," he said. The tariffs were about making America rich and great again - "and that's what's happening," the president claimed.
Biden is to blame
Trump also repeatedly blamed the previous administration for the state of the nation. "As you know, we inherited an economic disaster and an inflation nightmare from the last administration," he said. Among other things, Trump talked about the prices of eggs and other key staples in grocery stores, whose prices have remained stubbornly high due to inflation. He said Biden had "let egg prices get out of control".
Biden was the "worst president in American history", Trump claimed once again.
At several points in his speech, the 78-year-old lashed out at the former president and criticized, among other things, that Biden had pursued a "crazy and very dangerous" migration policy and opened America's borders to migrants from all over the world. The ex-president was to blame for the USA being virtually overrun by criminal and insane immigrants, Trump claimed.