The Daily - Partisan Taunts and Defiant Protests: Trump’s First Speech to Congress

Episode Date: March 5, 2025

In his first address to Congress on Tuesday night, President Trump took a highly partisan victory lap as Democratic lawmakers openly protested against him.Maggie Haberman, a White House correspondent for The Times, walks us through the speech, including the reactions to it in the room.Guest: Maggie Haberman, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: A combative President Trump taunted his political rivals during his speech.Here are six takeaways from Mr. Trump’s address to Congress.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

From New York Times, I'm Michael Bavaro. This is The Daily. In his first address to Congress on Tuesday night, President Trump took a highly partisan victory lap as Democratic lawmakers openly protested against him. Today, my colleague Maggie Haberman walks us through the speech and the reactions to it in the room. It's Wednesday, March 5th. So Maggie, are you ready to begin? I am, Michael.

Okay. Well, thank you for joining us at 11.40 p.m. 11.41, and thank you for joining us at 11.40 p.m. 11.41 and thank you for having me. Thank you for correcting my time stamping. It only feels appropriate. So Maggie, describe the scene for us on the House floor as all of this gets underway on Tuesday night.

Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States. So Michael, about 15 minutes after 9 p.m., the announcement goes out that the President of the United States is going to be walking in. Already, this is a different setting than we are used to for this kind of a speech, because normally there is an escort committee. It's a bipartisan escort committee. And Democrats help walk in the Republican president, Republican members help walk in a Democratic president.

This year, Democrats decided not to be part of that committee. So right away, this was a new moment. And newly partisan. And newly partisan. And there were other signs of democratic protest. He's being applauded by Republicans who are, you know, trying to touch him as he's walking down the aisle. Most Democrats are refusing to stand, if any did.

I don't see any who did. Right. And usually both parties stand just out of respect for the office. For the most part, yes. And it foretold a very, very intensely partisan night that was about to come. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. It's a great honor. Thank you very much. Speaker Johnson.

Trump reaches the lectern, and then he starts to speak. Members of the United States Congress, thank you very much. And to my fellow citizens, America is back. And there's huge cheers from Republicans. USA! USA! USA! USA! And there's huge cheers from Republicans. And Trump relives his election victory. The presidential election of November 5th was a mandate like has not been seen in many decades.

We won all seven swing states, giving us an electoral college victory of 312 votes. He claims falsely that his popular vote win was by a large margin. It was not, there was nothing historic about it, other than that it happened. But he seemed to be doing that deliberately, as he has in the past, to suggest in this room before the entire country in this live televised address

that he has a mandate. Yes, and he does have a mandate. He just doesn't have the mandate that he keeps saying he does. But so at that moment, as he's declaring this, Democratic Congressman Al Green, who has been firmly against Trump for a very long time, stands up and he starts to heckle the president.

We won the popular vote by big numbers and won counties in our country. And heckling is not as unusual as it once was for this kind of important speech, but Green seemed to go further than your average heckler. Right. This was Green continuing to stand, literally waving his cane, brandishing it almost as if it was a sword, essentially, and refusing to sit. Members are directed to uphold and maintain decorum in the House and to cease any further disruptions.

That's your warning. Despite repeated calls for him to do so by the House Speaker. I should add, Maggie, I was watching this on television as well. I noticed at this moment not only that the speaker is very frustrated, JD Vance stands up and signals with his thumb that it's time to eject Congressman Green. It was an astonishing moment. And what Green was doing was astonishing too. I mean, this was just a sustained protest in a chamber where decorum is valued.

But both JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson, both of whom, because of their roles, were seated behind the president and standing at various points, were trying to get the sergeant-at-arms attention to have that person come and eject a sitting member of Congress, which is an uncomfortable moment. Take your seat. Finding that members continue to engage in willful and concerted disruption of proper decorum, the chair now directs the sergeant-at-arms to restore order. Which is exactly what ends up happening. That is exactly what ends up happening and it gave Donald Trump a moment that he clearly wanted. Hmm.

This is my fifth such speech to Congress. And once again, I look at the Democrats in front of me and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud, nothing I can do. Trump was trying to set up this notion that whatever he does, Democrats are going to oppose it, and therefore Democrats are unreasonable and bad actors. And again, this is his perspective. I'm just saying what he is trying to set up and that they are not going to endorse him

no matter what. Mm-hmm. Okay. After this set of back and forths between the president and unhappy Democrats, we finally get to the meat of this speech. Right. So from that moment, Trump begins to describe the version of America that he defeated in 2024 in his telling and the one that he's sweeping away.

And it is one that, to use a word he uses often, is woke. And what are the examples of this woke version of America that he's sweeping away? We have removed the poison of critical race theory from our public schools. It's a pretty familiar list, Michael, for anyone who has listened to a Trump campaign speech. It's culture war issues.

And I signed an order making it the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female. It's men who have transitioned to be women playing in women's sports. That's a big one that he focuses on. I also signed an executive order to ban men from playing in women's sports. He focuses specifically on a young woman in the audience, Peyton McNabb. Three years ago, Peyton McNabb was an all-star high school athlete, one of the best. Who was hit in the head with a spiked volleyball that was spiked by a transgender woman on the opposing team.

He smashed the ball so hard in Peyton's face causing traumatic brain injury, partially paralyzing her right side. Who apparently suffered a head injury because of it. Peyton is here tonight in the gallery and Peyton from now on schools will kick the men off the girls team or they will lose all federal funding. And then he pivots as you know we inherited from the last administration an economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare. Very abruptly to the government that he inherited. And to that end, I have created the brand new department of government efficiency, Doge.

And he starts going through a list of programs, and it's long, that he says are programs that Doge, Musk's effort, has identified as spending that Trump considers wasteful. Just listen to some of the appalling waste we have already identified. In many cases, it's foreign aid. $45 million for diversity, equity, and inclusion scholarships in Burma. It's promoting efforts in Africa. Eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI plus in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of. He sort of mocks the name of a country there. He mispronounces another country.

He goes through this lengthy list and... Twenty million dollars for the Arab Sesame Street. It's very hard to know how accurate this list is because a lot of what has been put out there by Doge as their cost cutting measures some is accurate some is not 47 million dollars for improving learning outcomes in Asia Asia's doing very well with learning He does all of this to laughter by JD Vance behind him, by Mike Johnson behind him, by

House members sitting on the Republican side of the aisle. Under the Trump administration, all of these scams, and they're far worse, but I didn't think it was appropriate to talk about them. They're so bad. Right. He's very pointedly mocking the federal government in a pretty unfamiliar way for this setting. Correct. And not just the federal government, but the federal bureaucracy, which is composed of

workers. And in some cases, there are his supporters among people working in this government. And he controls it and is going to have to figure out how to get people to respond to what he wants without sounding disdainful of them. And we've taken back the money and reduced our debt to fight inflation and other things. And then it felt like he was turning the page from what he inherited and dislikes and wants to sweep away,

as you just put it, to this new vision for government that he's creating. That's right. And the neon sign blinking for that new government is tariffs. If you don't make your product in America, however, under the Trump administration, you will pay a tariff, and in some cases, a rather large one. He imposed major tariffs on goods from Mexico and goods from Canada. Right.

These are tariffs he announced just hours before this speech. Yeah, that's right. Less than 24 hours before the speech started. And he makes clear that he's not only doing those tariffs, but that come the beginning of April, there's not fair to the United States and never was and so on April 2nd There is going to be tariffs essentially around the globe in the form of reciprocal tariffs April 2nd reciprocal tariffs kick in and Whatever they tariff us other countries we will

Tariff them that's reciprocal back and forth whatever they tax us We will tariff them. That's reciprocal, back and forth. Whatever they tax us, we will tax them. Which may inevitably increase costs for U.S. consumers. That's right. And he goes specifically to talking about the agriculture community. Our new trade policy will also be great for the American farmer. I love the farmer. He describes himself as loving America's farmers. Who will now be selling into our home market, the USA, because nobody is going to be able to compete with you. But that group of people are really concerned about the tariffs that are coming.

And Trump does acknowledge that there might be, quote, a little bit of an adjustment period as these tariffs go into place. He's acknowledging these tariffs are going to hurt American farmers. That's not his normal mode to admit that tariffs might make someone miserable. But he's doing so because he knows this group of Americans voted for him in large numbers.

Yes, and he, Michael, I think truly believes that it will be short term. Our farmers are gonna have a field day right now, so to our farmers, have a lot of fun, I love you too. He is a huge believer in tariffs. He doesn't just see it as a tool, he sees it as a money-making device for the country and He believes correctly or not that the markets will correct and that things will ultimately be okay

But if we truly care about protecting Americans children No step is more crucial than securing America's borders and from, he goes on to the other major item in this new government that he's creating, and that is border security and cracking down on undocumented immigrants. Since taking office, my administration has launched the most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history. He talks specifically about...

And we quickly achieved the lowest numbers of illegal border crossings. He says it's now the lowest in US history. It's not clear that that's true, but it certainly is the lowest in about 25 years. And he's clearly very proud of that and goes from that really to blaming Biden and Democrats for the situation that he says he inherited. Because of Joe Biden's insane and very dangerous open border policies, they are now strongly embedded in our country. But we are getting them out and getting them out fast. And he talks about how Biden and Democratic lawmakers had talked about a new border bill.

And that is true. They did talk about it and they didn't get one done. And he says that it turns out. The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation. We must have legislation to secure the border. But it turned out that all we really needed was a new president. New legislation wasn't needed. We just needed a new president. Right. He's saying, I am the reason border crossings went down. We didn't need anything

to go through Congress. And the reason that felt significant is that one of the questions, I think, I'm going to suspect you agree, that hovered over this speech before it even started was how this group of lawmakers was going to relate to a president who since taking office has consistently circumvented them, right? He has been shutting down agencies that Congress funds. He's been freezing federal spending that Congress has appropriated. And what struck me about this particular moment is you have the president saying to members of Congress, I didn't even need you or want you to get anything done on the border.

I did it on my own. And they're cheering. So, in a sense, they're cheering their own powerlessness. And that was striking. That's true. And Trump has done so much by executive action. And that has meant just doing and runs around Congress, including taking actions that he is required legally to notify Congress about, and he's not doing it. And instead of objecting, you are just seeing these House members cheering him on.

We really don't get these living, breathing moments where you're not just reminded that the members of the House and Senate and the Republican Party are neutered, but they are endorsing the fact that they are neutered. Right. And are basically bowing to Trump. Even as he takes away their power. Even as he takes away their power.

Correct. We'll be right back. Eventually Trump turns from talking about domestic accomplishments to his vision for foreign policy, which is, as we've talked about with you on the show in the past, this unusual combination of America first and America the imperialist. Correct. To further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal. And we've already started doing it.

He talked again about how he wants to take over the Panama Canal. And I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland. And then he turned to Greenland, which he has been talking about wanting to acquire in some fashion for a while. We strongly support your right to determine your own future.

And when he first started talking about Greenland, he actually sounded less bellicose and firm than he has in the past. And if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America. We need Greenland for national security and even international security. He talked about wanting them to join the US as if it was a choice, whereas in the past, it's generally been, I'm going to get you. Right. Perhaps even by military force. Right.

But then he got to that point eventually anyway in the speech. And after going from sort of an invitation, it went to something much more declarative. And I think we're going to get it one way or the other, we're going to get it. And from there, he pivots to what was essentially the biggest subject of the past week, as it relates to him, which is Russia and Ukraine. That's right. And I'm also working tirelessly to end the savage conflict in Ukraine. He starts out by saying he's working tirelessly to end this fight.

And he looks over at the Democrats sitting in their section in the House chamber. He clearly believed that he was going to get some cheers for saying that he wanted to end the war. Did not. Did not. And then eyeballs the Democrats. Do you want to keep it going for another five years? Yeah, you would say Pocahontas says yes. And then singles out Elizabeth Warren, who he consistently mocks as Pocahontas because she previously had claimed that she had Native American heritage. And he goes from that, sort of making fun of the Democrats, to being fairly conciliatory

about President Zelensky of Ukraine. Earlier today I received an important letter from President Zelensky of Ukraine. He says he got a letter from Zelensky. I'm not actually clear that he got a letter or that he got a tweet, but either way, he's reading from a piece of paper. And 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 it says Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. And it's notable because Trump had this extraordinary, unprecedented- Blowout. ... beat down of Zelensky by Trump and JD Vance in the Oval Office on Friday, and then halting the aid on Monday. Right, to Ukraine from the US.

Correct. And then getting a little bit of a concession from Zelensky on Tuesday, and that seemed to be enough for Trump to say, okay, we can go back to the table. And Trump clearly wants people to believe that when he makes a threat, he means it. So he turned off the aid and the point seems to have been received by Zelensky and we'll see where it goes. So what Trump does in this section of the speech you're saying is he's saying to hammer Zelensky approach, worked. And so now I will resume negotiations with him. Correct. And he's doing it in a way where he can show that he is starting again, but that it was Zelensky who bowed. And that is always very important to Trump.

Okay, so talk about how the speech eventually comes to an end. So toward the end... A history teacher named Mark Fogel was detained in Russia and sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony. Rough stuff. Trump starts talking about Mark Fogel, who was a Pennsylvania school teacher who had been imprisoned in Russia for a few years.

But last summer I promised his 95-year-old mother, Malfein, that we would bring her boy safely back home. After 22 days in office, I did just that. And they are here tonight. Trump's advisors helped secure his release. But Trump makes this pretty abrupt transition from talking about Mark Fogel. As fate would have it, Mark Fogel was born in a small rural town in Butler, Pennsylvania. Have you heard of it?

To talking about himself. I just happened to go there last July 13th for a rally. in a small rural town in Butler, Pennsylvania. Have you heard of it? To talking about himself. I just happened to go there last July 13th for a rally. Because he describes how he was talking to Fogel's mother at his rally, Trump's rally, in July of 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. And that is where I met his beautiful mom right before I walked onto that stage. And the moments after they were talking. Gunfire rang out and a sick and deranged assassin unloaded eight bullets.

Trump faced the bullet of a would-be assassin. I was saved by God to make America great again. I believe that. And Trump proceeds to describe himself as saved by God. And this is a statement he made at various points during the campaign, but it reflects a belief that both he and his advisors have, which is that there is something divine about his victory. There's something divine about the fact that he was saved and that he is being swept back into office to save the country.

Right. Which is a very different thing to say as a candidate than to say in a joint address to Congress because suddenly you have the president saying, I believe I was put here by God to save the country before members of Congress. Correct. And you have a sitting president saying essentially everything that he said on the campaign trail repeatedly, despite having won to these members of Congress. My fellow Americans, get ready for an incredible future because the golden age of America has only just begun. It will be like nothing that has ever been seen before. Thank you. God bless you and God bless America.

So Maggie, when this speech was over, I'm curious what you were thinking. This is not your first Trump joint address to Congress. It's probably your fifth Yes, and certainly the longest so after I was thinking about how long it was. It was the longest I was thinking about how Struck I was and how little forward-looking there was in this speech. There were there were a few things but mostly it was a celebration of Trump, and it was a celebration of his last 40 some odd days in office, and it was a celebration of all of the things that he campaigned on in 2024. But what that translates to for the rest of a presidency, let alone the rest of

this year, was not answered in this speech. Well, Maggie, thank you very much. Michael, thank you. On Tuesday night, in the Democratic response to Trump's speech, Senator Alyssa Slotkin of Michigan directly addressed demoralized members of her party. Don't tune out. It's easy to be exhausted, but America needs you now more than ever. And suggested that under Trump, democracy itself is now at risk. I've seen democracies flicker out.

I've seen what life is like when a government is rigged. You can't open a business without paying off a corrupt official. You can't criticize the guys in charge without getting a knock at the door in the middle of the night. So as much as we need to make our government more responsive to our lives today, don't for one moment fool yourself that democracy isn't precious and worth saving.

We'll be right back. Here's what else you need to know today. The Times reports that as part of President Trump's sweeping campaign of cost-cutting, the Internal Revenue Service is preparing to eliminate as much as 50 percent of its staff. Experts say that such a major reduction in staffing could jeopardize the ability of the IRS to complete its basic mission of collecting taxes. And a Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday further restricted the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate pollution.

The question before the court in the case was whether, under the Clean Water Act, the EPA could penalize the city of San Francisco for violating policies on the release of wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. City officials argued that the EPA rules were so vague that it was impossible to know when the city had violated them, a claim that the Supreme Court justices endorsed as they struck down the EPA's rules. Today's episode was produced by Mujsadi, Asa Chathurvedi, Michael Simon Johnson, and Eric Krupke.

It was edited by Rachel Quester, contains original music by Dan Powell, and was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsfer of Wonderly. Special thanks to Nick Pittman. That's it for the Daily. I'm Michael Bobarro. See you tomorrow.