Trump declares administration 'just getting started' in first Congress address
What's the story
In his first address to Congress since starting his second term, President Donald Trump said his administration is "just getting started."
He began with the words, "America is back," which was greeted with a standing ovation from Republican lawmakers.
The president said that the steps taken by his administration in the last six weeks are more than what "most administrations accomplish in 4 years or 8 years."
Executive actions
Trump cites 'swift and unrelenting action' in address
Trump stressed his administration's "swift and unrelenting action," citing nearly 100 executive orders and over 400 executive actions.
He touted these measures as efforts to restore "common sense, safety, optimism, and wealth" across the nation.
The president also declared a "National ENERGY Emergency" to ramp up domestic drilling to combat high egg prices, which he blamed on his predecessor's energy policies.
Trade and immigration
Trump defends trade war escalation, immigration policies
The address came amid heightened tensions after Trump recently escalated a trade war with Mexico, Canada, and China.
The US slapped 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada and raised tariffs on Chinese products to 20%.
Defending the actions, Trump said, "Whatever they tariff us, we tariff them. We'll take in trillions of dollars and create jobs like...never...before."
He also touched on immigration policies, claiming illegal crossings were at their lowest levels due to military and border patrol deployments.
Immigration critique
Trump criticizes predecessor's immigration handling
Trump slammed the last administration's approach to immigration and boasted about his own work to end what he called a "border invasion."
On the foreign policy front, Trump doubled down on his "America First" vision after a controversial meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
As the future of US aid to Ukraine remains uncertain, Zelenskyy proposed a possible peace plan to end the war in Ukraine on Tuesday.
Domestic policies
Trump addresses domestic issues, announces English as official language
He said he was ready to work "constructiv[ly]" under Trump's "strong leadership" and that his country was ready to sign a deal that would give the US access to its important minerals.
Trump also announced an order making English the official language of the US and declared hiring should be based on skill, not race or gender.
He also said critical race theory had been removed from public schools.
He has also banned "men from playing in women's sports."