US President Donald Trump on Tuesday night addressed a joint session of Congress, his first such address since the start of his second term in office. This speech is typically known as the “State of the Union” address. Hamas captivity survivors including Iair Horn, Keith and Aviva Siegel, Noa Argamani, and Omer Shem Tov were invited to the speech. Families of hostages who are still being held captive in Gaza were invited as well. Following the meeting at the White House that ended in a blowup with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy, Trump is expected to address the issue of peace in Ukraine in his speech, among other topics. The President is also expected to address economic issues. “America is back,” Trump began his remarks. “Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the Golden Age of America. From that moment on, it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country. We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplish in 4 years or 8 years—and we are JUST GETTING STARTED.” “I return to this chamber tonight to report that America’s MOMENTUM is back. Our SPIRIT is back. Our PRIDE is back. Our CONFIDENCE is back. And the American Dream is surging—bigger and better than ever before. The American Dream is UNSTOPPABLE, and our country is on the verge of a comeback the likes of which the world has never witnessed, and perhaps will never witness again.” He noted that “for the first time in modern history, more Americans believe that our country is headed in the RIGHT direction than the WRONG direction—an astonishing record 27-point swing since Election Day alone.” “Likewise, small business optimism saw its single largest one-month gain ever recorded—a 41-point jump. Over the past 6 weeks, I have signed nearly 100 Executive Orders and taken more than 400 Executive Actions to restore COMMON SENSE, safety, optimism, and wealth all across our wonderful land. The People elected me to do the job, and I am doing it. In fact, it has been stated by many that the first month of our presidency is the most successful in the history of our nation.” When Trump said his election win gave him “a mandate like has not been seen in many decades”, Republicans stood up and cheered, while some Democrats started booing him. One Democrat. Rep. Al Green, was removed from the Chamber after heckling the President. Trump noted his actions to pull the United States out of multiple international agreements like the Paris Climate Accord and organizations like the World Health Organization, calling it a “time for big dreams and bold action.” “Every day, my administration is fighting to deliver the change America needs to bring a future that America deserves,” he said. On the issue of the tariffs he imposed on Canada and Mexico, he stated, “Whatever they tariff us, we tariff them. Whatever they tax us, we tax them. If they do non-monetary tariffs to keep us out of their market, then we do non-monetary barriers to keep them out of our market. We will take in trillions of dollars and create jobs like we have never seen before.” Trump also announced his desire to create a "Golden Dome" air defense system for America, inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome. He revealed that Pakistan detained the ISIS commander who plotted the deadly Abbey Gate bombing during the US evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021, and he was being brought to the US to face justice. “In the Middle East, we’re bringing back our hostages from Gaza,” he said. “In my first term, we achieved one of the most groundbreaking peace agreements in generations - the Abraham Accords. And now we’re going to build on that foundation to create a more peaceful and prosperous future for the entire region.” Related articles: RAA thanks Trump for 'decisive action against antisemitism' Trump made 'very gracious' call after antisemitism arson attack Trump Is doing what we begged Biden to do 'No role for Hamas in Gaza's future governance' Trump also said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had sent him a letter saying that his country is ready to “come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer.” Trump said he was appreciative of the letter, adding that “simultaneously, we’ve had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace.”
