The US president has begun a “big” speech in which he has promised to “tell it like it is”
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump during his February 2020 State of the Union address. © Mark Wilson / Getty Images
President Donald Trump is addressing a special joint session of the two chambers of the US Congress for the first time since taking office in January.
He said earlier that his address would be “big” and promised to “tell it like it is.”
The president is expected to make the case for his second-term agenda, including restructuring the federal government at home and advancing ‘America First’ policies abroad.
On Tuesday, Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods and doubled tariffs he slapped last month on products from China.
Trump reportedly intends to use his address to Congress to announce a deal on Ukraine’s critical mineral deposits, which he sees as part of his efforts to broker a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. The planned signing of the deal last Friday was abruptly cancelled after a heated argument between Trump and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in the Oval Office.
On Monday, Trump reportedly instructed the Pentagon to halt all military aid to Ukraine, including the weapons shipments in transit in Poland.
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05 March 2025
03:42 GMT
Trump highlights his successful diplomatic push to increase US influence on the operation of the Panama Canal, which he described as an infrastructure project built by Americans for Americans. BlackRock has recently made major acquisitions of port infrastructure in Panada from a Chinese company, which aligned with Trump’s agenda.
- 03:39 GMT
Trump announces a program to boost shipbuilding in the US, saying it is required to maintain national security.
- 03:35 GMT
Trump pledges that there will be no place for “woke activism” in the US armed forces. His administration has reversed a policy that allowed recruitment of transgender individuals into the military.
- 03:34 GMT
Trump expresses support for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his interest in autism in children. The issue is controversial, since Kennedy claimed that a reported increase of autism cases in the US may be linked with certain vaccines.
- 03:30 GMT
Trump announces his decision to make Devarjay Daniel, a teenager known for his fight against brain cancer, an honorary member of the US Secret Service. Daniel was previously made an honorary deputy chief at the Birmingham Police Department in Florida.
- 03:24 GMT
“Radical left lunatics” have hijacked the US justice system, Trump claims, adding that his administration is working to restore fair treatment of citizens under law.
- 03:20 GMT
Trump demonstrates his executive order to commemorate Jocelyn Nungaray, the victim of another recent high-profile murder allegedly involving illegal migrants.
- 03:17 GMT
Trump claims his administration’s actions have pushed illegal border crossings to a record low level, proving that it could be achieved without major legislative reforms. “We are achieving the great liberation of America,” the president declared.
- 03:15 GMT
Trump once again attacks Biden’s “open border policies” and what he described as a major influx of criminals caused across the border with Mexico.
He highlights last year’s high-profile murder of Laken Riley by an immigrant from Venezuela as an example of the crisis at the border. The victims’ family members are in the audience.
- 03:06 GMT
Trump takes credit for a $500 billion AI project announced by leading US tech companies in the first weeks of his presidency and other investments into domestic manufacturing.
He says that the administration’s policy will greatly benefit American farmers and the steel industry who will be protected from foreign competition.
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