Donald Trump delivered the longest presidential address in modern history to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, laying out his vision for the next four years while defending his efforts to dismantle large portions of the federal government. For an hour and 40 minutes, Trump repeatedly lied and exaggerated about his accomplishments and his opponents’ failures, deploying racist and dehumanizing language to describe immigrants, LGBTQ+ people and his critics. Trump heaped praise on billionaire Elon Musk and his efforts to slash entire government agencies.
President Donald Trump: “And to that end, I have created the brand-new Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. Perhaps. Which is headed by Elon Musk, who is in the gallery tonight.”
Trump also repeated threats the U.S. will be “reclaiming” the Panama Canal from China, after the Wall Street giant BlackRock said it would lead a consortium to purchase two Panama Canal ports from a Hong Kong-based conglomerate. The Panama Canal Authority is run entirely by the Panamanian government, not China, as Trump has falsely claimed. After headlines, we’ll air extended portions of Trump’s speech and get responses.