Trump says administration 'just getting started'

The US president's address to Congress offered no major surprises, instead extending his rhetoric around his own policies and culture war issues, according to DW's chief international editor Richard Walker.

"This was quite a conventional speech," Walker said. "He's not somebody to be shy about his achievements."

He added that Trump focused on "fusing his own personality with this national mission of dominance."

However, Walker said some "vulnerabilities" were implicit in Trump's speech, namely the impact of tariffs and the looming debt crisis.

Trump largely focused on domestic issues rather than foreign policy. However, at one point he renewed his call for peace in Ukraine following a recent public spat with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Europeans are now so shell-shocked by the last few weeks, there will be some relief that there were no new bombshells," Walker said.

You can watch Walker's full analysis here:

In a video recorded in response to Trump's speech, Senator Elissa Slotkin of the Democratic Party took aim at Trump's economic policies.

She accused him of giving an "unprecedented giveaway" to the US' billionaires.

Slotkin pointed out that  Trump's tariffs will increase prices, arguing that a "trade war" would damage manufacturing and agriculture.

"For generations America has offered something better," Slotkin said, referring to US democracy, which she warned is "at risk."

"It's at risk when the president can pick and choose which rules to follow, when he ignores court orders and the constitution itself, or when elected leaders stand by and just let it happen," she said.

She called for the US to maintain its alliances in order to tackle global issues and criticized Trump's public clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.

Trump has concluded his speech in Congress.

"The golden age of America has just begun," he said shortly before leaving the podium.

Trump said he was working "to end the savage conflict in Ukraine."

He said the US had sent hundreds of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine.

"You want to keep it going for another five years?" he asked, addressing Democrats in the gallery.

"Europe has sadly spent more money buying Russian oil and gas than they have spent on defending Ukraine," Trump claimed.

He seemingly dismissed fears that US relations with European countries were increasingly becoming strained.

"We're getting along very well with them and lots of good things are happening," he said.

He said he had received a letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that indicated that Kyiv was willing to "come to the negotiating table" to build a "lasting peace."

Trump celebrated the signing of the Abraham Accords during his first term in office, calling it "one of the most groundbreaking peace agreements in generations."

He said his administration would "build on that foundation" to "create a more peaceful and prosperous future" in the Middle East, which he described as a "rough neighborhood."

Trump said that "a lot of things are happening in the Middle East," in an apparent reference to the conflict in Gaza and other conflicts.

Trump then pivoted to security and defense issues.

"We didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama and we're taking it back," Trump said, vowing once again to retake the Panama Canal.

"We need Greenland for national security and even international security," he said.

"And I think we're going to get it. One way or another we're going to get it," he said, vowing to keep Greenland "safe," telling Greenland "we'd welcome you in the US, if you choose."

He said he supported the right of the people of Greenland to determine their own future.

As part of his national security policies, Trump announced that the US would create a new "office of shipbuilding."

"We used to make so many ships," he said.

Trump took aim at what he described as "transgender ideology" and criticized gender affirming care for trans people.

He said he signed an executive order "banning public schools from indoctrinating our children with transgender ideology."

He pointed to an executive order he signed that aimed to cut off taxpayer funding to any institution providing gender affirming care to transgender youth.

Trump said that he wanted Congress to pass a law banning gender affirming surgery for minors, declaring this would "forever [end] the lie that any child is trapped in the wrong body."

"Our message to every child in America is that you are perfect the way God made you," he said.

Trump called for the US to get "toxins" out of the environment and "poisons out of our food supply."

He claimed that 1 in 36 children in the United States have autism.

"There's something wrong," he said.

"We are going to find out what it is," he said, addressing his Health Secretary,Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom he thanked and wished good luck.

The former-Democrat-turned-Trump-supporter has long stirred controversy due to promoting vaccine conspiracy theories and misinformation.

Trump said his administration planned to restore "law and order" in the United States.

"We must bring back law and order to our cities and towns," he said.

He claimed that the justice system had been "turned upside down."

He criticized "radical left lunatics" whom he accused of attacking him. He then thanked Kash Patel, his Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Trump's pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, has said he would use his position to retaliate against Trump's political rivals.  

Trump also said he had signed an executive order for a "mandatory death penalty" for anyone convicted of murdering a police officer.

Trump said his administration declared multiple Venezuelan and Mexican organized crime groups as terrorist organizations.

He said this put the groups on the same level as the so-called "Islamic State" group (IS).

Trump claimed that cartels had "total control" over areas near the US border with Mexico.

He urged Mexico and Canada to do more to combat the flow of the drug fentanyl into the United States.

Trump said his trade policies would be good for the US agricultural industry.

"I love the farmer who will now be selling into our home market the USA because nobody will be able to compete with you," he said.

He claimed that goods coming from abroad were "uninspected" and in very "bad" shape.

He acknowledged that the policy may need "a bit of an adjustment period."

"Bear with me," he said. "To our farmers, have a lot of fun. I love you, too."

Trump then began speaking of his tariff policy and his plans to strengthen industry in the United States.

He said that the US' auto industry would "boom" under Trump's tariff regime.

Trump mentioned the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico and Canada, claiming that they and other countries "charge tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them."

"This is happening by friend and foe," he said, claiming the "system" is not "fair" to the United States.

"We have been ripped off for decades by nearly every country on Earth," Trump claimed.

He said that "reciprocal tariffs" would come into effect on April 2.

"Whatever they tariff us, we will tariff them," he said.

Trump called for the US to reduce its federal bureaucracy.

"My administration will reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy," he said.

He said that the policies would "restore true democracy" to the United States.

Trump vowed that any federal bureaucrat who rejects his plans will be removed "because we are draining the swamp."

He also spoke of his administration's plan to reduce income tax.

"We're seeking permanent income tax cuts," he said.

"I'm calling for no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on social security benefits," he said.

Trump called for the United States to "balance the federal budget."

He said that he had developed a "gold card" plan to allow people to "buy US citizenship" for $5 million (€4.7 million).

"It's like the green card but better," he said.

"While we take out the criminals, traffickers and child predators … we will now bring in brilliant, hand-working, job-creating people," he said. "They're going to pay a lot of money and we're going to reduce our debt with that money."

He accused former President Joe Biden's administration of "insane open border" policies.

Trump then went on to address his latest creation, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

"We'll be ending the flagrant waste of taxpayers dollars," he pledged.

"Perhaps you've heard of it, perhaps," he said, referring to DOGE.

He thanked Elon Musk, who saluted at him from the gallery.

He claimed that the measures had uncovered "hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud" and that the administration had "taken back the money" to fight inflation.