”People elected me to do the job, and I am doing it” says Trump in his joint address to Congress

President Donald Trump takes credit for “swift and unrelenting action” in speech to Congress

Washington: President Donald Trump on Tuesday took credit for “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy as he updated Congress and the American people on his turbulent first few weeks in office, which have featured a dismantling of the federal government, tensions with America’s allies and a trade war compounding economic uncertainty.

His joint address to Congress was the latest marker in Trump’s takeover of the nation’s capital, where the Republican-led House and Senate have done little to restrain the President as he and his allies work to slash the size of the federal government and remake America’s place in the world. With a tight grip on his party, Trump has been emboldened to take sweeping actions after overcoming impeachments in his first term and criminal prosecutions between his two administrations.

---

Trump’s theme was the “renewal of the American dream,” the White House said, and he laid out his achievements as well as appealed to Congress to provide more money to finance his aggressive immigration crackdown. “It has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action,” Trump said of his opening weeks in office, according to excerpts prepared by the White House.

“The People elected me to do the job, and I am doing it.” Early in Trump’s remarks, sustained and repeated interruptions came from the Democratic side, with Texas Rep. Al Green standing and yelling that Trump had no mandate.

After several interruptions, House Speaker Mike Johnson jumped in and called for decorum to be restored in the chamber as Republicans shouted “USA” to drown out the cries from the other side of the aisle. Johnson then ordered Green to be removed from the chamber. Other Democrats held up signs criticising like “Save Medicaid” and “Protect Veterans” during Trump’s remarks.

Trump spoke at a critical juncture in his presidency, as voters who returned him to the White House on his promise to fix inflation are instead finding economic chaos. All the gains the S&P 500 have made since Election Day are now gone, while consumer sentiment surveys show the public sees inflation as worsening.

For a President who believes that announcements of corporate investments can boost attitudes about the economy, the speech was suddenly a test of his ability to rebuild confidence in his economic leadership.