☕ Trump's (long) speech

It’s Wednesday.

Last night, President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress, telling the audience he is “just getting started” with the agenda he pitched to the American people. In today’s edition, we break down the key points of the speech and the reaction from Democrats.

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said it is ‘time to make things right’ signaling he is ready for peace with Russia after a tense meeting at the White House last week. Friday’s meeting led to President Trump pausing all US aid to Ukraine, saying Zelenskyy was not “focusing” on a peace deal. Zelenskyy said the outcome of the meeting on Friday was “regrettable”, and it “did not go the way it was supposed to be”. Another trip back to Washington has not yet been scheduled.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has echoed comments made by other high level Republicans on Sunday by speculating President Zelenskyy may need to step down following his exchange with President Trump. Johnson, who is third in line to the Presidency after the Vice President, called for Zelenskyy to “come to his senses … or someone else needs to lead the country to do that.” The statement comes as European leaders expressed widespread support for Ukraine, with some nations promising increased presence of soldiers on the ground to defend any Russian advances.

Vice President JD Vance has denied he was talking about France and the UK when he dismissed the effectiveness of a 20,000-strong peacekeeping force from “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years” as a deterrent to Russian aggression. The denial comes after France and the UK, who are the only countries who offered peacekeeping personnel, reacted to the statement with outrage citing their soldiers who came to US aid in Afghanistan and Iraq after the 9/11 attacks. 

Lone-wolf attackers perpetrated the majority of terror incidents in Western democracies last year, according to new data. The 2024 Global Terrorism Index, out today, describes lone-wolf attacks as terrorism perpetrated by “individuals acting on their own initiative,” compared to attacks by organised terror cells. The Institute for Economics & Peace report shows terrorist incidents were recorded in 66 countries last year, up from 58 in 2023. However, deaths from terrorism fell to 7,555 in 2024, down 13% from the previous year. The data also shows there’s been an increase in the number of attacks by under 18 year-olds.

I’ve got 1 minute

A trade war has begun as Canada, Mexico and China have started to take or plan retaliatory action against the tariff’s which were imposed on them on Tuesday by the US. Here’s how the countries are reacting.

Canada

Canada has announced tariffs on over $100 billion dollars of American goods. The Canadian state of Ontario also announced they will stop the sale of minerals and rare earths to the US. Announcing the retaliatory action on his final days in office, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau called the US action against Canada ‘very dumb’ .

China

China announced 15% tariffs on products it said would hurt supporters of Donald Trump the most, including chicken, corn, wheat and cotton. It also imposed 10% tariff’s on other foods including fruit, vegetables and dairy products. China also added more US companies to it export controls list which bans Chinese merchants from selling some products the companies listed. The tariff’s were accompanied by a statement from the superpower saying they have never ‘bowed to hegemony’.

Mexico

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum will detail retaliatory tariffs on Sunday. In a statement made on Tuesday, Sheinbaum rejected President Trump’s assertion that her government has not been doing enough to counter fentanyl and illegal immigration flow into the US.

What’s next?

In response to Canada’ retaliation, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said the President would not back down, but may come to a compromise as soon as Wednesday.

Meanwhile, US markets dropped sharply, as investors express concern about the increased cost of goods.

I’ve got 2 minutes

President Trump has delivered the longest presidential address in the past 60 years, beating a previous record set by President Bill Clinton in 2000. The speech was given against a backdrop of economic uncertainty as tariff announcements on Tuesday sent global share markets plummeting. Rather than just focus on the economic impact of tariffs, Trump outlined his broad policy agenda, honing in on issues like government efficiency, transgender athletes and manufacturing reforms.

What is the Address to Congress?

The Address to Congress is an opportunity for the President to address law makers and the country. At this early stage in the presidency, it allows the President to justify their administration’s actions so far and outline a vision for the future. A representative of the opposing party is also allowed to offer a rebuttal.

What did he say?

Responding to the most significant reform in his first weeks in office, Trump doubled down on recently imposed tariffs, saying they were necessary and asking farmers (who will be likely disproportionately affected by potential retaliation), to “bear with him”.

On foreign policy, Trump read a statement from President Zelenskyy made earlier in the day. He also expressed concern about Chinese control over the Panama Canal and US control of Greenland.

The President also touted his rapid stream of executive orders which have begun to reshape federal government, emphasizing the role of Elon Musk in cutting federal spending and his own achievements in scaling back Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

The President also took the opportunity to blame former President Joe Biden for America’s economic woes, claiming Biden left him a “failing economy”. He took particular aim at the price of eggs, which has been rising rapidly, and the former President’s spending on foreign aid.

Democratic response

Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin delivered the rebuttal, arguing that whilst there is a clear desire from the voting public to reduce government spending, Trump’s method was “reckless” and the changes needed to be carried out “responsibly”. She also said that President Trump was assisting billionaires to make more money, and is putting the US in danger of entering a recession.

Some drama also occurred during the speech, with Democratic Senator Al Green beign ejected from the chamber for heckling the President, saying repeatedly, “you don’t have a mandate”. Although heckling is common, it is relatively rare for the Speaker of the House to eject a member.