LIZ PEEK: Trump’s speech to Congress. Making America optimistic again

President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress and to the American people was a strong reaffirmation of his campaign promises to make America great again, make American healthy again and so much more. Befitting the dramatic energy of his first six weeks, the president spoke at length, recounting not only his administration’s many accomplishments but also laying out an agenda for the next four years. 

It was a powerful, uplifting and timely message. Timely, because in recent days the country has been buffeted by concerns about a trade war and spats with foreign allies; the president’s forceful arguments in favor of his agenda were reassuring. 

The biggest takeaway: Donald Trump is the most extraordinary president of this generation and one of the most singular, authentic political leaders this country has ever seen. Like him or hate him, no one can dispute that his imprint on our country has already been and will continue to be significant.

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Republicans cheered his address on too many occasions to count, while Democrats were sullen and disruptive. Early in the speech, Texas Democrat Rep. Al Green tried to shut down the president, waving his cane and shouting; House Speaker Mike Johnson had the Sergeant at Arms remove the disruptor. 

During the rest of the evening, Democrats contented themselves mainly with occasionally booing the president, as when he recounted his election win. It was an odd choice since there is no disputing his victory. Otherwise, they occasionally held up little signs that read “FALSE,” disputing some of the president’s claims. Their protests seemed little more than sour grapes and pointless, emblematic of their current disarray.

Trump’s speech was at turns humorous, at times combative and in some instances touching. Most heartwarming were the stories about some of the guests who attended, including one young boy who always wanted to be a police officer but who was diagnosed with brain cancer several years ago. The 13-year-old has outlived his doctor’s severe prognosis, and meanwhile, has been made an honorary member of various police organizations. The president instructed the Secret Service to designate him an honorary agent, bringing the House down, except for Democrats who were unmoved.

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As expected, the president took a victory lap, recounting the dizzying activity of the past six weeks, including his 100 executive orders and 400 executive actions. He noted especially the successful efforts to drive down illegal crossings at the southern border, which are at the lowest level ever recorded. As he put it, “The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new LEGISLATION to secure the border—but it turned out that all we really needed was a new PRESIDENT.”

He also boasted that he and his team have brought home hostages (one of whom – Mark Fogel – was a featured guest), removed DEI programs from the government, changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, designated Venezuelan gangs and Mexican drug cartels as terror organizations, “reclaimed” the Panama Canal, removed critical race theory from schools, ended the “green new scam” as he called it, and have withdrawn from the Paris Climate Accord, the World Health Organization and the U.N. Human Rights Commission.

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Trump spent much time listing a bucketload of wasteful spending that had so far been eliminated by DOGE, and thanked Elon Musk for leading that effort. Some of the items listed were preposterous, like “$45 million for diversity, equity, and inclusion scholarships in Burma,” “$47 million for better ‘learning outcomes’ in Asia” and “$14 million for “social cohesion in Mali.” He also noted the millions of people over the age of 110 who are receiving social security payments. He joked to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that “We have a healthier country than I thought, Bobby!” If he was trying to build support for DOGE’s work, he made his case.

That was important not only because Democrats and the liberal media are working overtime to undermine Elon Musk and his team’s efforts to root out fraud and waste, but because it also tied into Trump’s message on inflation. Rising prices are still voters’ number one concern, and recent reports of persistent inflation and the fear that tariffs might drive prices higher have roiled the stock market and depressed consumer sentiment.

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Trump rightly argued that the main cause of inflation was excessive government spending under President Joe Biden, and that the work of DOGE is critical to curbing our outsized fiscal deficit. He admitted that the imposition of tariffs could produce some upheaval in the short run, but that leveling the playing field and tackling our huge trade deficit by imposing reciprocal penalties on our trading partners would ultimately also lower our deficit and bring home jobs. He noted that already tariffs have encouraged Honda to build a new car in the U.S. instead of Mexico, and that other companies were similarly bringing investment into the country. 

Part of his plan to reduce costs is to boost energy production, after Biden “cut the number of new oil and gas leases by 95%, slowed pipeline construction to a halt, and closed more than 100 power plants.” Trump recounted that on Day One he had declared an energy emergency, and that he will push to “Drill, baby, drill.”

Another key element in his economic agenda is to cut taxes, with the help of Congress, and to reduce regulations. He has directed that for every new rule put in place, 10 must be eliminated. That will help.

The theme of Trump’s speech was the renewal of the American dream.  He is off to a good start, but Americans will want to see results and, in particular, want to see inflation subside. Tuesday night’s speech will not bring down the cost of eggs, but it may boost confidence that his policies will ultimately pay off. 

That will be a win, for Trump and the country. 

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