In the longest address in modern presidential history, on Tuesday night, President Donald J. Trump outlined before a joint session of Congress the numerous actions his administration had undertaken over the past six weeks, including significant reductions in the federal workforce and the elimination of diversity initiatives.
He also spoke about the Middle East, referring to Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity as “our hostages:”
“In the Middle East, we’re bringing back our hostages from Gaza. In my first term, we achieved one of the most groundbreaking peace agreements in generations: the Abraham Accords. And now we’re going to build on that foundation to create a more peaceful and prosperous future for the entire region. A lot of things are happening in the Middle East. People have been talking about that so much lately with everything going on, with Ukraine and Russia. A lot of things are happening in the Middle East. It’s a rough neighborhood, actually.”
Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) interrupted Trump’s speech within minutes, shouting, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid.” After refusing to stop, he was escorted out. Other Democrats also heckled, and at one point, several Democratic lawmakers walked out in protest.
A group of House Democrats held signs reading “MUSK STEALS,” “SAVE MEDICAID,” and “PROTECT VETERANS.” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich) used a whiteboard to display messages throughout the speech, such as “NO KING” and “LIES.”
Some Democrats laughed and pointed at Elon Musk, who watched from the gallery,
when Trump declared the end of rule by “unelected bureaucrats.”
Despite the protests, the top Democratic leaders in each chamber, like most of their colleagues, sat quietly, listening without interruption.
Trump had this to say about Ukraine, an issue that in his opinion came down to dollars and cents (Rubles and kopecks?):
“They’ve spent more buying Russian oil and gas than they have defending. We’ve spent perhaps $350 billion, like taking candy from a baby. That’s what happened. And they’ve spent $100 billion. What a difference that is. And we have an ocean separating us, and they don’t. But we’re getting along very well with them and lots of good things are happening.
“Biden has authorized more money in this fight than Europe has spent by billions and billions of dollars. It’s hard to believe that they wouldn’t have stopped it at some point. Come on, let’s equalize. You’ve got to be equal to us. That didn’t happen.
The president then read a letter from the Ukrainian president, in which the latter appears to acquiesce to Trump’s harsh demands last Friday, and kiss the ring:
“Earlier today, I received an important letter from President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. The letter reads: ‘Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer.’ Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts. … We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine, maintain its sovereignty and independence. … Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it at any time.”
And so, in essence, President Trump did dissolve the Russia-Ukraine war in four days…
