President Donald Trump delivered the first address of his second term to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening — the longest presidential address in recent history spanning more than 90 minutes.
During the speech, Trump boasted about his first month in office and touted debunked claims about immigration, Social Security checks, Army recruitment numbers and the economic state of the nation at large.
Trump opened his speech by saying that “America is back,” which was followed by a standing ovation from chamber Republicans who chanted “U.S.A” in response. Many Democrats were seen staying seated and silent.
Just minutes into the address, Texas Representative Al Green stood and raised his cane toward Trump, shouting at and heckling him, prompting boos and cheers from both sides of the House floor. House Speaker Mike Johnson called for the Sergeant at Arms to remove Green.
Green, who was escorted out of the chamber, has since been censured – a formal statement of disapproval – by the Republican-majority House in a 224 to 198 vote.
But Green’s was not the only protest during Trump’s address. Many Democrats held up signs reading “Musk Steals,” “Save Medicaid,” and “FALSE,” in response to claims the President made throughout his speech.
Other Democrats wore blue and yellow ties in support of Ukraine after the Trump administration’s hostile meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week.
Despite the protests, Trump continued his speech, boasting about withdrawing the U.S from the Paris Agreement– an international treaty on climate change– for the second time.
He also claimed that his administration was “achieving the great liberation of America,” citing an alleged drop in illegal immigration since his inauguration.
“He said that during the Biden administration there were 21 million illegal immigrants pouring into our country,” said Kameren Dauphin, a sophomore studying political science and the state politics chair of The Trojan Democrats. “This number is not true.”
In reality, there were around 10.8 million arrests reported at the U.S.-Mexico border between 2021 and 2024, and a significant portion of the people arrested didn’t even make it into the country.
Trump also berated diversity efforts, claiming that the U.S. “will be woke no longer.” He referenced the recent removal of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from the federal government, as well as his executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.
USC sophomore Kyle Lotke said that watching the address “felt like a dystopian movie, the way one side cheered at every little thing he said, like they were being forced to.”
Lotke, who studies Artificial Intelligence for business, emphasized that Trump being “so volatile” in his speeches has affected the markets. She cited the example of Trump saying that Taiwan should start paying for its own protection.
“TSMC (Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) dropped like 20% because he made one comment that doesn’t even make any sense,” Lotke said.
Trump also claimed in his speech that millions of Americans between the ages of 100 and 249 (and one alleged 360-year-old) were still cashing in Social Security checks from the government.
While deceased citizens may remain in the department’s database, that does not mean that they are getting checks, according to a recent report from the Social Security Administration.
“It wasn’t shocking,” Dauphin said. “This is what we’ve seen from the past decade of watching Trump’s speeches…there are a lot of lies and things that aren’t explained thoroughly.”
First-term Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin delivered the Democratic rebuttal, saying “after the spectacle that just took place in the Oval Office last week, Reagan would be rolling in his grave.”
Some Oregon Democrats also walked out during Trump’s speech, exhibiting another display of quiet defiance toward the administration and its ideologies.
“I’m not a huge fan of walkouts,” Dauphin said. “I think that the strongest critique of the opposition will actually come from when you can sit through it and be very concise about what you disagree with…Trump called out Elizabeth Warren for being supportive of Ukraine and she clapped [back], acknowledging that he was talking to her. I was a huge fan of that.”
College Republicans at USC did not immediately respond to Annenberg Media’s request for comment.