'America is back,' Trump declares in divisive Congress speech amid Democrat catcalls

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump declared "America is back" on Tuesday (Mar 4) in his first address to Congress since returning to power, facing instant Democratic hostility as he touted radical social and economic policies, while hailing his billionaire adviser Elon Musk.

With Musk, the world's richest person, among those attending the primetime televised speech, the 78-year-old Republican said after less than two months back in power he is "just getting started".

The "American dream is unstoppable", he declared.

At 100 minutes, it was the longest address to a joint session of Congress by any US president. The previous record was set by Democratic President Bill Clinton in his State of the Union address in 2000. 

Almost every line of his victory lap speech got loud applause from Republican Party members, including on two occasions when Trump singled out Musk, who stood up to salute the Congress.

But protests also began within minutes.

One Democratic congressman, Al Green, was ordered ejected because he refused to stop heckling, claiming Trump has no mandate to dismantle healthcare programs, and shaking his walking stick at the president.

Other Democrats silently held up placards including "False" and "Musk steals" and "That's a lie!".

And at one moment, numerous Democrats yelled "January 6!" at Trump, referring to his supporters' violent attack on the Capitol in 2021 after he refused to concede his election loss. Hundreds of them were released from prison earlier this year following a Trump pardon. 

The Republican president was undeterred, hailing his first six weeks and vowing to press on with his polarising bid to reshape the US government and end the Ukraine war - whatever the cost.

REALITY TV STYLE

Trump reverted to his tried-and-tested reality TV instincts. At one point he called attention to a boy with brain cancer who dreamed of becoming a policeman and - in front of Congress - was handed an official ID by the head of the Secret Service.

But in what mostly sounded like a campaign speech rather than an address to the nation, Trump made no attempt to reach out to opponents.

He got big cheers from supporters on pronouncing that his culture war on diversity programs and transgender rights meant "our country will be woke no longer".

He claimed that he was trying to resolve an "economic catastrophe", despite actually inheriting the strongest developed economy in the world from his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.

He defended his disruptive economic moves - even as the trade war he launched against Canada, China and Mexico is prompting jitters on world markets.

After a torrent of warnings that tariffs will badly hurt US exporters, including politically powerful farmers, he conceded they would bring "a little disturbance".

"Have a lot of fun," Trump said to farmers, whom he said "I love".

And after enumerating a series of murders committed by migrants, Trump got big applause when he vowed to "wage war" on Mexican drug cartels.

Well before he had finished, dozens of Democrats had already walked out.

QUEST FOR POWER

Trump is pushing to extend presidential power to its limits, with the popular vote behind him and a Republican-controlled House and Senate doing his bidding.

Aided by tech tycoon Musk, Trump has cracked down on the federal bureaucracy, firing thousands of workers, shuttering entire agencies and decimating foreign aid.

But there are early signs in the polls that Trump's sweeping cuts and his failure to tackle inflation are hitting his popularity.

Trump is also upending US foreign policy with his pivot to Moscow over the Ukraine war, which has stunned Kyiv and allies alike.

Days after a televised row in the Oval Office with Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump reiterated it was time to end the "senseless war" but did not address growing accusations that he is following the Kremlin's lead, while ignoring ally Ukraine.

In his speech, a day after he paused all military aid to Ukraine, Trump said he had just received a letter from Zelenskyy in which the Ukrainian president said he was "ready" for peace negotiations and could sign a US-Ukraine minerals sharing deal "any time".

"Simultaneously, we've had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace," Trump said. "Wouldn't that be beautiful?"

The pause in aid threatened Kyiv's efforts to defend against Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion three years ago, and further rattled European leaders worried that Trump is moving the US too far toward Moscow.

While Trump has appeared to fault Ukraine for starting the war, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found 70 per cent of Americans - including two-thirds of Republicans - say Russia was more to blame.

Trump also doubled down on his controversial vows on "taking back" the Panama Canal and getting Greenland from Denmark "one way or another".

“We’d welcome you in the US if you choose,” Trump said. “We will keep you safe, we will make you rich, and together we will take Greenland to heights you never thought possible before."

TO MARS ... AND BEYOND

As his speech wound down, Trump touched on his attempted assassination last year at a rally in Pennsylvania.

"I was saved by God to make America great again," Trump repeated. 

He then moved to laud America’s past, present and future, emphasising that "the golden age of America" had only just begun. 

"We are a country of doers, dreamers, fighters and survivors," said Trump, proclaiming that the US will also lead humanity into space and plant its flag on Mars "and even far beyond".

"This will be our greatest area ... we will fight, fight, fight for the country our citizens believe in, and the country our citizens deserve."