Arriving to chants of “USA! USA!” on the Republican side of the aisle, and irate eruptions from the Democratic one, US President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night in what was, by all accounts, one of the more raucous addresses to the legislature in American history.
Ukraine featured only briefly in his speech, conspicuously lacking news of the reported agreement reached on a minerals deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that had been teased in the press earlier in the day. He noted only that Ukraine was grateful for Trump’s “strong leadership.”
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
Near the end of his two-hour speech, Trump said, “I am also working tirelessly to end the savage conflict in Ukraine. Millions of Ukrainians and Russians have been needlessly killed in this horrific and brutal conflict with no end in sight... The United States has sent hundreds of billions of dollars to Ukraine’s defense... do you want to keep it going for another five years?”
“Two thousand people are being killed every single week. They are Russian young people, they are Ukrainian young people... Meanwhile, Europe has spent more money buying Russian oil and gas than they have spent defending Ukraine... And we have spent, perhaps, 350 billion dollars, like taking candy from a baby,” Trump said, reiterating his displeasure with what he saw as the previous administration’s over-willingness to grant aid every time a Ukrainian delegation arrived in Washington.
British Defence Intelligence Update Ukraine 05 March 2025
“Earlier today, I received an important letter from President Zelensky of Ukraine. The letter reads, ‘Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible... Nobody wants lasting peace more than the Ukrainians’,” he said.
At that point, the first applause erupted from the Democrats.
He added that Zelensky wrote, “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, Ukraine is ready to sign it at any time that is convenient for you.”
Trump continued, “I appreciate that he sent this letter a little while ago. Simultaneously, we have received strong signals from Russia that they are ready for peace. Wouldn’t that be beautiful?”
An NBC poll conducted just before the speech showed that 52 percent of Americans support Ukraine, four percent Russia, and, most tellingly, 44 percent say they have “no preference” in the matter.
Many Democratic men in the seats wore yellow-and-blue ties to show support for Ukraine, while a field of Democratic women wore yellow-and-blue suits. Some other Democratic women dressed in vividly bright pink, reminiscent of the protests of Trump in his early presidential years, when the president later charged with sexual assault was recorded on video telling a TV host that, if you’re famous and with a woman, you just have to “grab them by the [genitals].”
The speech was an impromptu event, not an annual affair, nominally resulting from an invitation from Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA). It was the first time Trump had delivered an oration on Capitol Hill since the traditional, annual, and constitutionally mandated State of the Union address in January 2020.
That was just before the worldwide outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, which sent US inflation spiraling. At the time, the cost of eggs was $1.46 per dozen. On the day of this speech, it was more than $4 per dozen nationwide.
Not all Democratic legislators who decided to attend this optional event took this self-promotional speech sitting down. While some Democratic lawmakers skipped the event entirely, others, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, walked out after they had heard enough.
When Trump led off the speech talking about his “astonishing record” in his first forty-something days, the left side of the aisle erupted in a reverberating chorus of boos. Throughout the speech, Democrats held up auction-style paddles reading “False,” “Lies,” etc.
“Members are directed to uphold and maintain decorum in the House and to cease any further disruptions,” Johnson proclaimed as he slammed his gavel. “That’s your warning,” he announced, as if there were constitutional consequences to disagreeing, saying he would direct the Sergeant-at-Arms to “restore order to the joint session.”
The Sergeant-at-Arms then removed a Texas Democratic representative from the building.
The most noteworthy news from the speech was that Trump announced that he had withdrawn the US from the UN Human Rights Council and officially frozen all foreign aid.
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
