President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. AP/PTI
Washington: A president’s speech to Congress — even without the formal gloss of a State of the Union address — is typically a time for a call to national unity and predictable claims about the country being strong.
But that wasn’t President Donald Trump‘s plan. His speech on Tuesday night was relentlessly partisan, boasting about his election victory and criticising Democrats for failing to recognise his accomplishments.
The hard edge reflected Trump’s steamroller approach to his second term, brushing aside opposition and demanding loyalty throughout the federal government.
First lady Melania Trump arrives at the Capitol in Washington, to lend her support to an online safety bill, Monday, March 3, 2025. AP/PTIPresident Donald Trump greets Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., after addressing a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. AP/PTIPresident Donald Trump shakes hands with C.C. Wei, chairman and CEO of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, March 3, 2025.AP/PTI