Trump airs familiar grievances, charts MAGA plan in address before bitterly divided Congress

Sen. Elissa Slotkin delivered the Democratic response to Trump's address.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Ivan Pereira, Emily Chang, and Julia Reinstein
Last Updated: March 5, 2025, 12:09 AM EST

President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, six weeks into his historic return to the White House.

During the speech, Trump said "America is back" and defended the tariffs on key U.S. trading partners. He touched on immigration and the mineral deal with Ukraine, but neglected to go into detail on his economic plan. The speech was also met with protests and disruptions from Democrats.

Key headlines:

Here's how the news developed:
Mar 04, 2025, 10:01 PM EST

Claim: 'Gold cards' don’t need congressional approval

FACT CHECK: Misleading.

Immigration experts say Trump can neither create a new green card program nor shut down an existing one without congressional action.

Trump announced a plan to give people legal permanent residency in the U.S. if they pay $5 million. The so-called “gold card” would be similar to a green card in that it would let people live and work in the U.S. permanently and provide a pathway to citizenship.

Trump has described the program as a way to cut the U.S. deficit and has said it would replace the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program. But he hasn't provided an official document creating the program.

Trump touted his "gold card" immigration plan which would give citizenship status to foreign applicants who pay $5 million.
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Trump claims 'gold card' for immigrants will be ready soonTrump touted his "gold card" immigration plan which would give citizenship status to foreign applicants who pay $5 million.
ABCNews.com

— Aaron Sharockman, PolitiFact

Mar 04, 2025, 10:00 PM EST

Trump repeats pledge to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefit package

In touting his plans for tax cuts, Trump emphasizes his desire for "permanent income tax cuts all across the board" and repeats his promise to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits.

"I'm calling for no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security benefits for our great seniors," he said.

Mar 04, 2025, 9:59 PM EST

Trump pressures Congress to extend his tax cuts

Trump called on Congress to make his 2017 tax cuts permanent. "I'm sure you're going to vote for those tax cuts, because otherwise I don't believe the people will ever vote you in to office," he told members.

Trump called on Congress to make his 2017 tax cuts permanent. "I'm sure you're going to vote for those tax cuts, because otherwise I don't believe the people will ever vote you in to office," he said.
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Trump pressures Congress to extend his tax cutsTrump called on Congress to make his 2017 tax cuts permanent. "I'm sure you're going to vote for those tax cuts, because otherwise I don't believe the people will ever vote you in to office," he said.
ABCNews.com

Mar 04, 2025, 9:57 PM EST

'Bureaucracy has crushed our freedoms': Trump

Trump again talked about government inefficiency and waste and claimed that "bureaucracy has crushed our freedoms."

"My administration will reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy, and we will restore true democracy to America again," he said. "And any federal bureaucrat who resists this change will be removed from office immediately."

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