Trump airs familiar grievances, charts MAGA plan in address before bitterly divided Congress
Sen. Elissa Slotkin delivered the Democratic response to Trump's address.
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:
- Slotkin encourages concerned Americans not to despair and organize
- Slotkin: Reagan 'rolling in his grave' over Trump's foreign policy approach
- Slotkin slams DOGE, Trump over mass firings of federal workers
- Slotkin criticizes Musk's power in government
- Slotkin starts with economy, says Trump talked a 'big game'
Trump misleads about autism statistics
Trump said “not long ago, and you can't even believe these numbers, one in 10,000 children had autism, one in 10,000 and now it's one in 36.”
He is correct about the current rate being one in 36, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It’s not clear what year Trump was referencing for his “one in 10,000” statement, but in 2000 it was one in 150, according to the CDC.
There are reasonable explanations for why the rate is higher now than decades ago. The autism criteria shifted in 2013 when three diagnoses — autistic disorder; Asperger's syndrome; and pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified — were merged into a singular autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, Evan H. Dart, University of South Florida associate professor in the school psychology program, previously told PolitiFact.
"This alone could explain large increases in medical diagnoses of autism since the 2000s, even more so compared to the 1980s," when autism first appeared in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Dart said.
— Amy Sherman, PolitiFact
Trump vows to rename Panama Canal
Trump continued his push to rename landmarks and vowed to rename the Panama Canal.
He repeated several false claims about its ownership and told Secretary of State Marco Rubio "good luck."
"We know who to blame if anything goes wrong," Trump said.
Mother of Jocelyn Nungaray attends speech
The mother of Jocelyn Nungaray -- a 12-year-old Houston girl who was sexually assaulted and killed last summer -- is in attendance at tonight's speech.
The two men accused in her assault and death are undocumented immigrants from Venezuela, who Trump called "two illegal alien monsters."
Trump accused former President Joe Biden of allowing the suspects to enter the U.S. through what he slammed as a "ridiculous open border" policy.
During his speech, Trump announced that a wildlife refuge near the victim's home would be renamed the "Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge" in her honor.
Trump pushes for 'golden dome' over US
Trump asked Congress to help fund "golden dome" over the U.S. akin to Israel's Iron Dome defense system.
But experts told ABC News it wouldn't make much sense for the nation's national security, with allies located to the north and south and oceans on both sides.