President Donald Trump made history with the longest address to a joint session of Congress, and it was a speech to remember. Appointments, admission, and potential censures are only a few results of the record-breaking speech.
The first notable aspect of the joint session was the converse attitudes that Republicans and Democrats demonstrated. Republicans offered a plethora of applause and standing ovations to President Trump’s address and special guests. Conversely, Democrats only spoke to refute claims Trump made in his speech. President Trump did not miss an opportunity to highlight the Democrats’ disdain for his address.
“I look at the Democrats in front of me, and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy,” President Trump said during his address. “I can find a cure to the most devastating disease, a disease that would wipe out entire nations, or announce the answers to the greatest economy in history, or the stoppage of crime to the lowest levels ever recorded, and these people sitting right here will not clap, will not stand, and certainly will not cheer for these astronomical achievements.”
One Democratic Congressman was too vocal during Trump’s address, leading to a potential punishment. Texas Representative Al Green refused to take his seat and continued to speak loudly about protecting Medicaid, leading to his quick removal from the chamber. Green said his expulsion was worth the point he made.
“This whole budget that he has is one that is going to cause Medicaid to be cut,” Green told reporters. “It’s worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president.”
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson was clear about how his party felt about Green’s actions.
“He’s made history in a terrible way,” Johnson told reporters while discussing Green. “If they want to make a 77-year-old heckling congressman the face of their resistance, if that’s the Democrat Party, so be it. But we will not tolerate it on the House floor.”
The House voted 224-198 to censure Green. 10 Democrats joined Republicans in punishing Green for the disruption. Democrats protested the censure vote by singing on the Congress floor while Green was supposed to be admonished by Speaker Johnson
Despite the rivaling parties’ disdain for each other, President Trump was able to honor special guests that made an impact on the American people. President Trump announced that Jason Hartley, a high school senior whose dream is to follow his father’s footsteps in the U.S. military, would be accepted into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. D.J. Daniel, a child battling brain cancer, got sworn in as an honorary member of the Secret Service during the address.
President Trump’s speech lasted approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. The events that took place during and the potential effects of the content in his speech will make it one of the most memorable in Trump’s presidency.
Leave a Reply