Slotkin accuses Trump of trying to start 'unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends'
In the official Democratic response to Trump's speech, Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan accused him of trying to mount an "unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends" and told viewers that "to do that, he’s going to make you pay in every part of your life.”
Slotkin, who is in her first term, also blasted Trump's ally Elon Musk, invoking Musk's comments to podcaster Joe Rogan last week when he called Social Security "the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time."
"While we’re on the subject of Elon Musk, is there anyone in America who is comfortable with him and his gang of 20-year-olds using their own computer servers to poke through your tax returns, your health information?” Slotkin added, referring to the young people working at the Department of Government Efficiency who have sought sensitive data housed in the Treasury Department and other federal agencies.
What to know about Slotkin
Slotkin is part of a group of Democratic women elected to the House in 2018 with national security backgrounds whose profiles have risen in recent years. Two other members of the group of women, who referred themselves as “the badasses,” are running for governor of their states this year: Rep. Mikie Sherrill, of New Jersey, and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, of Virginia.
Several Democrats left well before Trump finished
Democrats began leaving Trump's address with many open seats on their side of the chamber before he had concluded his remarks.
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., left with a shirt emblazoned with the words “NO MORE KINGS.”
Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., who had held up a blue and yellow scarf in support of Ukraine, walked out with Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.
Reps. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, and Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., also walked out before Trump finished his historically long speech.
Trump says alleged Abbey Gate attack mastermind was captured
An ISIS-K operative who Trump said tonight was the primary planner of the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan, which killed 13 American service members, is on an extradition flight back to the United States right now, according to a White House official.
The operative, Mohammed Sharifullah, was arrested in late February in Pakistan by Pakistani authorities acting on intelligence provided by the United States, the official said.
Sharifullah was also responsible for planning attacks in Russia and Iran, the official said; U.S. law enforcement interviewed him while he was in Pakistani custody over the weekend, and he confessed to his involvement in the deadly attack.
Trump held what was described as an emotional call with Abbey Gate families earlier today and shared the news.
The U.S. official added that it was a priority for Trump from Day One and that the effort was led internally by Sebastian Gorka, who heads the National Security Council’s counterterrorism office, and national security adviser Mike Waltz.
Fact check: Trump claims illegal immigration 'destroyed' Aurora, Colo., and Springfield, Ohio
Verdict
This is false.
Analysis
Springfield and Aurora have long been some of Trump’s favorite targets when it comes to examples of American cities he likes to nod to as being overrun by migrants, though he often misrepresents the situations there.
He didn’t mention any specific allegations about the two cities in tonight's speech — but his reference to them is a clear nod to previous false allegations about them.
For example, Trump repeated a baseless claim about Haitian immigrants in Springfield eating dogs and other pets during a debate last year. The story provide false, however. The culprit was a non-migrant woman in a nearby town.
Meanwhile, Trump also painted a sinister picture of Aurora during the campaign. At a rally there in October, he alleged the city had been overtaken by a Venezuelan prison gang — Tren de Aragua — after a social media clip went viral claiming the gang had taken over an apartment complex in Aurora.
Police at the time said there was no evidence the gang had taken over the complex, and Mayor Mike Coffman, a Republican, called Trump’s descriptions “not accurate.”
Trump didn't mention top issue for voters — the economy — until about 20 minutes in
After a rocky start when Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was removed for jeering at Trump, this really became a speech about cultural issues — a culture war speech, if you will.
Trump spent about 20 minutes on that.
It was 20 minutes before he talked about the top issue for voters: the economy.
Flashback: Slotkin urged party to focus on 'kitchen table issues'
As Slotkin’s responds to Trump’s address, it’s worth remembering that she had some advice for Democratic messaging after the 2024 election, stressing that her party should focus on “kitchen table issues.”
"It’s not rocket science, but talking about those issues plainly, not from the faculty lounge but from the assembly line, is, I think, a very important message,” she said at a news conference in November.
Trump joint speech was the longest ever
Clocking in at roughly an hour and 40 minutes, Trump's speech broke the record for longest presidential address to Congress (including his own) by over 10 minutes.
Longest speeches for comparison:
Bill Clinton — 2000 — 1:28:49
Clinton — 1995 — 1:24:58
Trump — 2019 — 1:22:18
Trump — 2018 — 1:20:30
Clinton — 1999 — 1:18:40
Trump — 2020 — 1:18:03
Fact check: Trump claims U.S. spending much more on Ukraine than Europe
Verdict
This is mostly false.
Analysis
From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to last December, the United States had allocated $114.2 billion in aid to Ukraine, according to the Kiel Institute, which is tracking aid to Ukraine. That’s not more than Europe spent: Those nations allocated more than $132.3 billion, with plans to allocate more.
Trump is correct in pointing out that Europe has spent more on oil and gas than it spent on military assistance last year, according to estimates from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Oil and gas taxes account for a huge share of Russia’s revenues each year.
Trump defends his administration's policy toward Ukraine
Trump is defending his position on Ukraine a day after his administration said it would pause military aid to the country.
"Millions of Ukrainians and Russians have been needlessly killed or wounded in this horrific and brutal conflict with no end in sight. The United States has sent hundreds of billions of dollars to support Ukraine’s defense," Trump said.
"It's time to stop this. It’s time to halt the killing. It’s time to end the senseless war," he added.
Trump also read from a letter he said he had received from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledging the United States' efforts, his desire for peace and his willingness to sign a rare-earth minerals deal.
"I appreciate that he sent this letter," Trump said.
Trump chose not to criticize Zelenskyy directly, but as usual there wasn't any criticism of Russia or a demand that Moscow make any concessions or refrain from bombarding civilian targets.