Editorial written by The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board.
In his first address to Congress since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump emphasized his campaign to restrict transgender athletes, and culture war favorites such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali, for nearly 20 minutes before turning to pocketbook issues that are frustrating so many Americans.
For Trump, this became a night to address his faithful base rather than to talk to the rest of an American public who didn’t vote for him, or did and are becoming concerned enough to yell at their members of Congress. When the president got to affordability, he emphasized waste in government, higher tariffs and how he would somehow balance the budget that is now hopelessly in deficit, while simultaneously lowering taxes.
If the financial markets were hoping for hints of retreat on tariffs and trade wars with other countries around the globe, they were surely disappointed. Tariffs, Trump said, is a “beautiful word.” He promised “trillions” in new tariff revenues to boost the economy. Tariffs are basically taxes that economists widely believe get passed onto the consumer in the form of higher prices. For those who think that what the world needs is more taxes, this was your speech.
In what was arguably the most newsworthy move he made, Trump chose Tuesday night to double down on his recent spikes in tariffs to Mexico, Canada and China by announcing that come April 2, he would increase tariffs even more based on what reciprocal actions foreign countries may take. The increase in tariffs is widely believed to be responsible for the recent drop in the stock market. But all is well.
“America is back,” Trump proclaimed as he launched his speech, to the howls from congressional Democrats who chose to come. In what appeared to be a pre-ordained performance, the Democrats kept shouting until the one who refused to sit down, Rep. Al Green of Texas, was escorted out of the chambers.
It was a not-so-subtle reminder that this was not destined to be a night of unity desired by either side. Both got precisely what they wanted.
Trump’s battle on inflation was disturbingly centered on billionaire Elon Musk and his nascent Department of Government Efficiency. Downsizing a federal workforce that hasn’t substantially changed in decades is not fertile ground to alter the economic future of everyday Americans. Yet Trump and Musk have made widespread layoffs of federal workers the centerpiece of Trump’s first 43 days in office. Tuesday night was no exception.
As he read from the teleprompter to his left and above the Republican delegation, Trump recited some alleged waste and fraud identified in the Social Security system — a claim that will surely be fact-checked in the days ahead.
On the Social Security rolls are “3.5 million people from ages 140 to 149,” Trump said. There is one Social Security enrollee, the president said, who was “360 years-old.”
The Democrats, prepared with various circular cards, raised the one that said “FALSE” during this reciting of entitlement horrors. It’s a reminder of our two Americas, the one that surely must believe what the president says, the other that doubts the same words.
On an issue that is sure to be important to the Central Valley agricultural community, Trump warned farmers there “may be a little bit of an adjustment period” as they weather the impact of 25% tariffs he placed on Canada and Mexico on Tuesday.
Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, recalled farmers were negatively impacted in Trump’s first term when tariffs on China led to a drop in sales of American ag products to China.
“Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again,” Trump said. “And it’s happening, and it will happen rather quickly. There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re OK with that. It won’t be much.”
In many ways, this address was an extension of Trump’s campaign for president rather than a pivot. He claimed his predecessor, Joe Biden, remains “the worst president in American history” and is responsible for the economic problems that continue to plague the country, such as the price of eggs. He blamed the former president for flying undocumented immigrants into the country to places like Springfield, Ohio. This was the city made famous in his September debate with Kamala Harris as the place where the immigrants were eating the dogs and cats.
