President Trump's speech to Congress: Key takeaways with Alex Cameron

President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, his first such address since retaking office roughly six weeks ago. He started by telling lawmakers and the nation that "America is back" while touting the flurry of actions he has taken over the first six weeks of his second term.

Longest Address in Modern History

Trump spoke for an hour and 40 minutes, making it the longest address to a joint session – State of the Union addresses included – in modern history. In the speech, Trump highlighted the executive orders he has issued and laid out his vision for how Congress should begin implementing his sweeping legislative agenda. He also praised the work of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency task force, or DOGE, for the drastic cuts they have enacted across the executive branch.

Highly Partisan Speech

The speech, as has become the norm in recent years, was highly partisan. The president elicited raucous cheers and chants of “USA! USA!” from Republicans while getting jeers from Democrats. One Democrat, Al Green from Texas, was escorted from the chamber for interrupting the speech. Several Democrats walked out of the House chamber over the course of the address, and others protested silently with handheld signs.

Trump's Vision for America's Future

The president ended his speech with an optimistic vision for the future.

"We are going to create the highest quality of life, build the highest quality of life, build the safest and wealthiest and healthiest and most vital communities anywhere in the world," he said. "We are going to conquer the vast frontiers of science and we are going to lead humanity into space and plant the American flag on the planet Mars and even far beyond." He continued: "And through it all, we are going to rediscover the unstoppable power of the American spirit. And we are going to renew [the] unlimited promise of the American dream. Every single day, we will stand up and we will fight, fight, fight for the country our citizens believe in and for the country our people deserve. My fellow Americans, get ready for an incredible future because the golden age of America has only just begun. It will be like nothing that has ever been seen before. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America."

Viewer Approval of the Speech

A CBS News/YouGov poll found that a majority of viewers, primarily made up of Republicans or Independents, approved of Trump’s speech.