°®Âþµº

An emboldened second-term US President Donald Trump gave his first speech since inauguration day to a joint session of Congress, leaving no doubt that he sees a clear mandate to pursue some of his most extreme policies—from mass deportations to a reversal of LGBTQ+ rights to a hostile expansion of US territories.

The twice-impeached convicted felon who survived an assassination attempt did not hold back as he aired his grievances and tore into the communities he had demonised for the last decade, tactfully using guests he had invited as examples of victims of these groups.

These included family members of people who had been killed by migrants, the widow of a slain police officer, and young women who had competed with trans athletes.

"I had to admire in a very sad way how he was able to create graphic examples, using individuals who had suffered trauma and tragedy as props," David Frank, a professor of rhetoric at the University of Oregon, told °®Âþµº.

"He helped evoke emotions. In that way, he was quite masterful," he said.

In addition, Trump touted a vision of US territorial expansion and influence that included taking over Greenland, the Panama Canal, and even planting a US flag on Mars. He only briefly touched upon the Middle East, highlighting the Abraham Accords from his previous administration, mentioning the Israeli captives in Gaza, and at one point suggesting that the US should have its own Iron Dome (despite facing no military threat from Canada or Mexico, the only two countries sharing its borders).

As Trump entered the vast hall of the Capitol, he pumped his fist above his head while flanked by a long line of Republican officials applauding, which quickly turned to chants of "USA" to drown out the "boos" by Democrats in attendance.

"My fellow citizens, America is back," said Trump, which was followed by more chants. His statement occurred hours after the stock market had dropped sharply following the news of US tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China.

He began his address by touting his wins in all seven swing states as well as winning the popular vote, emphasising what he considered a mandate.

Just minutes into Trump's speech, Representative Al Green of Texas shouted, "You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!"

What began as a lively exchange between parties that seemed like it would carry on throughout the speech was quickly quelled when House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered the Sergeant at Arms to remove Green from the hall. Some were quick to point out that Marjorie Taylor Greene had heckled former President Joe Biden during one of his speeches at the Capitol but was not disciplined.

For the rest of the evening, Democrats seemed to struggle to find a coherent response to Trump's statements, dozens of which were found to be false by fact-checkers. Some members of the opposition party were wearing pink in protest, while others wore blue and yellow in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. Some held up signs saying "false" following some of Trump's assertions.

For the most part, the Democrats spent the rest of the speech quietly sitting in their seats as Trump continued to tout his "mandate" and demonise minorities.

"The whole point of the speech was to own the libs. It felt like a campaign speech, except he had said a lot for Democrats to make fun of," Miles Coleman, associate editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Centre for Politics, told TNA.

"I think, especially right now, Democrats are a party without a leader," he said. "They do need to figure out what the approach is going to be towards Trump."

Giving the official post-speech Democratic rebuttal was Elissa Slotkin, the junior senator from Michigan, one of the states that could be most vulnerable to Trump's new tariffs on Canada, given its proximity to the border and history of manufacturing and agriculture.

The Michigan Democrat responded with a short bipartisan-style speech focused on economic and national security. Her voice remained relatively monotone, possibly in an attempt to appeal to both sides of the aisle.

On the other hand, Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont who caucuses with the Democrats, gave a fiery rebuttal of his own that was livestreamed on social media. He noted that he didn't hear one word about healthcare or climate change.

Just like the lead-up to the speech and the speech itself, the aftermath remained divisive, with Republicans claiming victory and Democrats saying the speech was filled with inaccuracies, with some of the most frequent being his use of anecdotes that didn't reflect actual trends. Migrants (both documented and undocumented), for example, commit crimes at a lower rate than native-born Americans.

"Having witnessed Trump at his rallies, he's shown how well he has perfected the powerful anecdote," said Frank. "The sad part is there's no shame. He says these things again and again. It doesn't matter."