Trump also said little about the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security except to blame it on Democrats and say he is “demanding the full and immediate restoration of all funding for DHS” as negotiations continue with no end in sight.
Goading and clashing with Democrats
Trump extended no olive branches to Democrats, instead repeatedly taunting them and blaming them for high costs. He showed indignation at the perception that he hasn’t delivered on his promise to quickly lower prices.
He slammed former President Joe Biden “and his corrupt partners in Congress and beyond” for inflation and the “green new scam” and accused them of backing “open borders for everyone.”
“The same people in this chamber who voted for those disasters suddenly use the word ‘affordability.’ A word — they just used it, somebody gave it to them,” a visibly frustrated Trump said. “You caused that problem,” he added, gesturing toward Democrats.
He vowed that Republicans — not Democrats — “will always protect Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid,” even as his signature "big, beautiful bill" cut Medicaid by $1 trillion.
He pointed at Democrats and said, “These people are crazy,” prompting Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to stand up and applaud.
He said “the crushing cost of health care” was “caused by you,” looking at the Democratic side of the aisle, blasting the Affordable Care Act after he successfully sought to end a part of the law’s health insurance tax credits last year, leading to cost increases. He touted his plan, parts of which have stalled in Congress.
He named former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as he attacked lawmakers for profiting off public service — despite his own actions as president that helped boost his net worth by $3 billion in 2025, according to Forbes.
While numerous Democrats skipped the speech entirely, others used the occasion to make a point of their own.
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was ejected for the second year in a row after he waved a sign at Trump that read “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES!” in reference to a recent artificial intelligence-generated video on Trump’s social media account. Trump removed the video, which depicted the Obamas as apes and drew widespread condemnation, but he said he wouldn’t apologize for it.
