Trump’s defiant speech to Congress

Summary

Podcast Summary: Post Reports - "Trump’s Defiant Speech to Congress"

Published on March 5, 2025

Hosts:

• Aaron Blake – Senior Politics Reporter and Host of Post Reports Weekly Politics Roundtable
• Naftali Ben David – Senior National Political Correspondent
• Colby Ikowitz – Democracy Reporter

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1. Introduction and Setting the Stage

In this episode of Post Reports, hosted by Aaron Blake, the panel delves into former President Donald Trump’s recent address to Congress. The discussion aims to unpack the key elements of Trump’s speech, the immediate reactions from Democrats, and the implications of his economic policies, particularly the newly imposed tariffs.

Aaron Blake initiates the conversation by highlighting the decision to bring the analysis forward to Wednesday due to the significance of Trump's speech. He sets the agenda to cover the speech's highlights, Democratic responses, and the contentious issue of tariffs affecting the U.S. economy.

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2. Overview of Trump’s Address

Colby Ikowitz and Naftali Ben David provide a comprehensive overview of Trump’s speech, characterizing it as a blend between a campaign rally and a formal congressional address.

Key Highlights:

• Opening Statements: Trump declared, “America is back, our spirit is back, our pride is back, our confidence is back, and the American dream is surging bigger and better than ever before” (00:56).
• Electoral Mandate Claim: Trump asserted having “the biggest electoral mandate in decades,” which was met with boos from Democrats and cheers (“Usa. Usa. Usa.”) from Republicans (02:10).

Notable Quote:

“America is back, our spirit is back, our pride is back, our confidence is back, and the American dream is surging bigger and better than ever before.” – Donald Trump (00:56)

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3. Interaction with Congress and Disruptions

Early in the speech, the atmosphere became tense when Representative Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, vocally challenged Trump’s claim of a strong mandate. The ensuing chaos led to Al Green being escorted out of the chamber, reflecting a significant breach of decorum similar to notable past incidents during Trump’s tenure.

Key Moments:

• Al Green’s Protest: Green loudly disputed Trump’s mandate claim, leading to his removal by the Sergeant at Arms (03:19).
• Host Commentary: Aaron Blake compares the incident to historical breaches of decorum, noting its dramatic escalation (03:26).

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4. Remarks on Elon Musk and the Doge Administration

Trump’s speech included references to Elon Musk, whom he referred to as the “head of Doge.” This designation has sparked legal debates regarding the need for Senate confirmation for Musk’s role, as highlighted by Naftali Ben David.

Key Points:

• Doge Administration: Trump’s characterization of Musk as the head of Doge raises constitutional questions about executive appointments (08:27).
• Legal Implications: Naftali Ben David explains that this label challenges the argument against Senate confirmation, potentially requiring formal approval for Musk’s position (08:50).

Notable Quote:

“...he weakens that legal argument and strengthens the case for the need for Senate confirmation for somebody with that kind of power and authority.” – Naftali Ben David (09:15)

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5. Social Security Administration Fraud Claims

Trump dedicated approximately three minutes to alleging fraud within the Social Security Administration, citing inflated age-related membership numbers. These claims have been debunked as coding errors rather than actual fraud.

Key Excerpt:

“Believe it or not, government databases list 4.7 million Social Security members from people aged 100 to 109 years old. It lists 3.6 million people from ages 110 to 119...” – Donald Trump (05:50)

Analysis:

• Naftali Ben David emphasizes Trump’s strategic use of dramatic and unverified claims to create compelling narratives, despite fact-checking debunking these assertions (07:10).
• Aaron Blake notes the prolonged focus on this issue underscores Trump’s theatrical approach to politics (07:10).

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6. Ukraine and International Relations

Trump addressed the ongoing situation with Ukraine, referencing a letter from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressing readiness for peace negotiations. This segment suggested a tentative move towards reconciliation amidst recent tensions from Trump’s actions.

Key Highlights:

• Zelenskyy’s Letter: “Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer...” – Letter from Zelenskyy (09:52)
• Dramatic Gestures: Trump’s presentation of an executive order and his references to international affairs showcased his flair for dramatic, news-making moments (10:12).

Notable Quote:

“To bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians...” – Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Letter (09:52)

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7. Democratic Responses to the Speech

The Democratic response was multifaceted, reflecting internal divisions on how to handle Trump’s rhetoric. Strategies ranged from boycotts and counter-programming to more visible symbols of resistance such as the widespread use of pink attire.

Key Reactions:

• Symbolic Protest: Women wore pink outfits and held signs like “resist” and “this is not normal” (12:20).
• Laughter and Groaning: Democrats often laughed or groaned at Trump’s unfounded claims, aiming to undermine his statements without direct confrontation (13:28).

Notable Quote:

“We saw a lot of pink on the Democratic side last night... They all kind of pointed at Elon Musk and laughed and groaned.” – Aaron Blake (13:28)

Additional Insights:

• Aaron Blake compares the laughter during Trump’s speech to past instances where Trump was caught off-guard by ridicule, suggesting it may be a more effective subtle form of resistance (14:22).
• Naftali Ben David discusses how Trump’s exaggerations naturally provoke skepticism and laughter from a mixed audience, differing from his supportive campaign rallies (15:41).

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8. Tariffs and Economic Policy

One of the most contentious topics in Trump’s speech was the introduction of 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, signaling a significant shift in U.S. economic policy.

Key Points:

• New Tariffs: Imposed on nearly all goods from Mexico and Canada, with additional tariffs on agricultural products set to begin on April 2nd (18:48).
• Shift in Tone: Trump acknowledged potential economic pain, marking a departure from his usual presentation of tariffs as unequivocal wins (19:37).

Notable Quote:

“The tariffs will go on agricultural product coming into America and our farmers starting on April 2nd. It may be a little bit of an adjustment period.” – Donald Trump (18:48)

Economic and Political Implications:

• Public Opinion: Polls indicate significant unpopularity of the tariffs, with about 70% of Americans concerned about price increases (20:43).
• Political Risk: The tariffs contradict Trump’s campaign promise to lower prices, potentially alienating his voter base who expected economic relief (22:17).

Expert Analysis:

• Naftali Ben David suggests that Trump’s acknowledgment of economic adjustment signifies his awareness of the tariffs’ potential unpopularity and economic consequences (19:37).
• Aaron Blake references polling data showing a decline in approval of Trump’s economic management, highlighting the risk of sustained inflation and public dissatisfaction (22:17).

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9. Future Implications for Trump’s Administration

The panel discusses the broader implications of Trump’s speech on his second term, emphasizing his relentless, confrontational approach and the uncertain future of his policies.

Key Insights:

• Aggressive Stance: Trump reaffirmed his unwillingness to compromise, continuously pushing against various fronts including foreign nations, the judiciary, and political opponents (27:29).
• Relationship with Elon Musk: Despite controversies and opposition, Trump’s alignment with Musk appears unshaken, complicating political dynamics (28:26).

Notable Quote:

“He didn’t seem to be... pushing as hard as he can on every front. He’s going to push against foreign countries, the courts, the federal government, Democrats, until somebody pushes back in a way that’s effective.” – Naftali Ben David (27:29)

Conclusion:

• The speech illustrated Trump’s characteristic combative style and strategic use of media-friendly moments.
• The introduction of tariffs represents a significant policy shift with substantial economic and political risks.
• Democratic responses showcased a blend of subtle and overt resistance, reflecting internal party debates on the best approach to counter Trump’s rhetoric.

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10. Final Thoughts

In wrapping up, the panelists agree that while Trump’s speech provided clarity on his assertive agenda, it also highlighted the precariousness of his economic policies and the potential for increased political polarization. The discussions underscore the importance of monitoring the fallout from the new tariffs and the evolving dynamics within the Democratic Party in response to Trump’s continued influence.

Aaron Blake emphasizes the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s future actions and the potential repercussions of his latest economic policies, setting the stage for ongoing analysis in future episodes.

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Episode Credits:
Produced by Laura Benshoff, mixed by Sam Baer, and edited by Lucy Perkins with assistance from Rachel Van Dongen.

Listen to More: Washington Post Post Reports

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Note: Timestamps are referenced within the transcript and correspond to specific segments discussed in the summary.

Transcript

[Aaron Blake]

So, guys, Donald Trump, in his speech to Congress on Tuesday night, name checked a small country that some people listening might or might not have heard of.

[Colby Ikowitz]

In the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of.

[Aaron Blake]

So, guys, I'm gonna put you on the spot. Where is Lesotho?

[Naftali Ben David]

I mean, I believe that it's an African country, but beyond that, I couldn't tell you where in Africa it is.

[Aaron Blake]

Colby.

[Democracy Reporter]

Yeah, same. I thought for sure Naftali was going to know, though, and I was going to be so embarrassed. But I feel a lot better that Naftali doesn't know either.

[Aaron Blake]

It is completely surrounded by the country of South Africa.

[Democracy Reporter]

Aaron, did you know where it was before last night's speech?

[Aaron Blake]

I actually did because I like maps.

[Democracy Reporter]

Aaron.

[Aaron Blake]

From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports. I'm Aaron Blake, senior politics reporter and host of the Post Reports Weekly Politics Roundtable. Table it's Wednesday, March 5th. I'm joined this week by Naftali Ben David, who's a senior national political correspondent for the Post. Hey, Naftali.

[Naftali Ben David]

Hey. Good to be here.

[Aaron Blake]

And we've also got with us today, democracy reporter Colby Ikowitz. Hey, Colby.

[Democracy Reporter]

Hey, Aaron.

[Aaron Blake]

So we're bringing you this roundtable today instead of Friday this week so that we can break down President Donald Trump's address to Congress. Last night, we're going to be getting into the highlights of the speech, the responses from Democrats and a major subplot that even some Republicans fear could jeopardize Trump's second term, and that's his tariffs, which have already been rattling the U.S. economy. So, Colby, we all watched the speech last night. I wrote an article about it. People can go on the Post website and look at my takeaways. Let's just get right into it. How did Trump kick off his address to Congress?

[Democracy Reporter]

Well, Trump came out in bold fashion and told the United States that America.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Is back, our spirit is back, our pride is back, our confidence is back, and the American dream is surging bigger and better than ever before.

[Democracy Reporter]

He then declared that he had the biggest electoral mandate in decades, which, of course we know and you've written about, Aaron, is not true.

[Aaron Blake]

Definitely not true.

[Democracy Reporter]

Barack Obama had much larger wins than Donald Trump did in 2024. So when Trump declared this massive electoral mandate, Democrats started booing and the Republicans started chanting, usa. Usa.

[Aaron Blake]

Usa. Usa. Usa. Usa.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Usa. Usa.

[Naftali Ben David]

Usa.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Usa.

[Democracy Reporter]

And you knew at that moment that this speech was not going to be your TYP speech to a joint session of Congress. Notably, this is not a state of The Union. It felt like a State of the Union. It had all the makings of a State of the Union, but it's just a joint address to Congress. That's just like an important little sub note to make there. But then you had Representative Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, stand up and start hollering that the President does not have a mandate. He does not have a mandate.

[Aaron Blake]

Members are directed to uphold and maintain decorum in the House and to seize any further disruptions.

[Democracy Reporter]

It did not feel like the kind of somber occasions that we're used to seeing around these events. I mean, I'm old enough to remember when a congressman yelled, you lie at Barack Obama during a joint address to Congress. And it was like the biggest scandal because it was considered such a breach of decorum.

[Aaron Blake]

Yeah. And we had a couple Republican members of Congress in recent years jeering at President Joe Biden as well. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

[Democracy Reporter]

Exactly. But Al Green got escorted out of the chamber.

[Aaron Blake]

Mr. Green, take your seat. Take your seat, sir. Take your seat. Finding that members continue to engage in willful and concerted disruption of proper decorum, the chair now directs the Sergeant at Arms to restore order. Remove this gentleman from the chamber.

[Democracy Reporter]

So within the first couple minutes, you had all of this drama, this kind of reality television drama that created this tension right off the bat.

[Aaron Blake]

Yeah. And. And we're going to get into some more details of the speech, but I wanted to get a sense for what you guys made of the overall tone of this speech, you know, not just the reactions from Democrats and. And things like that, but what did Trump seem to be wanting to convey in this speech?

[Naftali Ben David]

Well, to me, it was very much like a campaign rally. I mean, for those of us who've had the experience of watching him at campaign rallies, it really wasn't that different. But for the setting, he went after Joe Biden, who, as you may know, is no longer president, a dozen times. He just couldn't stop talking about it. He mentioned Kamala Harris. I mean, it was very political. It was very full of bumper sticker kinds of statements. It wasn't a laundry list of policy ideas as these things used to be. It just was compell, combative and political.

[Aaron Blake]

So another key moment came when Trump brought up Elon Musk, who was in attendance, was actually wearing a suit. And Trump started reading off the things that Musk had been targeting, along with the Department of Government efficiency, the things that Musk has been cutting or is targeting for potential cuts. And one moment that I thought was really potentially telling here was when he started talking about supposed fraud in the Social Security Administration. Let's hear that tape.

[Colby Ikowitz]

Believe it or not, government databases list 4.7 million Social Security members from people aged 100 to 109 years old. It lists 3.6 million people from ages 110 to 119. I don't know any of them. I know some people that are rather elderly, but not quite that elderly. 3.47 million people from ages 120 to 129. 3.9 million people from ages 130 to 139.

[Aaron Blake]

So people might have heard some cries of false and the groans that were largely coming from the Democratic side of the aisle, of course. And that's because this is something that has been floated by Musk for a number of weeks and has been fact checked. These appear to be issues of coding rather than fraud. But, guys, I was really struck that Trump spent what I think was about three minutes on running through these numbers. What does it say about Trump that he would spend so much time on this? Naftali, what does it. I feel like this is kind of telling about his approach to politics, right?

[Naftali Ben David]

I mean, I think there's two things that it says. One is that this was a speech that was impossible to fact check in real time in the sense that people watching it didn't have any exposure other than the Democratic catcalls that you mentioned, responding and saying that what he was saying isn't true. He's certainly known in the past for when something makes a good talking point or a good story, he will repeat it long after it's been debunked. The other thing I think it says is that he's very aware of what makes good television. And I use that maybe metaphorically. It makes good TikTok. It makes good Instagram. The way he built older and older and older, it made it sound like, oh my God, how can we be paying Social Security to 200-year-old people? How could such a be allowed to occur? And the fact that it apparently is not occurring in any sense didn't deter him and doesn't deter it from being a good narrative. And I think that's what that was all about. And Democrats, I mean, they tried to protest, but really they were powerless. He was up there, he had the podium and the microphone and he could make his case. And there wasn't much that people could say about it. I'm sure all the fact checkers, including our own Glenn Kessler and others will look at this and will repeat that it's been debunked. But how many people will see that, as opposed to how many people will see, let's say, the TikTok reel of him making that point, and it's sounding so dramatic and so shameful, and to say that he and Musk are tackling that very sort of thing.

[Aaron Blake]

Yeah. Another key point from this section, which I think is worth noting, is that Trump described Musk as the head of Doge. This is a key point in a lot of the lawsuits that are trying to stop what the Trump administration is doing. The administration has said that Trump is not, in fact, the administrator of Doge. And we're already seeing some legal filings that are pointing to Trump's words. So that's certainly a subplot worth watching.

[Naftali Ben David]

And just to get. Just to add a little bit to that point there, the reason it matters whether or not Musk is the head of Doge is there's a question of whether or not somebody in that position needs to be Senate confirmed. And I think the reason that they've argued in court that he's not is because that argues against the need for Senate confirmation. But every time that Trump says this guy's running Doge, of course, it weakens that legal argument and strengthens the case for the need for Senate confirmation for somebody with that kind of power and authority.

[Aaron Blake]

Yes. Guys, I wanted to also turn to something that happened pretty late in the speech when Trump got to the issue of Ukraine. This, of course, comes after last week week's blowup with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, a series of Trump's actions which have shaken US Allies in Europe. Guys, was there anything about what Trump said about this issue that stood out to you? And did this really move the ball forward in any meaningful way?

[Naftali Ben David]

I mean, it did suggest that there was a little bit of a reconciliation happening. He read what he said was a letter or a note from President Zelenskyy.

[Colby Ikowitz]

The letter reads, ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians, he said. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts that purported.

[Naftali Ben David]

To be in favor of this minerals deal that thanked the American people for what they've done. Some of the points of contention during that explosive Oval Office meeting a few days ago. So it was a way of sort of signaling that things are perhaps a little bit more Back on track. But it was only one of several moments during the speech where I think he purported to make news or to create a little bit of drama. He held up an executive order. I mean, this speech was punctuated by various moments when Trump seemed to suggest he was making news right on the spot. And I thought that that was one of them.

[Democracy Reporter]

It's reality television. Right. Trump knows how to make television. And so I remember him doing this in previous State of the Unions during his first term, where he would have one of the guests in the First Lady's box stand up and kind of make a whole spectacle out of that person.

[Aaron Blake]

Yeah. And there was the time where he gave the Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh in the middle of the State of the Union address.

[Democracy Reporter]

Oh, my gosh, I forgot.

[Naftali Ben David]

Well, and he also staged a reunion between a returning serviceman and his family right in the middle of the address. And it was dramatic, and it was hard not to applaud. And I think he loves creating moments like that. And he is a gifted showman. And I think that was reflected again last night.

[Aaron Blake]

So, guys, one of the biggest questions ahead of this speech was how Democrats were gonna react to it, what they were gonna do. The parties really struggled to find a message to counter Trump, and the Republican Party is largely unified right now. Democrats tried a number of things during this speech. What did they do, and what did you make of how they handled this speech?

[Naftali Ben David]

Well, I think there were an array of Democratic responses last night which reflected the battle within the Democratic Party about how to respond to Trump in general. There were some people who boycot at it all together. Some of them had counter programming of their own. Some made very vociferous responses like Al Green. Others responded with various levels of raucousness to things that Trump said. And then we had the Democratic response where Senator Alyssa Slotkin of Michigan gave a fairly moderate middle of the road kind of answer. So I think that just as the Democrats more broadly are trying to figure out how to respond to Trump last night, they were specifically trying to figure out how to respond to him in real time.

[Democracy Reporter]

And you had Democrats that did choose to attend. A lot of women wore pink, which they said was gonna be a new protest color for women. Women have often worn white, a reflection of the women's suffrage movement. Now they say their protest colors is gonna be a bright pink. And so you saw a lot of pink on the Democratic side last night. You saw some of them holding up kind of bingo paddles that said things like must steals and false Some had the word resist on their clothing. There was a Democratic congresswoman who was holding up a sign as Trump first came in, and it's saying, this is not normal. And so you have these images of Trump walking down that aisle and she's holding this sign behind him. And I think a Republican on the other side of the aisle actually ended up grabbing it and throwing it on the ground. And so Democrats had various ways of trying to resist and push back. I mean, Aaron, I think you actually wrote about in your takeaways, they laughed sometimes when Trump made comments that were false or when he said this thing where he said, we're gonna get rid of unelected bureaucrats. And they all kind of pointed at Elon Musk and laughed and groaned.

[Aaron Blake]

Yeah, I thought the laughter was actually maybe the most effective thing they did. Like, we've actually seen this before where Trump kind of gets thrown off by that. And I think that happened on at least one occasion during this speech. They laughed a number of times. And for me, it recalled the 2018 address that Trump gave to the United Nations General assembly where he actually made a. To what he made in his speech last night. He basically said his first two years as president had been, I don't know if it was the most successful ever or one of the most successful. And the leaders in the crowd laughed at him. He didn't kind of seem to know what to do with it. And so I kind of wonder if that reinforces that sometimes a more subtle approach is warranted rather than your Al Green shaking his cane at Trump at the start of the speech, which I'm not sure a whole lot of Democrats love to see.

[Democracy Reporter]

Well, we know that Trump does not like to be laughed at. It makes me hearken back to the White House Correspondent's Dinner when he was the butt of all of Barack Obama's jokes and planted the seed maybe that he actually would run for president. Some people say that that was the catalyst for Trump running because he just couldn't stand this idea that he was being ridiculed in this room full of important people.

[Naftali Ben David]

Well, his style is so self aggrandizing. He talks about being the greatest president greater than George Washington. He talks about having done more in a few days than any other president has done in eight years. He says these things that so strained Credul, even if you're a Trump supporter, that I think people who aren't already in his camp, they naturally are going to laugh. And this highlights one way in which this was different from a campaign rally. His campaign rallies are populated solely by people who love him and are willing to stand in line for hours to see him. So when he says things like that, they cheer and applaud. But when you're addressing the United nations or like the other night, when you're addressing Congress of the United States that has members of both parties, those statements aren't going to be greeted with that kind of approval. And sometimes they're going to be greeted with laughter. And he did seem to be a little distracted when that happened, cuz he's not used addressing an audience that isn't fully in his camp. And every time people challenge him, whether it's Zelensky in the Oval Office or Democrats in the U.S. capitol or foreign leaders at the United nations, it throws him off. And so I think that sometimes Democrats use that as a tactic, knowing that that may be his response.

[Aaron Blake]

Yeah, maybe we'll be seeing a little bit more laughter in the future and maybe less El Green. After the break, we'll be back to talk about Trump's comments on the tariffs that the US Just imposed on Mexico and Canada and how they're playing politically. We'll be right back.

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[Aaron Blake]

So, Colby and Naftali, I wanted to spend some time on one of the biggest stories right now, and that's tariffs. The Trump administration officially rolled out its 25% tariffs on nearly all goods from Mexico and Canada this week, and Trump spent some time during his speech making the case that they're a key part of his economic policy. Perhaps most notably, he also seemed to acknowledge that they might cause some economic pain. Let's hear a little bit of that part of the speech here. Trump is talking about other tariffs that he's planning for next month, which would include tariffs on agricultural products that come into America.

[Colby Ikowitz]

The tariffs will go on agricultural product coming into America and our our farmers starting on April 2nd. It may be a little bit of an adjustment period. We had that before when I made the deal with China, $50 billion of purchases, and I said, just bear with me. And they did. They did probably have to bear with me again and this will be even better. That was great.

[Aaron Blake]

This was actually not the only time that Trump mentioned a little bit of an adjustment period. He said, bear with me, Naftali. This is really striking from Trump, who has previously pitched tariffs as kind of like a win win. Like basically all these countries just give us a whole bunch of money, even though these are taxes that are generally paid by US Consumers. What did you make of this kind of shifting tone that we saw from Trump on tariffs?

[Naftali Ben David]

Well, I mean, I think it's pretty clear that he's starting to grapple with the political and economic reality that these tariffs he's imposing will or might have a little bit of a jarring effect on consumers who are already upset about high prices. I mean, that moment jumped out at me, too, because the way Trump usually talks is in absolutes. And so for him to sort of offset a little bit about what he's saying and to mitigate it by saying there's going to be some adjustment. He didn't quite get explicit, but you could tell what he was saying. To me, that shows that he's very attuned to the political and perhaps economic consequences of what he's doing. And it is so uncharacteristic of him because, again, he always talks in sweeping, vivid terms and rarely says. But there might be a bit of a downside before we get to the good part, that the fact that he did that showed to me that he's acutely sensitive to what might be coming.

[Democracy Reporter]

And I wonder, Aaron, if you would mind if I take the hosting hat for a second and turn the tables on you, because you are resident polling expert. And Naftali brings up the idea that this might be politically unpopular and President Trump might be starting to realize that. What are the numbers on this?

[Aaron Blake]

Yeah, I mean, I think it's worth noting the reasons that this appears to be a dicey move is because economists have for a very long time talked about how tariffs lead to inflation. And of course, we are coming out of a period of sustained high inflation. That was a big reason that Donald Trump won the presidency in the first place. And what we've seen in recent weeks, really, is that while people during the 2024 campaign generally seem to like the idea of tariffs, or at least marginally liked them, as they've kind of consumed what these could mean, they seem to have turned against them to a significant degree. And that's especially the case with these tariffs on Canada and Mexico. If you look at polls of the Canada tariffs, these are like two to one unpopular right now. And about seven in ten Americans worry that these tariffs are going to lead price increases. And so we've already seen the tariffs being implemented, you know, lead to kind of this unrest on the stock market, the massive fluctuations, the big drops. Producers and manufacturers are worried about what this is going to mean for their bottom line. And so I think it's pretty clear that this is, at the very least going to be that kind of, you know, quote, unquote, little disturbance that Trump talked about. But I really do wonder how much patience people have for that. Guys like, are people going to put up with more inflation if they can connect it to this actual Trump policy that he's now put forward? It just seems like a big risk to me. Right.

[Democracy Reporter]

Well, notably, Aaron, President Trump campaigned on this idea of lowering prices for Americans, and a lot of Americans voted for him because they thought he was gonna bring down the price of eggs and milk. And lower their grocery bills. And yet that wasn't something he really talked about last night. He didn't really address the fact that prices have not come down. And when he did about inflation, he blamed it on Joe Biden and did not acknowledge the fact that he said on day one, prices would come down for Americans. And so it's a great question of whether or not all of these people that voted for him, hoping that it would ease their economic pain, are going to tolerate more economic pain.

[Aaron Blake]

Yeah, I thought it was really telling that he brought up the issue of egg prices, which of course have gone even higher than they've been in recent years due to the avian flu that we're around. And basically he blamed it all on Biden. He said the prices had gone up under Biden. Well, they've gone up significantly more since then. So you kind of wonder how long the blaming the previous administration is going to satisfy people, given that Trump talked about bringing inflation down rather quickly.

[Naftali Ben David]

Yeah, I mean, I think that he's been in office for something like six weeks. And so he can still call it the Joe Biden egg price inflation or whatever he called it. And he can talk about catastrophic EV policies. And again, he mentioned Biden, like a dozen times. But this may be the last major opportunity I think that he has to do that where it would have any political salience whatsoever. And particularly because I think it's now been integrated into people's minds that tariffs can lead to high prices, that should prices continue to spike, I think there is going to be a natural tendency to tie the two together. And I think that's a real danger zone for a politician when people feel personal suffering and personal hurt and they're able to tie directly to the policy of the guy in charge. I think that's a problem. In the Biden years, it was tied successfully to Biden's stimulus plans and to some of what happened during COVID Well, now Trump is undertaking this very stark, controversial policy. And if prices go up, I do think that in many people's minds is going to be tied very directly to what he did, and perhaps there will be political consequences for that.

[Aaron Blake]

Yeah. And we're already seeing polling of Americans showing that they're not exactly happy with Trump on the economy, which was always his strong suit in his first term. And I've been really struck by polling that shows large numbers of Americans don't think that he's paid sufficient attention to the issue of inflation. A CBS poll recently showed about 66% of Americans said that Trump had not spent enough time focusing on inflation. So certainly a subplot worth watching. Naftali, just to go back to this issue of tariffs, I think there's always a question in here about how much of this is actually Trump's intention and how much. Much of this is a bargaining chip. And we're already seeing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick coming out and suggesting that maybe these tariffs on Canada and Mexico could be alleviated to some degree. Just today we saw that Trump said the tariffs on automobiles would be delayed by a month. Can you just give us a little bit of a state of play on where things stand and whether these 25% tariffs are actually going to be our reality for the foreseeable future?

[Naftali Ben David]

Well, a couple things. I think that one clear thing that it is is a way to show dominance. I mean, that's something that Trump likes to do domestically. You know, he does it by firing people and filing lawsuits and saying people should be locked up or whatever it is. And from a foreign perspective, this is his way of showing who's in charge. The pretexts for them seem to change. I think that's one indication that they're less a direct policy issue and more of a way of showing who's in power. And this is a little bit speculative, but I honest think he's improvising a little bit here. And if they somehow seem to be going in a good direction, he'll keep them. And if they seem to be unpopular and the stock market's dropping and the businesses are complaining, then he'll claim victory and say that it was his amazing tariffs that led to whatever policy concession he can lay at the feet of Mexico or Canada. I'm speculating based on past activity, but I think that he's going to see how it goes, and then he'll decide whether it's something he wants to keep permanently, but something he always has in his back pocket is the ability to claim victory, say he won major concessions and then lift the tariffs and take a victory lap.

[Aaron Blake]

Yeah, and of course, we've already seen him ease the tariffs or at least delay the tariffs a month ago on Canada and Mexico, despite some rather modest concessions from those two countries. So we'll see how all that plays out. Guys, just kind of 60,000 foot view here. I guess. I was towards the end of that speech. Last night was interesting and there were some tense moments, but I also kind of wondered, like, did we really learn a whole lot about what comes next? Did we really learn a whole lot about Trump's intentions What do you guys think this does or doesn't change about what we can expect from his second term?

[Naftali Ben David]

I mean, I think it just reaffirmed that he's not going to be particularly conciliatory. I mean, maybe there was a couple exceptions. The way he talked about, well, Greenland was one interesting thing. He sort of said he would welcome them, and he also talked about he.

[Aaron Blake]

Said welcome, we'll get Greenland one way or another, I believe is how he put it, which is. Right. He was very somewhat ominous.

[Naftali Ben David]

That part of it was ominous. But in other parts of his remarks, he seemed to be reaching out to them. But my broader point was just that he didn't seem to be. Not that this is a surprise, but backing away from anything. And I think it reaffirms the idea that what he's going to do is push as hard as he can on every front. He's going to push against foreign countries, the courts, the federal government, Democrats, until somebody pushes back in a way that's effective. And we don't know what form that's going to take. Maybe the stock market will drop, maybe the midterms will come around and Democrats will retake the House, but he's going to push on every front until somebody stands in his way, I think. And that message came out very clearly last night.

[Democracy Reporter]

I think also it showed that he's not backing off of his relationship with Elon Musk. Elon Musk has been a controversial figure in this administration. Obviously, he, he's unelected, he's unconfirmed by the Senate, and yet he plays this major role in our government right now. And Trump recognized him and praised him, called him the head of Doge. To your point earlier, Aaron, and so even though there's been protests around Musk and Democrats were holding up these signs that say Musk steals. It doesn't seem like Elon Musk is going anywhere.

[Aaron Blake]

Yes, one of many issues that we'll be watching in the days and weeks to come. But that's it for today's episode. Thank you so much, Colby and Naphtali.

[Democracy Reporter]

Thanks, Aaron.

[Naftali Ben David]

Thank you, Aaron.

[Aaron Blake]

Neftali. Ben David is a senior national political correspondent for the Post, and Colby Itkowicz is a democracy reporter. Today's episode was produced by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sam Baer. It was edited by Lucy Perkins with help from Rachel Van Dongen. I'm Aaron Blake. We'll be back tomorrow with more stories from the Washington Post.

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