TRANSCRIPT
"America is back."
It was Donald Trump's first major speech to a joint session of Congress now he's back for a second term in the White House.
He laid out a conservative vision in a sometimes rambling and raucous session lasting almost two hours that critics say was filled with campaign rhetoric, unsubstantiated claims and insults...
"Do you want to keep it going (in Ukraine) for another five years? You would say ... Pocahontas (referring to Elizabeth Warren) says yes."
... the US President essentially vowed to keep up his campaign of what he calls “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy.
The speech also contained a surprising admission that could create headaches for legal teams fighting challenges to federal government cuts in court.
Some cases rest partly on the basis of Mr Trump's assertions that Elon Musk is not the one running the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
"And to that end I have created the brand new Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE. Perhaps you've heard of it, perhaps. Which is headed by Elon Musk, who is in the gallery tonight."
The reaction to the speech within the US has been largely along partisan lines.
The Republican-controlled chamber erupted with chants of the President's name at one point before the speech was even concluded:
Republican Brandon Gill from Texas in particular was thrilled.
"I thought it was everything we would want to see from President Trump and more. He's bringing us back into the golden age of America."
But that is where the adulation stops.
Democrat Representative Al Green was thrown out of the Chamber after interrupting the speech to challenge Mr Trump's plans to cut Medicaid.
"The Chair now directs the Sergeant at Arms to restore order. Remove this gentleman from the chamber."
Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries meanwhile called the speech one of the most divisive ever made in US history.
"Republicans aren't trying to bring the country together. They are tearing us apart. Republicans aren't trying to move America forward. They want to turn back the clock."
Some Republicans have also reacted with dismay, especially by references to federal government cuts, including to Veterans Affairs.
More than 25 per cent of the department's workforce is comprised of former service members, a group that overwhelmingly voted in favour of Trump in the last election.
Former Air Force member Chris Wicker says he is among a group of veterans recently fired - in his case from the Small Business Administration unit in Minneapolis.
"I am here to speak up on behalf of all federal workers who are being treated like garbage and who are feeling scapegoated... I know what a loyal patriot looks like, and every single one of those people deserves the gratitude of a thankful nation, and not the demonisation and criticism that they have been getting."
Analysts say the joint session was unlike anything they have witnessed before.
Public Affairs and History Professor Jeremi Suri, at the University of Texas in Austin, says the speech was really about Mr Trump announcing the political scores he wanted to settle - and the frustration of Democrats with his agenda.
"I think it reflected our moment: the back and forth, the Democratic Congressman Al Green interrupting the speech. The signs [held by Democrats]. But also the humour, the condescending and mocking humour that Donald Trump used, calling Senator Elizabeth Warren Pocahontas. I mean all of this, it breaks the decorum of these addresses in the past, and even the recent past. These were to be addresses where people would arise above politics for at least one night. And I don't think we have a capacity for that right now, and it's not who he is."
Meanwhile, the international community has reacted largely with disapproval, surprise - and sometimes eye-rolls, especially with this reference to Greenland.
"We need Greenland for national security and even international security, and we're working with everybody involved to try and get it, and I think we're gonna get it. One way or the other, we're gonna get it."
Some Greenlanders are nonchalant about the remarks, saying Mr Trump has a history of making crazy statements and not following through.
But MP Aaja Chemnitz has been more forceful in her comments.
"Greenland never has been for sale and never will be for sale. And therefore I think it's very important to say that the future of Greenland is completely up to us, the people of Greenland."
In China, the response to Mr Trump's foreign policy references have been swift and clear.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian says Beijing agrees with essentially nothing that Mr Trump has proposed.
Mr Lin says China supports a postwar plan for the Gaza Strip as agreed upon by Arab countries and recognised by the Palestinian people.
And he says the US trade tariffs are ridiculous.
"If the US has other agenda in mind and insists on harming China's interests, we’re ready to fight until the end. We advise the US to abandon its bullying tactics and return to the right track of dialogue and cooperation as soon as possible."
Europeans have been more circumspect, apart from one senator in France who told Parliament they are fighting against a dictator backed by a traitor, a reference to President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Germany's government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit says the German government is puzzled by Donald Trump's apparent goading of his European allies, and his repeated claims they aren't taking Germany's defence seriously because they're all a part of the NATO alliance.
The response from Australia's government has also been muted, with much of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's attention currently focussed on helping with the cyclone response in Queensland, and batting off speculation about the federal election.
"I've been asked every day for the last year about election timing. I am focused on governing. That is the sole focus that I have."
Defence Minister Richard Marles meanwhile says calls for Australia to increase its defence spending are always carefully considered.
"I can obviously understand the US administration seeking for its friends and allies around the world to do more. That's a conversation we will continue to have with the US administration, and we very much understand where they're coming from. But it's very important to understand, we are increasing that spending right now."
