President Donald Trump’s first address to Congress is an attempt to stabilize his administration and improve his standing with the public. | Getty Trump hits the reset button The president's hope-infused address before Congress was the most unifying moment of his divisive and chaotic first 39 days in office.

For 60 minutes and 14 seconds Tuesday night, President Donald Trump abandoned the dark rhetoric and narrow vision that have long defined his politics and offered an aspirational message stocked with bold promises for the country in his first address before a joint session of Congress.

While Trump still offered some charged language — including his use of the term “radical Islamic terrorism” — the speech was notably less confrontational than his “American carnage” inaugural address. It was, in fact, by far the most unifying moment of his divisive and chaotic first 39 days in office.


Reading almost exclusively from prepared remarks on a teleprompter, the president pledged to provide “massive” tax relief for the middle class, extinguish the “vile enemy” that is ISIS, and rebuild America's military.

Not an official "State of the Union" address, Trump’s first speech to Congress was an attempt to stabilize his administration and improve his standing with the public, which views Trump more unfavorably than any other president after only a month in office. Beyond showcasing a more presidential posture to the largest national television audience he's had since his inauguration, Trump also sought to set out some shared goals for the Congress that will largely determine the nature and scope of his eventual accomplishments.

“Think of the marvels we can achieve if we simply set free the dreams of our people. The time for small thinking is over. The time for trivial fights is behind us," said Trump, who attacked the media on the second day of his presidency for what he saw as biased reports about the crowd size at his inauguration.

After such a rocky first five weeks, Trump needed to present himself to members of Congress, many of whom have recently been met by anti-Trump mobs at town hall meetings, as a reasonable collaborative partner as they begin a long legislative journey. He spoke not of past grievances, but of a future full of opportunity. For an hour at least, beefs gave way to bright banalities.

For the most part, the president's specific policy prescriptions were as broad and vague as they were sweeping and ambitious. Trump called on Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare with reforms that “expand choice, increase access, lower costs, and at the same time, provide better healthcare.” He laid out a broad outline of what an alternative would look like, but steered clear of specifics that could jam up negotiations among congressional Republicans.

He also declared that his administration is ready to work with both Republicans and Democrats to improve childcare, invest in women’s health, promote clean air and water, and to strengthen America’s infrastructure.

Trump, who has stoked racial division throughout his political rise, began his address with a nod to African-American history month and by recognizing that “work still remains” for the country to achieve its founding ideals. He also condemned a recent spate of anti-Semitic attacks targeting Jewish Community Centers and cemeteries. “While we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil,” Trump said.

He avoided any criticism of the media, a hobby horse he has ridden hard over his first weeks in office. But, his remarks still included some of the partisan vitriol reminiscent of his campaign.

Trump implored Congress to act "to save Americans from this imploding Obamacare disaster," despite the significant increase in the number of Americans in favor of the landmark healthcare law that has insured an additional 20 million Americans. Unease is growing among congressional Republicans about the difficulty of following through on years of political promises to roll back the program.

"Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for America," Trump said. "The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we will do."

A spokesman for House Speaker Paul Ryan cheered Trump's remark that the government "should help Americans purchase their own coverage, through the use of tax credits and expanded Health Savings Accounts" as a sign the White House and GOP congressional leaders are on the same page.

Although he didn't say it as bluntly, Trump continued to speak about the supposed mess he inherited upon taking offices, citing lost manufacturing jobs, factory closures, the 43 million Americans on food stamps, a ballooning trade deficit and "a series of tragic foreign policy disasters."

Trump also touted the accomplishments of his first five weeks in office, highlighting executive orders related to trade, energy development and immigration and claiming credit for a rise in the stock market and a new, more advantageous deal to build a new generation of F-35 jet fighters – even though the contract was negotiated before he took office.

Vowing to keep his campaign promises to the American people, Trump reiterated his pledge to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, despite skepticism among Republicans and Democrats in Congress that the project is worth its $25 billion-plus price tag.

Trump also claimed his revamped travel ban, likely to be signed in the next few days, will keep the nation safe. "We cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside America," Trump said. "We cannot allow our nation to become a sanctuary for extremists."

After a robust discussion in the days leading up to Tuesday night's speech, Trump ignored pleas from his newly appointed national security adviser H.R. McMaster to avoid the term "radical Islamic terrorism," stating each word with added emphasis as he said he is "taking strong measures to protect our nation from radical...Islamic...terrorism."

Trump on Tuesday night also outlined his administration's budget proposal and what he described as "one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history."

Republicans and Democrats in Congress have already signaled that the Trump budget, which also includes drastic cuts to the Department of State and Environmental Protection Agency budgets, is dead on arrival.

And after campaigning as an anti-immigration hard-liner, Trump issued a call for lawmakers to come together on immigration reform.

“I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible,” Trump said.

But even as Trump urged lawmakers to come together, he cloaked his characteristic demagoguery on immigration issues in genuine concern and empathy for three invited guests seated in the gallery, all of whom have seen their loved ones, in the president's words, "viciously gunned down by an illegal immigrant with a criminal record."

In perhaps the most emotional and unexpected moment of the speech, Trump welcomed the widow of Navy SEAL Ryan Owens, who died in a controversial raid in Yemen.

"I just spoke to General Mattis, just now, who reconfirmed that, and I quote, 'Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemy'," Trump said.

In the moment, any lingering questions about whether the highly risky operation, approved by Trump's new defense secretary, were swallowed up in the poignancy of the moment, as applause rose in the House chamber and the television cameras focused in on Carryn Owens' tear-streaked face.

"Ryan's legacy is etched into eternity," Trump said as the applause continued. "Thank you. Thank you."

In one of his few ad-libs of the night, Trump said that "Ryan is looking down right now, you know that, and is very happy because I think he just broke a record," seemingly a reference to the length of the ovation.

