President Donald Trump‘s first address to Congress of his second term was a lengthy and raucous event featuring several fireworks from the crowd and the president.
With interruptions and one-liners from the crowd, the speech lacked much of the traditional decorum seen in presidential addresses to Congress, but the president also delivered jabs to the unruly audience.
1. Rep. Al Green’s (D-TX) heckling
Green had the first and most notable outburst of any of the members of Congress assembled in the House chamber Tuesday evening. At the beginning of Trump’s speech, Green stood up and yelled, “You have no mandate” at the president.
The Texas Democrat’s continued yelling prompted House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to remind members to maintain decorum during the speech and to warn Green that he would be removed if he did not respect decorum. After Green did not heed the warning and continued to heckle Trump, the sergeant-at-arms escorted him out of the chamber at Johnson’s request.
Mike Johnson orders Al Green removed from Trump speech for heckling
MORE: https://t.co/l7saM0Mylt pic.twitter.com/dhGdy9W3HE
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 5, 2025
Green told reporters outside the chamber he was protesting over alleged proposals to offer cuts to Medicaid.
“It’s worth it to let people know that there are some people who are going to stand up,” Green said.
2. Trump jabs at Biden over border security
At last year’s State of the Union address, then-President Joe Biden pushed for a Senate proposal on border security, but during this year’s address to Congress, Trump joked that the nation needed a new president instead of new legislation to solve the problem.
“The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation,” Trump said. “’We must have legislation to secure the border,’ but it turned out that all we really needed was a new president.”
Border security and illegal immigration were two of the top concerns for voters in last year’s election. The first piece of legislation Trump signed into law after returning to the White House was the Laken Riley Act, which expanded the ability of federal authorities to deport migrants who have committed crimes.
Trump invited Riley’s family to Tuesday’s address. At last year’s State of the Union address, Biden mentioned Riley, erroneously calling her “Lincoln Riley,” and called for changes to immigration law.
3. ‘Pocahontas’ nickname makes a comeback
Trump renewed the use of one of his nicknames for a member of Congress during his Tuesday address, referring to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) as “Pocahontas.”
The president was discussing U.S. aid to Ukraine in Ukraine’s war against Russia, claiming that Democrats would keep it going for “five years” as he pushes for peace in the conflict.
JUST IN: Elizabeth Warren visibly seethes after Trump calls her “Pocahontas” during his address to Congress.
Warren was seen trying incredibly hard to keep a smile on her face after Trump called her out.
“The United States has sent hundreds of billions of dollars to support… pic.twitter.com/ISLCeEDJSF
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 5, 2025
“You want to keep it going for another five years? Yeah, you would say — Pocahontas says yes,” Trump said, with cameras showing Warren clapping after Trump’s comment.
The Massachusetts Democrat said after the address that she was not surprised Trump called her out, and she said the speech “was a fantasy that Donald Trump tries to construct.”
4. Multiple one-liners from members of Congress
During the speech, there were several instances of Democrats and Republicans interjecting as Trump delivered his remarks.
Outbursts were previously rare during these speeches, with Rep. Joe Wilson’s (R-SC) “you lie” outburst at then-President Barack Obama’s 2009 address to Congress being one of those rare instances. Outbursts have become more common in recent years during speeches given by Trump and Biden when addressing the chamber.
SEVEN TAKEAWAYS FROM TRUMP’S COMBATIVE JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS
While Trump was discussing support for law enforcement, several Democrats yelled “Jan. 6.” in reference to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
Another moment came when Trump claimed there was a person listed at 360 years old receiving Social Security. A Republican in the crowd yelled, “Joe Biden,” mocking the former president.
