STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
We hear what the president said to Congress. He proclaimed that, in his view, America is back.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
For more than 90 minutes, he talked of securing the border, slashing government and imposing tariffs. And he said he did not expect much support from Democrats.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: These people sitting right here will not clap, will not stand, and certainly will not cheer for these astronomical achievements. They won't do it, no matter what.
MARTIN: The opposition party did spend most of his speech stony-faced, seated or protesting.
INSKEEP: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez was listening to all of those minutes, and he joins us now. Franco, good morning.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: What was it like?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, I mean, there is always, you know, some kind of tension in these kind of speeches. But last night, that tension was really so much higher. I mean, in the first five minutes, a Democratic congressman, Al Green of Texas, stood up in protest. He was waving his cane and calling out that Trump didn't have a mandate - and, when he wouldn't sit down, how Speaker Mike Johnson actually had him escorted out of the chamber, which was a first, as far as I can remember. And throughout the speech, Republicans were cheering. Democrats were holding up these signs that read things like, false, and, save Medicaid. And just repeatedly, Trump would go after former President Joe Biden by name and calling Democrats radical left lunatics. I mean, the partisan nature of this speech is really likely what this is going to be remembered for.
INSKEEP: Well, the president certainly celebrated some of his more divisive or partisan achievements.
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. Trump actually spent a lot of time touting the work of Elon Musk and his project to cut costs, known as the Department of Government Efficiency. And he got into some of the nitty-gritty, giving this long list of examples that he said were being cut. Here's a small part.
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TRUMP: Forty million dollars to improve the social and economic inclusion of sedentary migrants. Nobody knows what that is.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of.
(LAUGHTER)
ORDOÑEZ: Now, Steve, Trump's critics have said some of these cuts were for necessary services, like aid for starving children. And in some cases, the White House did acknowledge this and rehired people. But NPR has also looked into some of the claims of savings posted on the DOGE website, and documents show that most of those savings don't actually exist.
INSKEEP: Well, did the president talk about his plans for the year ahead? This can be a table-setting moment.
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, a little bit. He asked Congress to pass his tax cuts. He talked about a plan that he'll announce this week to expand production of critical minerals in the U.S. But he really spent most of his time talking about things that he's already done.
INSKEEP: Well, did he use guests in attendance to make his points, as presidents often do?
ORDOÑEZ: He did. He did. And that kind of shows the - you know, the priorities. A lot of the guests were victims of crime or worked in law enforcement. There was this really heartwarming moment when Trump honored a 13-year-old boy who has fought brain cancer. He was dressed in a police uniform, and Trump said he had a special surprise for him.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TRUMP: Tonight, DJ, we're going to do you the biggest honor of them all. I am asking our new Secret Service director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States Secret Service.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ORDOÑEZ: Trump's Secret Service director then came out and gave him a badge and a hug.
INSKEEP: In this 90-minute-or-more speech, Franco, did anything go unsaid?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I mean, one of the biggest concerns Americans have is their grocery bills. And Trump promised to cut high prices, but we really didn't hear anything new about those plans. He just blamed Biden.
INSKEEP: That's White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Franco, thanks so much.
ORDOÑEZ: Thanks, Steve. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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