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| Donald Trump speaks to Congress in first presidential address – live | Donald Trump speaks to Congress in first presidential address – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 1.24am GMT | |
| 01:24 | |
| Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders laughed when asked about the excerpt from Trump’s speech which declares “the time for trivial fights is behind us”. | |
| This is a man who has been attacking Muslims, he has been attacking Latinos, he has been attacking the media, he has been attacking judges who ruled against him and now he has concluded the time for trivial fights is behind us? Well, I hope he’s right. | |
| 1.19am GMT | |
| 01:19 | |
| Excerpts of Trump speech released | |
| A senior administration official released some intriguing excerpts of Trump’s speech this evening to NBC reporter Kristen Welker. | |
| Excerpts from Trump's address to Congress, via senior administration official to @kwelkernbc pic.twitter.com/ISA9rmUTS1 | |
| “We just need the courage to share the dreams that fill our hearts” is pretty clunky inspiration, but the first two excerpts do focus on the “optimism” that the Trump administration is promising in this speech. | |
| The official said Trump worked on the speech until 6:15, and that it’s a “Trump original”, according to tweets from NBC reporter Kristin Donnelly. | |
| 1.00am GMT | |
| 01:00 | |
| Democrat Eliot Engel, a New Yorker, usually sits on the aisle and shakes the president’s hand after their Congress address, a tradition he’s carried on for 29 years. | |
| But tonight he won’t, as a protest against Trump. | |
| “Unfortunately, since Jan. 20, the new administration has shown no interest in working with the Congress on both sides to tackle problems, including Russia’s unlawful interference in last year’s election,” said Engel. | |
| “That’s why I’ve decided not to stand on the aisle of the House chamber to shake the president’s hand during this joint session of Congress, as I have done in the past through Democratic and Republican administrations alike.” | |
| He spoke on NBC today about his decision: | |
| A 29 year tradition ends tonight: "I cant sit idly by and pretend that everything is hunky-dory" https://t.co/WN1DNnFn9X | |
| Fellow aisle fan Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, also won’t stake out her usual aisle seat in advance and instead will just sit in “any available seat when she arrives,” according to her chief of staff. | |
| Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California, won’t attend the address in protest. | |
| 12.38am GMT | 12.38am GMT |
| 00:38 | 00:38 |
| Tonight Donald Trump will address Congress for the first time since taking office, outlining his vision for the country. His dizzying 40 days in office have included a controversial travel ban squashed by the courts, constant squabbling with the media and diplomatic tussles with traditional allies. | Tonight Donald Trump will address Congress for the first time since taking office, outlining his vision for the country. His dizzying 40 days in office have included a controversial travel ban squashed by the courts, constant squabbling with the media and diplomatic tussles with traditional allies. |
| The speech, which kicks off at 9pm EST, is like a mini state of the union address and will go for over an hour. We’ll be liveblogging the whole affair here. | The speech, which kicks off at 9pm EST, is like a mini state of the union address and will go for over an hour. We’ll be liveblogging the whole affair here. |
| Like any Trump speech, it’ll likely include a wide variety of topics – immigration, healthcare, the military and taxes – and the executive orders signed today about rolling back environmental protections and encouraging women in Stem (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. | |
| In a contrast to Trump’s gloomy inauguration day “American carnage” speech, the mood this evening is expected to be lighter. | In a contrast to Trump’s gloomy inauguration day “American carnage” speech, the mood this evening is expected to be lighter. |
| “My speech will be a message of optimism, hope, and love for the greatest country in history. I will lay out our agenda for a stronger, freer, and more prosperous America,” Trump said in an email to supporters this afternoon, calling on donations for his re-election. | “My speech will be a message of optimism, hope, and love for the greatest country in history. I will lay out our agenda for a stronger, freer, and more prosperous America,” Trump said in an email to supporters this afternoon, calling on donations for his re-election. |
| But while the administration is touting it as optimistic, advisor Steve Bannon, seen as Trump’s most influential advisor, spoke this week at CPAC about the three “verticals” the Trump administration will focus on, and it’s a less positive affair: national security and sovereignty, economic nationalism, and “deconstruction of the administrative state”. | |
| Trump is addressing lawmakers, and therefore may focus on more policy than a normal Trump chat, but he noted in the donation email that his speech tonight will be aimed at the masses: | Trump is addressing lawmakers, and therefore may focus on more policy than a normal Trump chat, but he noted in the donation email that his speech tonight will be aimed at the masses: |
| Tonight at 9pm EST I’m going to speak before Congress for the first time. But more importantly, I will be speaking to you – the American people. | Tonight at 9pm EST I’m going to speak before Congress for the first time. But more importantly, I will be speaking to you – the American people. |
| In protest of Trump, female Democrats donned white for the occasion, a nod to the white-frocked suffragette movement. (Remember, Hillary Clinton wore a white suit to accept her nomination at the DNC last June as a tribute to the Suffragettes.) | In protest of Trump, female Democrats donned white for the occasion, a nod to the white-frocked suffragette movement. (Remember, Hillary Clinton wore a white suit to accept her nomination at the DNC last June as a tribute to the Suffragettes.) |
| Keep your eye out tonight as Democratic #WomenWearWhite in support of women’s rights during the #JointSession! pic.twitter.com/4l4TUc79RQ | Keep your eye out tonight as Democratic #WomenWearWhite in support of women’s rights during the #JointSession! pic.twitter.com/4l4TUc79RQ |
| suffragette white for the #JointSession via @RepGraceMeng pic.twitter.com/HNUcwOQsXw | suffragette white for the #JointSession via @RepGraceMeng pic.twitter.com/HNUcwOQsXw |
| Anti-Trump protesters, including TV personality Rosie O’Donnell, are marching on the US Capitol in advance of the speech. | Anti-Trump protesters, including TV personality Rosie O’Donnell, are marching on the US Capitol in advance of the speech. |
| It’ll be a busy evening, stay with us! | It’ll be a busy evening, stay with us! |
| Updated | |
| at 1.01am GMT |