PERHAPS THE CLEAREST DISTILLATION OF President Donald Trump’s sprawling first address to the new Congress came when he brought up Social Security. Politicians usually mention the program to assure Americans that they will protect it, or to claim the other party won’t. Trump proceeded to lay out the premise for cutting it.
“Over 130,000 people, according to the Social Security databases, are aged over 160 years old,” Trump asserted. He added that 1,041 of these people are over the age of 220. The figures he quoted had been thoroughly debunked, with even his own Social Security chief explaining that the numbers are a misreading of an ancient federal database. In other words, there’s no proof any of those “people” are getting monthly checks.
But facts were not the point. The night of March 4 was entirely about feelings. And if everything about the evening felt overwhelming, that is because it was, and by design. For the six weeks leading up to Trump’s speech, Washington had been yanked and ghosted, lurched and savaged, all with a merciless urgency. “Swift and unrelenting action” was how Trump described his record. It was one of the few uncontestable statements from the dais.
Republicans were all too happy to stand and applaud on command as Trump leaned comfortably on the podium, promoting debunked theories about autism and predicting the U.S. would “get” Greenland “one way or another.” One of their loudest cheers was for Elon Musk, the billionaire bad boy trying to break Washington as head of DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency. Their celebration was more restrained, however, when the President talked about his trade war, which had erased all the gains Wall Street posted since Trump won in November.
“Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again. And it’s happening, and it will happen rather quickly. There may be a little disturbance, but we’re OK with that. It won’t be much,” Trump promised.
Economists, stock traders, and grocers have all warned that levying tariffs (on Canada, Mexico, and China, so far) will certainly raise prices for consumers. Republicans who won office by campaigning against inflation have not dared to confront Trump on this, and the GOP House leadership suggest it’s a problem best ignored—advising members to just stop holding town halls where angry constituents could confront their representatives.
Meanwhile, policy caroms on. The day after Trump’s speech, the White House announced a 30-day pause on tariffs on the auto sector; and the day after that, all tariffs on Mexico and Canada were postponed.
DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS have watched with confusion, fear, and outrage as Trump has dismissed tens of thousands of federal workers, shut down offices that feed the world’s poor and track weather systems, and, along the way, discarded a global order the U.S. both made and led. When Representative Al Green of Texas, a Democratic lawmaker who is often...
“Over 130,000 people, according to the Social Security databases, are aged over 160 years old,” Trump asserted. He added that 1,041 of these people are over the age of 220. The figures he quoted had been thoroughly debunked, with even his own Social Security chief explaining that the numbers are a misreading of an ancient federal database. In other words, there’s no proof any of those “people” are getting monthly checks.
But facts were not the point. The night of March 4 was entirely about feelings. And if everything about the evening felt overwhelming, that is because it was, and by design. For the six weeks leading up to Trump’s speech, Washington had been yanked and ghosted, lurched and savaged, all with a merciless urgency. “Swift and unrelenting action” was how Trump described his record. It was one of the few uncontestable statements from the dais.
Republicans were all too happy to stand and applaud on command as Trump leaned comfortably on the podium, promoting debunked theories about autism and predicting the U.S. would “get” Greenland “one way or another.” One of their loudest cheers was for Elon Musk, the billionaire bad boy trying to break Washington as head of DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency. Their celebration was more restrained, however, when the President talked about his trade war, which had erased all the gains Wall Street posted since Trump won in November.
“Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again. And it’s happening, and it will happen rather quickly. There may be a little disturbance, but we’re OK with that. It won’t be much,” Trump promised.
Economists, stock traders, and grocers have all warned that levying tariffs (on Canada, Mexico, and China, so far) will certainly raise prices for consumers. Republicans who won office by campaigning against inflation have not dared to confront Trump on this, and the GOP House leadership suggest it’s a problem best ignored—advising members to just stop holding town halls where angry constituents could confront their representatives.
Meanwhile, policy caroms on. The day after Trump’s speech, the White House announced a 30-day pause on tariffs on the auto sector; and the day after that, all tariffs on Mexico and Canada were postponed.
DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS have watched with confusion, fear, and outrage as Trump has dismissed tens of thousands of federal workers, shut down offices that feed the world’s poor and track weather systems, and, along the way, discarded a global order the U.S. both made and led. When Representative Al Green of Texas, a Democratic lawmaker who is often...
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Time (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 24, 2025