Reactions roll in after President Trump addresses Congress, polls show massive positive reception

"Fox & Friends" co-hosts shared their reaction to President Donald Trump's congressional address and discussed the notable moments that Democrats refused to applaud during the historic speech Wednesday morning.

The White House released a list of top moments from Trump's speech, including Democrats' refusal to applaud regardless of the topic.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., joined Fox Business' "Mornings with Maria" on Wednesday morning to react to President Donald Trump’s joint speech to Congress.

Comer argued Trump's speech heralded a return to a "golden age" for America.

He blasted Democrats for trying to obstruct Trump's agenda that he noted Americans voted for in November.

"Americans saw the difference between conservatives and liberals," Comer said of Trump's speech. "Conservatives are upbeat, we're positive, we're risk-takers. We believe in the free market; we believe in a limited government, and then the other side, the liberals--they're angry, they're bitter, they're negative."

President Donald Trump talked about tariffs during his address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, saying that while the objective is to make the nation "rich" and "great again," though he noted that there will "be a little disturbance."

"It won't be much," he said.

Trump asserted "tariffs are not just about protecting American jobs, they're about protecting the soul of our country. Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again."

Trump has slapped tariffs on goods from China, Canada and Mexico.

Trump emphasized in an all-caps Truth Social post on Tuesday, "IF COMPANIES MOVE TO THE UNITED STATES, THERE ARE NO TARIFFS!!!" 

GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has been warning that Americans will face higher prices as a consequence of tariffs.

"US tariffs inevitably bring Canadian, Mexican, and Chinese tariffs which means higher prices for lumber, steel, aluminum and more expensive homes and cars," Paul asserted in a Tuesday post on X.

"Retaliatory tariffs lead to lowered US farm exports, lowered bourbon exports, and less international shipping. Tariffs are taxes and if you tax trade you’ll get less trade and less prosperity," he added in another tweet.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Alex Nitzberg

Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas doubled down on impeaching President Donald Trump following his disruption and removal from the president’s address to Congress on Tuesday night.

Green, a longtime critic of Trump, told reporters after being removed that he was working on articles of impeachment against the president and defended his outburst at the start of Trump’s speech.

"This president is unfit," Green said. "He should not hold the office."

Green said it was worth being removed from the joint session of Congress to make his point, which he said was to object to Trump saying he had a "mandate."

"I was making it clear to the president that he has no mandate to cut Medicaid," Green said, referring to the health care program used by 80 million Americans. "I have people who are very fearful. These are poor people, and they have only Medicaid in their lives when it comes to their health care."

"But it's worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president's desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security," he said.

Green’s outburst saw the congressman wave his walking cane as he stood up and shouted at the president. Republicans drowned him out with chants of "USA! USA!"

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., issued a warning for order, banging the gavel and saying, "Take your seat, sir!" When Green remained standing, Johnson ordered the Sergeants-at-Arms to restore order by removing the long-serving congressman from the chamber.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Stephen Sorace

Socialist firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is calling on Democrats to organize in GOP-heavy districts to push back against the Trump agenda and what she claims will be drastic cuts to Medicaid.

Ocasio-Cortez took to Instagram Live late Tuesday night to rebut President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session ­of Congress and told her followers that Trump spewed a lot of misinformation but, ultimately, he and Republicans are coming for Medicare to buttress the pockets of billionaires like Elon Musk, who she labeled as an "a—hole."

She said that Trump craftily didn’t mention cuts to Medicare in his speech because that is his goal, and Democrats should host town halls and various other events in GOP districts to resist such cuts and expose local lawmakers.

"These Republicans, I'm telling you all, they are getting scared," Ocasio-Cortez said to her 8.7 million followers on the platform in the 54-minute video. 

"Trump not mentioning Medicaid at the State of the Union is the game. He doesn't talk about it. [It's] what he fears and he knows it's dynamite. The House Republicans know that it's dynamite for them and that's why they're talking about not hosting town halls."

"We need to be creatively organizing in Republican districts. And I don't want to hear, okay, Republicans don't listen. They are afraid of this. I'm telling you."

Ocasio-Cortez called on Democrats to host town halls in Rep. Nicole Malliotakis' districts of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York, Rep. Mike Lawler’s district of Westchester County in New York and Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s district in New Jersey.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Michael Dorgan

President Donald Trump's signature "weaving" skills were on full display during his joint address to Congress. 

Throughout his record-long speech, Trump incorporated his unique communication technique he has dubbed the "weave" during recent media appearances, a lengthy aside often used to support a broader point he is trying to make, to highlight some of the biggest themes of the night. 

While touting the bold actions he has taken since being sworn into office, Trump targeted Democrats over their refusal to get on board with his agenda. 

"This is my fifth such speech to Congress, and once again, I look at the Democrats in front of me, and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy, or to make them stand or smile or applaud, nothing I can do," Trump said. 

"I could find a cure to the most devastating disease, a disease that would wipe out entire nations or announce the answers to the greatest economy in history, or the stoppage of crime to the lowest levels ever recorded," Trump continues. "And 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. Five- five times I've been up here! It's very sad, and it just shouldn't be this way."

He then made a direct challenge to Democrats, telling them "For just this one night, why not join us in celebrating so many incredible wins for America? For the good of our nation. Let's work together and let's truly make America great again."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Joseph Wulfsohn

"Squad" member Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., used a whiteboard to deliver real-time responses to President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. While other Democrats held up pre-printed signs, Tlaib scribbled several messages throughout the evening.

As President Trump delivered his 100-minute-long speech, Tlaib scribbled several messages on a mini-whiteboard, including, "No king!," "What about the immigrants that worked for you?," and "That’s a lie!" Tlaib’s actions seemed to be against House Democrat leadership’s wishes, as several reports say that party members were urged to not use pops and to show proper decorum.

The "Squad" member's whiteboard and keffiyeh-like jacket garnered a slew of reactions. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Sc., called Tlaib the "poster child" of Trump derangement syndrome (TDS), a term coined online that refers to those who automatically reject anything that comes from Trump.

Additionally, Rep. Mace tweeted an apparently photoshopped image of Tlaib with a blank sign and encouraged her followers to "fill in the blank." Unsurprisingly, this became a pattern with several social media users posting memes of Tlaib and her whiteboard with various phrases poking fun at the congresswoman and Democrats.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Rachel Wolf

Reactions from conservatives on social media poured in after President Donald Trump spoke for about two hours in his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.

After Trump’s speech lasted 1 hour and 39 minutes, conservatives took to social media to praise the president and criticize the Democratic response, including Democratic Rep. Al Green's removal from the room for interrupting Trump's address.

"Peak Trump," former Trump campaign senior adviser Tim Murtaugh posted on X. "That’s what that was."

"Who else feels like they could run through a wall for America after that," Trump administration senior advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media Kari Lake posted on X. 

"The President took a victory lap tonight — and he deserves to," Trump Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted on X. "He’s completely right that the first month of his Presidency was more consequential than most four-year Presidencies."

"The President took a victory lap tonight — and he deserves to," Trump Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted on X. "He’s completely right that the first month of his Presidency was more consequential than most four-year Presidencies."

"Lost count around 90 standing ovations tonight," GOP Rep. Nancy Mace posted on X. "The best President in American history."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller

CIA Director John Ratcliffe joined Fox News after President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress to detail the capture of a long-wanted terror suspect.

Ratcliffe argued Trump will be remembered as the "peace president," saying more U.S. allies are now working alongside the Trump administration to assist in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Trump has aggressively pushed for a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia in recent days, and his administration is also credited with securing the ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Maine state GOP Rep. Laurel Libby applauded President Donald Trump’s remarks on keeping biological males out of girls’ and women’s sports on Tuesday night in his speech to a joint session of Congress.

Libby was censured in the Maine House of Representatives over a social media post that pointed out a transgender athlete had won a girls’ competition. Libby had also been vocal in her disagreement with how Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ spat with the president went down in February. 

The two clashed over the state’s decision not to alter its gender-participation policy to comply with the president’s executive order to keep biological males out of girls’ and women’s sports. Trump threatened to pull federal funding for Maine’s schools if the state did not comply.

On Tuesday night, Trump received loud cheers from his colleagues when he mentioned the executive order. He called out Payton McNabb’s story about being left severely injured when a transgender athlete spiked a ball in her face during a high school volleyball competition. She was unable to finish out her high school career on the court.

"Schools will kick men off the girls’ team, or they will lose all federal funding," Trump said.

Libby wrote on X that Mills must be "absolutely panicking."

"Her failures have made Maine ground zero in the fight to protect girls' sports. President Trump is sending a clear message to her and other leaders nationwide: Our girls’ voices will be heard and their rights will be respected."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Ryan Gyados

President Donald Trump said his administration is investigating what he described as "shocking levels of incompetence and probable fraud" in the nation's Social Security program, during his address to Congress on Tuesday.

Trump pointed to government databases listing millions of Social Security recipients that are over 100 years old, some of whom are reportedly "over 160 years old." He also claimed one person who was allegedly 360 years old was listed in the database.

"We have a healthier country than I thought," Trump quipped, nodding to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.

"Money is being paid to many of them," he added, noting that this issue "really hurts Social Security and harms our country."

The comments come after billionaire Elon Musk, also in attendance on Tuesday, claimed that a preliminary review of Social Security records by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) found evidence that the safety net program is paying benefits to 150-year-olds. 

Musk also posted a picture of a spreadsheet he said was from the Social Security database showing the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to false. It showed more than 17 million such records for people over the age of 100.

After DOGE, which aims to eliminate $2 trillion in wasteful government spending, gained access to the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) internal systems, a Treasury Department official told Congress that the tech executive would have "read-only access" to the government’s payment system, emphasizing that the agency remains committed to safeguarding the system.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Danielle Genovese

Democrat Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said the U.S. has become an "oligarchic society" while responding to President Donald Trump's address to a joint Congress Tuesday evening.

"The Trump administration is not hiding it," Sanders said in a streamed response to Trump's address Tuesday. "The Trump administration is a government of the billionaire class by the billionaire class, and for the billionaire class. Notwithstanding some of their rhetoric, this is a government that could care less about ordinary Americans and the working families of our country. My friends, we are no longer moving toward oligarchy. We are living in an oligarchic society."

Trump's speech late Tuesday evening marked the first time he addressed a joint session of Congress since his return to the Oval Office in January. Trump celebrated his administration's breakneck pace of executive orders, securing the nation's southern border, as well as his tariff plan during his speech.

"To my fellow citizens, America is back," Trump declared at the start of his speech after thanking the members of Congress and first lady Melania Trump. 

"Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the golden Age of America," he said. "From that moment on, it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country. We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years. And we are just getting started." 

Sanders argued in his response speech that Trump delivered a handful of "lies."

"Trump has claimed that millions of undocumented people voted and do vote in American elections — a lie," Sanders said. "Trump has claimed that climate change is a hoax originating in China — a lie. Trump has claimed that Ukraine started the horrific war with Russia — a lie. And tonight, just tonight, Trump claimed that millions of dead people between the ages of 100 and 360, we're collecting Social Security checks. And that is an outrageous lie intended to lay the groundwork for cuts to Social Security and dismantling the most successful and popular government program in history." 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Emma Colton

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., blasted his Democratic colleagues for their reactions during President Donald Trump's address to Congress on Tuesday night.

"This was an absolute disgrace on the Democratic Party," Ogles said told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. "This is an example of their lack of leadership, their lack of vision and, quite frankly, a lot of the victims that were in the crowd were because of their failed policies."

"Kudos to the president for keeping his cool. He was calm. It was an amazing speech. I enjoyed it, as did most of the country," he added.

Polls from multiple outlets, including CNN and CBS News, show that large majorities of Americans had a favorable view of Trump's speech.

President Donald Trump said his administration called out the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who do not show up to work, saying it was time to drain "the swamp." 

"We have hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have not been showing up to work," Trump said while speaking at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday night. "My administration will reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy, and we will restore true democracy to America again.

"And any federal bureaucrat who resists this change will be removed from office immediately," he added. "Because we are draining the swamp. It's very simple. And the days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over."

The Trump administration offered buyouts for nearly two million federal employees, including those who work remotely, as part of Trump’s efforts to get employees back into the office. Originally they only had until Feb. 6 to opt in.

Under the buyout offer, employees will stop working early March and receive pay benefits through Sept. 30.

The White House confirmed to Fox News Digital that numbers had climbed to 75,000 as of Thursday morning. It previously said it expected 200,000 people to accept the offer.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Greg Wehner

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who encouraged his fellow Democrats to attend President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress on Tuesday, described the speech as "the most divisive" in American history after its conclusion.

Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the president "did not try to unite the country" nor did he address "serious economic challenges facing everyday Americans."

"Instead, President Trump promoted the reckless Republican budget that sets up the largest cut to Medicaid in our country’s history. Democrats will continue to fight hard to make life better for the people, and together we will get through this turbulent moment," the top House Democrat said in a statement.

Trump's speech, which lasted about an hour and 39 minutes, addressed a range of topics, from his administration's fight against the illegal immigrant crisis to more touching moments where the president honored special guests in the chamber.

In a post-speech interview, Jeffries accused Trump and his administration of "repeatedly" lying and making things about him and "never about the American people."

"It’s always about him and never about the American people. This is why the economy is crashing. Things haven’t gotten better. They’re getting worse," Jeffries said, adding that "the free world is falling apart because Donald Trump is playing footsie with Vladimir Putin."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Elizabeth Pritchett

Former NBA player and human rights activist Enes Kanter Freedom joined "Fox & Friends First" to discuss his reaction to President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress on Wednesday morning.

Trump vowed Tuesday night that his administration will, "stand up and we will fight, fight, fight for the country our citizens believe in, and for the country our people deserve."

Kanter, who attended the speech, said the "vibes" inside the U.S. Capitol were "incredible" both during and after the president's speech.

Multiple polls have also shown that large majorities of Americans had a favorable view of Trump's address.

Fox News contributor Joe Concha joined "Fox & Friends First" to discuss his reaction to Democrats and media pundits ridiculing President Donald Trump for honoring a child fighting cancer during his joint address to Congress.

"As usual, the people who are paid seven figures to provide sober, objective analysis are completely disconnected with the American public," Concha said Wednesday morning.

He went on to cite a CBS poll taken after Trump's address that showed 76% approved of Trump's speech.

"Most viewers tuning in said it made them feel 'hopeful,' 'proud,' 'presidential,' 'inspiring,' and 'unifying.' A big majority also called it 'entertaining,'" Concha added.

A CNN poll also found that 69% of viewers had a positive reaction to Trump's address, Concha said.

President Donald Trump continued pushing the idea of America acquiring Greenland on Tuesday night, devoting a small portion of his speech to the topic while delivering remarks before a joint session of Congress.

Trump declared that the U.S. would welcome the people of Greenland if they decided to join America.

"And I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland. We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America," Trump declared. 

He said that the U.S. needs the island "for national security and even international security."

Trump promised that such a union would bring both security and prosperity to Greenland.

"We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before," he said.

While Trump has previously advocated the idea, it was notable that he chose to wade into the issue during his address on Tuesday.

"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," Trump declared in a December Truth Social post.

In a January post, Trump declared, "Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!" 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Alex Nitzberg

Former Pinal County, Arizona Sheriff Mark Lamb reacted to President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress and Democrats refusing to stand and honor victims of migrant crime on Tuesday night.

Lamb spoked to Fox News' early Wednesday morning, saying the U.S. has the "best border in decades" after Trump's inauguration.

Lamb went on to blast Democrats for refusing to honor the victims of migrant crime during Trump's speech, saying their "hatred" of Trump was "oozing out of them" during the address.