On March 4, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress in his second term, setting a record for the longest speech ever given by a president in Congress. 
 
1/ While the speech largely focused on domestic issues, several international affairs elements were mentioned, signaling key trends in Trump’s approach to foreign policy:
  • Multilaterally, Trump reaffirmed his decision to withdraw the US from global frameworks such as the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organization, and the UN Human Rights Council.
  • Regarding foreign aid, Trump froze U.S. assistance programs related to gender equality, education, and environmental protection, labeling them as “scams” and insisted that these funds should be redirected toward domestic priorities.
  • Regarding security hotspots, Trump emphasized his push to end the Ukraine conflict, claiming that President Volodymyr Zelensky had sent him a letter expressing willingness to negotiate, while accusing Europe of profiting from U.S. aid and still relying on Russian gas. In the Middle East, he pledged to restore stability and peace on the basis of the Abraham Accords -  a centerpiece of his first-term foreign policy. 
  • On foreign trade, Trump deliberately criticized “unfair” practices by Canada, Mexico, and China, announcing that retaliatory tariffs on foreign goods would take effect on April 2 and requested U.S. tech giants like Apple to relocate their production from China to American soil. 
  • Regarding territorial aims, Trump vowed to “get” Greenland for the U.S. by “one way or the other” and pledged to “take back” the Panama Canal from China.
2/ Trump’s speech partly revealed some concurring themes in his second-term agenda. 
 
First, his approach reflected an isolationist stance in parallel with expansionist overtones. While reiterating his retreat from international commitments, his rhetoric hinted at a renewed push for American dominance in some selected areas. 
Second, his address was marked by radical individualism, featuring self-congratulatory remarks and personal attacks on Biden and former administration officials, with little acknowledgment of policy continuity. 
 
Finally, the speech leaned heavily on far-right populism, laced with attacks on social welfare policies and progressive cultural movements, using inflammatory language that could stoke nationalist sentiments. Whether this approach will genuinely advance U.S. strategic interests (in line with the “America First” slogan) or not - remains a point of contention.
 
3/ Public reaction to the address was polarized.
  • Analysts were quick to point out that many of Trump’s claims were exaggerated, misleading, or lacked evidence
  • Congressional Democrats turned the event into a protest, with some lawmakers walking out or wearing protest-themed attire. Notably, Representative Al Green of Texas was censured after repeatedly disrupting the speech. 
  • A CNN-SSRS poll found that 44% of respondents viewed the address positively, a notable drop from the 57% approval rating for Trump’s first congressional speech in 2017. As Trump 2.0 takes shape, his uncompromising stance continues to widen the partisan divide - both at home and abroad.
An original version of this article was published here