President Trump delivered the first congressional address of his second term on Tuesday evening.

It was a chance for the president to underscore the sweeping changes he has wrought in the six weeks since he returned to the White House – and to defend those moves from his many critics.

The days preceding the address were dominated by two issues – Ukraine and the economy.

The first topic is in a state of flux amid reverberations from last week’s fractious meeting between Trump, Vice President Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

On the economy, stock markets swooned Tuesday amid concerns about Trump’s newest tariffs, aimed at Mexico, Canada and China.

On Tuesday night, there was much other news too.

Here are the big takeaways.

A defense of big change, in a taunting tone

Trump set out his case from the speech’s opening moments, characterizing his first weeks back in office as being marked by “swift and unrelenting action.”

In the roughly 100 minutes that followed, he put flesh on that argument, referencing his restrictions on illegal immigration, his executive orders assailing “wokeness,” the work of billionaire ally Elon Musk and Trump’s own assault on what he calls Washington’s bureaucratic “swamp.”

Musk was present for the address – dressed, uncharacteristically, in a suit – while some Democrats held signs proclaiming “Musk steals.”

Trump claimed popular opinion is the wind at his back: “Americans have given us a mandate for bold and profound change,” he said.

But have they?

Trump defeated Vice President Harris by just 1.5 points in the popular vote last November, polls show Americans closely split on his performance thus far, and Musk, a central figure, seems to grow more........

© The Hill