First-term Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin accused US President Donald Trump of driving up costs while pushing for an “unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends” in Tuesday night’s Democratic response to his first joint congressional address of his second term.

Slotkin, just months into her first term in the US Senate after winning an open Michigan seat despite Trump carrying the state, said Trump “has not laid out a credible plan” to address rising everyday expenses for Americans. She said tariffs that went into effect early Tuesday would only worsen the issue.

“For those keeping score, the national debt is going up, not down,” Slotkin said. “And if he’s not careful, he could walk us right into a recession.”

Slotkin spoke from Wyandotte, Michigan, a working-class community south of Detroit, after Trump delivered the longest address to Congress by a president in US history.

“It’s late,” she began, “so I promise to be a lot shorter than what you just watched.”

In his speech, which lasted an hour and 40 minutes, Trump claimed credit for “swift and unrelenting action” in reshaping the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy within his first weeks in office. The Republican-controlled House and Senate have done little to check the president’s agenda.

In her rebuttal, which lasted a little more than 10 minutes, Slotkin told Americans that “change doesn’t need to be chaotic or make us less safe.” Her remarks came as Democrats struggle to settle on a unified message to combat Trump.........

© The Times of Israel