President Donald Trump on Tuesday addressed Congress in his first primetime speech of his second term, saying “America is back” while touting his administration’s efforts, even as Democrats became so incensed that some walked out the door.
Trump sought to portray a nation in the midst of a dramatic comeback, saying illegal immigration is dropping as his administration fights back against a “woke” agenda from Democrats.
“The American dream is surging bigger and better than ever before,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, multiple members of Oregon’s congressional delegation were among those who walked out as the party pushed back against the president, his cabinet and Elon Musk, the billionaire leader of the Trump administration’s cost-cutting effort called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Like many states across the country, Oregon has seen packed town halls and large protests in the wake of Trump’s first month in office. The upheaval has come in response to a variety of Trump’s policies, from immigration to foreign policy to shrinking the federal workforce.
Here are some highlights from Trump’s joint address.
Trump touts tariffs
On Tuesday, Trump imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. The countries collectively import billions of dollars of goods to Oregon, including furniture from China and fertilizer from Canada Many economists have warned that the nation is nearing a trade war that could rock the state’s economy.
In his speech, Trump said the aggressive use of tariffs will enrich America and curb illegal border crossings. But on Tuesday, stocks tumbled on Wall Street and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the tariffs “very dumb” while promising a 25% retaliatory tariff.
Trump promised during his speech that he will push back, saying: “Whatever they tax us, we will tax them.”
During Trump’s address, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, said on the social media platform X: “Candidate Trump promised to lower prices, but President Trump’s reckless blanket tariffs will RAISE prices even higher for families in Oregon and across the country. This is Trumpflation at work!”
Oregon Democrats walk out
Some Democrats turned their backs on the president during his speech, held up signs criticizing the administration and eventually walked out of the chamber.
Among them were U.S. Reps. Andrea Salinas and Maxine Dexter, both from Oregon. Salinas tweeted Tuesday night that she decided to leave “rather than listen to more false promises from a wannabe dictator.”
Oregon House Democratic members Andrea Salinas and Maxine Dexter walk out as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson / AP
“Tonight, President Trump spewed more lies and continued to ignore the reality that his policies are hurting working families – not helping them,” said Salinas, who was just elected to her second term in November.
Oregon Democrats have voiced concerns about a variety of ways the administration’s policies are impacting the state.
So far, wildfire research has been paused, and funds for local transportation and housing projects are in limbo. Meanwhile, mass firings have hit regional employers such as the U.S. Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Bonneville Power Administration.
U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum, a Happy Valley Democrat, stayed in the Capitol chamber on Tuesday, said spokesman Koray Rosati.
He said Bynum “stayed to hold Trump accountable to people like her guest Liz Crandall,” a former Forest Service employee from Bend. Crandall was one of at least 16 Deschutes National Forest staffers fired in recent weeks amid cost cutting efforts by DOGE.
“I think the message is getting through that people are pretty irritated and frustrated by these terminations and these losses in their community,” Bynum said in a call with reporters earlier Tuesday.
Bynum added: “We in Oregon absolutely need every wildfire fighting resource that we can possibly get. This is not small peanuts for us. This is life or death.”
Lori Chavez-DeRemer appears in front row
Bynum’s longtime political opponent had a front row seat on Tuesday.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican who lost her congressional reelection bid to Bynum in November, was sitting in the front row during Trump’s address, beside other members of the president’s cabinet.
President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, nominated for labor secretary, was sitting in the front row (far left) during Trump’s address, beside other members of the president’s cabinet.
Mandel Ngan / AP
Trump nominated Chavez-DeRemer for the job of labor secretary in November. A Senate committee voted last week to advance her to a full Senate vote, but she has not yet been confirmed.
Chavez-DeRemer has portrayed herself as a political moderate, noting that she has support from both large business groups and unions. While her support of union-friendly policies drew pushback from some Republicans, three Democrats on the committee who weighed her nomination approved her.
On Tuesday, Chavez-DeRemer — who endorsed Trump in the November election — sat next to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist who ran for president and was recently confirmed to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Wyden skips address
Rather than attend Trump’s joint address to Congress, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden held a virtual town hall. More than 4,000 people attended the virtual meeting, which Wyden co-hosted with People’s Town Hall, a community organization. He answered several questions that were submitted from thousands of constituents across Oregon.
Wyden, the state’s senior senator, told the virtual audience Tuesday that he decided to host the town hall as an alternative to Trump’s address.
“It just seems to be that our version of alternative programming is going to give Oregonians the chance to lay out the true state of the union,” Wyden said at the town hall. “We’re a union that’s worried about the cost of groceries, gas and electric bills and Donald Trump and Elon Musk don’t seem to know much about those issues.”
Wyden answered questions from residents concerned about a number of issues including potentially losing Medicaid, which many in Oregon receive through the Oregon Health Plan, as Musk and DOGE continue to search for places to slash federal spending.
Wyden said he would continue to push back against Trump and DOGE on any potential cuts to Medicaid.
