Trump tells Congress he's 'just getting started' - as he reveals letter from Zelenskyy and vows to 'get Greenland'

5 March 2025, 05:45 | Updated: 5 March 2025, 08:36

President Trump has told lawmakers he is "just getting started" after a whirlwind six weeks in office.

In his speech, the President vowed to keep up his campaign of "swift and unrelenting action" in reorienting the nation's economy, immigration and foreign policy.

His comments came in an unyielding address to Congress that left Democratic legislators registering their dissent with stone faces and placards calling out his "lies".

One Democrat was thrown out of the chamber - while Republicans chanted "USA" to drown out heckling.

Trump also said Volodymyr Zelensky had told him he's ready for talks to agree peace in Ukraine, adding it's time to "stop this madness".

"It's time to halt the killing. It's time to end this senseless war. If you want to end wars you have to talk to both sides."

Relations between the US and Ukraine appeared to be in tatters last week after a confrontation between Trump and Zelensky at the White House.

The president's address, clocking in at a record 99 minutes, added up to a defiant sales pitch for the policies Mr Trump promised during his campaign and leaned into during his first weeks back in office.

He pledged to keep delivering sweeping change to rescue the nation from what he described as destruction and mistakes left by his predecessor Joe Biden.

He seldom addressed his comments directly to the American people, who are trying to keep up with the recent upheaval, while repeatedly needling the Democratic lawmakers seated before him.

Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, who delivered the Democratic response, said: "America wants change, but there's a responsible way to make change and a reckless way, and we can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country and as a democracy."

Emboldened after overcoming impeachments in his first term, outlasting criminal prosecutions in between his two administrations and getting a tight grip on the Republican-led Congress, Mr Trump has embarked on a mission to dismantle parts of the federal government, remake the relationship with America's allies and slap on tariffs that have sparked a North American trade war.

"It has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action," he said of his opening weeks in office. "The people elected me to do the job, and I am doing it."

Mr Trump, who has billionaire adviser Elon Musk orchestrating his efforts to slash the size and scope of the federal government, said he is working to "reclaim democracy from this unaccountable bureaucracy" and threatened federal workers anew with firings if they resist his agenda.

Mr Musk, who was seated in the House gallery, received a pair of standing ovations from Republicans in the chamber, as the president exaggerated and shared false claims about alleged government abuse uncovered by the Tesla and SpaceX founder and his team of disrupters.

Mr Trump repeated false claims that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments, prompting some Democrats to shout, "Not true!" and "Those are lies!"

He seemed prepared to double down on his trade policies, which experts have warned will raise prices for consumers.

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Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the UK was taking a role as an 'honest broker'.

She told Nick: "I think the position the PM has taken is to be an honest broker between the US and Ukraine. We have taken the decision we are not going to commentate on every speech, remark, or we cannot fulfil the role we play."

Defence Secretary John Healey will travel to Washington this week amid efforts to bridge the transatlantic gap on Ukraine's peace plan.

Mr Healey is due to hold a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth on Thursday, where the war is expected to be at the top of the agenda.

He hailed the special relationship between the UK and the US as "strong as ever" and said that he will "advance" the work to end the conflict during his trip.

The US and European allies have diverged on their approach to the conflict in recent weeks, following a series of interventions from President Donald Trump, including calling Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator.

Sir Keir Starmer said on Sunday that the UK and France would lead efforts working with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting that would then be discussed with the United States.