Trump bullish but America divided

President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday that “America is back” at the start of his first speech to a joint session of Congress in his second term. He proclaimed: “America’s momentum is back. Our spirit is back. Our pride is back. Our confidence is back,” before adding that the American dream is “unstoppable.”

But a look at the headlines of the last few days shows a different America and a different world than the one the president boasted about.

The country is split down the middle about his policies and that was visually obvious during the speech to Congress. The Department of Government Efficiency and its leader Elon Musk are under attack by Democrats and government employees who have lost their jobs. The opposition, Congress and the courts are battling the president in what some have dubbed a constitutional crisis over the president’s authority.

The relationship between the US and its neighbors is tense due to the president’s tariffs against Canada and Mexico, while China is threatening a trade war. There are fears over the long-term damage being to America’s relations with its neighbors and to global trade.

The relationship with America’s allies in Europe, America’s closest allies and NATO partners, is rife with tension over the war in Ukraine, how best to end it and how to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In his speech, the president presented a different picture on all these issues and events on the ground show that his strategy is winning so far.

The president invited Musk to his congressional speech and praised him for the accomplishments of the Department of Government Efficiency, which has been tasked with overhauling the federal government. Musk and his team have been making drastic cuts to federal agencies, leading to job cuts, the elimination of agencies like the US Agency for International Development and funding freezes, fueling protests and an outcry by Democrats. Several of the federal employees who have lost their jobs were in the gallery as guests of the Democrats. The president said Musk is “working very hard. He didn’t need this” and was not apologetic about the work of the department.

While the president boasted about his success in securing the border, his tariff battle with America’s neighbors is capturing the headlines. The tariffs have caused a crisis in America’s relationship with Canada and Mexico and are threatening to upend global trade, while affecting the livelihoods of everyday Americans. Experts are warning that the tariffs could lead to greater inflation and affect the president’s domestic and economic agendas, while causing recessions in Canada and Mexico.

But Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced that the crisis with the two neighbors may be resolved this week and Trump will “probably” announce a deal that will reduce the tariffs, following lengthy phone calls between their representatives and the commerce secretary.

The dispute between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his European allies also seems on its way to being resolved. The president softened his tone after he received an “important letter” and expression of regret by Zelensky over the Oval Office argument with the American president and Vice President J.D. Vance. The letter expressed Ukraine’s willingness to come “to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer,” President Trump said as he read from it. Trump also quoted the Ukrainian president assuring him that he was ready to sign the “agreement on minerals and security.”

The US president did not back down from his intention to “reclaim” the Panama Canal or shy away from a new expansionist foreign policy. As proof that Trump’s strategy seems to be working, it emerged that a consortium of companies including American investment firm BlackRock was set to buy shares from the Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings that would give it control of the ports at either end of the canal. This would give Trump, who raised the alarm about potential Chinese interference with shipping operations in the strategic canal, a victory.

Greenland is also still in the sights of the American president. After telling Greenland, “we strongly support your right to determine your own future,” he said: “One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” citing its vitality to American and international security. But the response from Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede was categoric. “We are not for sale and cannot be taken. Our future will be decided by us in Greenland,” he wrote after the speech.

The Democrats seemed more like students protesting in the streets than a political party that has a strategy.

Dr. Amal Mudallali

Trump did not say much about the Middle East, except to speak of the Abraham Accords that were agreed in his first term, which he described as “one of the most groundbreaking peace agreements in generations.” He said a “lot of things are happening in the Middle East … a rough neighborhood, actually.”

But his administration seems to have already rejected the plan for rebuilding Gaza that was approved by the Arab summit in Cairo this week. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes told The Times of Israel that Trump “stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas.” He added that the Arab plan “does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance.” But he kept the door open for more talks “to bring peace and prosperity to the region.”

Does Trump’s agenda have the backing of the American people, whether domestically or on foreign policy? He spoke to a divided country. The Congress chamber looked like a split screen, with Republicans standing up and cheering and Democrats sitting down and protesting with signs like “it’s a lie,” “resist” and “Musk steals.” But the Democrats seemed more like students protesting in the streets than a political party that has a strategy or a roadmap on how to oppose Trump’s agenda.

The president said more Americans now believe that the country is going in the right direction. At least one poll supported this statement, with 47 percent of Americans believing this, up 10 points from December, as Newsweek reported. The Democrats are not seen as a credible opposition with a strategy, while the president is on a winning streak and he is “just getting started,” as he said in his speech.

• Dr. Amal Mudallali is an international affairs adviser for Think and a former Lebanese ambassador to the UN.