Donald Trump has used his first televised address to the nation from the Oval Office to claim a growing humanitarian and security crisis at the border between the United States and Mexico.
Trump also used the eight-minute speech to repeat his demand for $5.7 billion (£4.6 billion) to build a wall along the US-Mexico border, and blamed Democrats for the partial government shutdown that has left hundreds of thousands of government employees either furloughed, or working for no pay.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The New York Times notes that in several instances, Trump made false claims or made statements that were misleading and required more context, including the claim that Democrats are responsible for the government shutdown.
During a fractious meeting with senior Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer late last year, Trump said: “I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut [the government] down. I’m not going to blame you for it.”
Reaction to the speech was mixed along party lines. Republican supporters of Trump praised the speech, with Senator Lindsey Graham telling Fox News that this was the “most presidential” he had seen Trump so far.
Democrat reaction to the speech was more critical, with Pelosi and Schumer holding a joint press conference to call on Trump to end the government shutdown.
“The fact is: President Trump must stop holding the American people hostage, must stop manufacturing a crisis, and must reopen the government,” Pelosi said.
Schumer went on to accuse Trump of trying to “govern by temper tantrum”, the BBC reports.
-
Choline: the ‘under-appreciated’ nutrientThe Explainer Studies link choline levels to accelerated ageing, anxiety, memory function and more
-
Is a Putin-Modi love-in a worry for the rest of the world?Today’s Big Question The Indian leader is walking a ‘tightrope’ between Russia and the United States
-
Quiz of The Week: 29 November – 5 DecemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Is a Putin-Modi love-in a worry for the West?
Today’s Big Question The Indian leader is walking a ‘tightrope’ between Russia and the United States
-
Trump pardons Texas Democratic congressmanspeed read Rep. Henry Cuellar was charged with accepting foreign bribes tied to Azerbaijan and Mexico
-
‘It is their greed and the pollution from their products that hurt consumers’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump targets ‘garbage’ Somalis ahead of ICE raidsSpeed Read The Department of Homeland Security will launch an immigration operation targeting Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area
-
Hegseth blames ‘fog of war’ for potential war crimespeed read ‘I did not personally see survivors,’ Hegseth said at a Cabinet meeting
-
Is a Reform-Tory pact becoming more likely?Today’s Big Question Nigel Farage’s party is ahead in the polls but still falls well short of a Commons majority, while Conservatives are still losing MPs to Reform
-
‘It’s critical that Congress get involved’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Appeals court disqualifies US Attorney Alina HabbaSpeed Read The former personal attorney to President Donald Trump has been unlawfully serving as US attorney for New Jersey, the ruling says
