US President Donald Trump took a victory lap in an address to Congress, drawing catcalls and interruptions from some Democratic lawmakers who held up signs and walked out mid-speech in protest.
The partisan rancour was reflective of the tumult that has accompanied Trump's first six weeks in office upending US foreign policy, igniting a trade war with close allies and slashing the federal workforce.
Tuesday's primetime speech, his first to Congress since taking office on January 20 this year, capped a second day of market turmoil after he imposed sweeping new tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China.
"To my fellow citizens, America is back," Trump began to a standing ovation from fellow Republicans. "Our country is on the verge of a comeback the likes of which the world has never witnessed, and perhaps will never witness again."
Democrats held up signs with messages like "No King" and "This Is NOT Normal," and around 30 Democrats had walked out mid-speech less than an hour into Trump's remarks.
One Texas congressman, Al Green, was ordered removed after he refused to sit down.
"The chair now directs the sergeant at arms to restore order. Remove this gentleman from the chamber," Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said after warning Democrats to maintain decorum.
Green, shaking his walking cane at Trump, appeared to be shouting that Trump did not win a mandate in November's election after the president bragged about the Republicans' victories.
As he was led from the chamber, some Republicans sang, "Nah, nah, nah, nah, hey, hey, goodbye."
Trump, a political brawler by nature, appeared to revel in the disagreements.
"I look at the Democrats in front of me, and I realise there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud," he said after Green's ejection.
Trump spoke in the House of Representatives, where lawmakers huddled in fear for their lives a little over four years ago while a mob of Trump supporters ransacked the Capitol in an unsuccessful effort to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 victory over the then-incumbent Trump.
The president praised billionaire businessman Elon Musk, his so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which has downsized more than 100,000 federal workers, cut billions of dollars in foreign aid and shuttered entire agencies.
Trump credited Musk with identifying "hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud," - a claim that far exceeds even what the administration has claimed so far.
Trump said he would impose reciprocal tariffs on April 2 - a move that would likely roil financial markets even more.
"Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it's our turn to start using them against those other countries."
On this point, many Republicans remained seated, a signal of how Trump's tariffs have divided his party.
Trump's 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, two of the country's closest allies, and an additional 10% on Chinese imports deepened investor concerns about the economy. The Nasdaq Composite was down more than 9% from its record closing high on December 16, near the 10% decline commonly called a market correction.
Financial markets steadied while Trump spoke. The dollar and US stock futures recouped a little of their losses. The dollar was up about 0.2% on the euro EUR=EBS. S&P 500 futures ESc1 were up 0.4%.
Just one in three Americans approve of Trump's handling of the cost of living, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll, a potential danger sign amid worries his tariffs could increase inflation.
Military aid to Ukraine paused
World leaders were watching Trump's speech closely, a day after he paused all military aid to Ukraine. The suspension followed an Oval Office blow-up in which Trump angrily upbraided Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in front of TV cameras.
The pause in aid threatened Kyiv's efforts to defend against Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion three years ago, and further rattled European leaders worried that Trump is moving the US too far toward Moscow.
While Trump has appeared to fault Ukraine for starting the war, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found 70% of Americans - including two-thirds of Republicans - say Russia was more to blame.
Trump urged Congress to extend his 2017 tax cuts.
Congressional Republicans have advanced a sweeping $US4.5 trillion ($NZ7.9 trillion) plan that would extend the tax cuts, tighten border security and fund a huge increase in deportations.
The proposal calls for $US2 trillion in spending reductions over a decade, with possible cuts to education, healthcare and other social services.
Republicans in 2017 argued that the tax cuts would pay for themselves by stimulating economic growth. But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the changes increased the federal deficit by just under $US1.9 trillion over a decade, even when including positive economic effects.
The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that Trump's full tax agenda, including elimination of taxes on tips, overtime pay and Social Security benefits, could cost between $US5 trillion and $US11.2 trillion over a decade.
Democrats invited civil servants hit by DOGE firings or funding freezes to Tuesday's speech to underscore the damage they say DOGE is doing to Americans.
Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA agent, will deliver the Democratic Party's rebuttal.
First lady Melania Trump was joined at the address by selected guests, including the family of Corey Comperatore, a firefighter killed by the gunman who grazed Trump with a bullet during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July last year.
Others include Marc Fogel, a history teacher freed from detention in Russia in February.
