Watch Replay: President Trump Addresses Congress, Restates Campaign Promises, Says 'America Is Proud. America Is Free'

WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump promised a "massive tax relief for the middle class" as well a "level playing field for American companies" in the first major speech of his presidency Tuesday night.

The speech, which was delivered to lawmakers in the U.S. Capitol in the House Chamber, was big on ideas such as unity, ending violence and protecting the nation. He offered little detail on how to make those ideas happen.

The president was greeted by a mostly standing ovation. Almost all members of Congress, five of the eight Supreme Court Justices and almost all of his Cabinet attended. Trump was not met by an entirely friendly audience, though. Many female Democratic members of Congress were dressed in what they are referring to as "Suffragette white" — a nod to the early days of the women's movement.

Once he got to the podium and was introduced by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, he received another standing ovation. Democrats stood but did not applaud.

Sitting in the House Gallery was First Lady Melania Trump along with three relatives of people who had been killed by undocumented immigrants, the widow of Navy Seal Ryan Owens and other special guests whom the president acknowledged in his speech.

Those people are referred to as "Skutniks" after Larry Skutnik, a federal employee acknowledged by Ronald Reagan in his 1982 speech after Skutnik had dived into the Potomac to save a woman after an Air Florida plane crashed.

Democrats had their share of "Skutniks" at the speech as well. Many members brought guests who are in danger of losing health insurance. U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, Democrat of New York, brought Hameed Darweesh, the Iraqi man who translated for American troops and was stopped by immigration officials at Kennedy Airport in January.

The president opened by noting the last day of Black History Month and said, "It's a reminder of how much" work still needs to be done.

"Recent threats targeting Jewish Community Centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week's shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms," he said.

Trump said, "Each American generation passes the torch of truth, liberty and justice. A new chapter of American greatness is now beginning. What we are witnessing is a renewal of the American spirit.

"America is strong. America is proud. America is free."

Trump noted that the country is nine years away from the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

"But what will America look like as we reach our 250th year?" he asked. "What kind of country will we leave for our children? I will not allow the mistakes of recent decades past to define the course of our future."

The speech then turned from what started with a hearkening to unity into a more partisan speech that, at times, seemed like a recitation of points he has been making since the campaign.

"For too long, we've watched our middle class shrink as we've exported our jobs and wealth to foreign countries," he said. "We've financed and built one global project after another, but ignored the fates of our children in the inner cities of Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit — and so many other places throughout our land.

"We've defended the borders of other nations, while leaving our own borders wide open, for anyone to cross — and for drugs to pour in at a now unprecedented rate. And we've spent trillions of dollars overseas, while our infrastructure at home has so badly crumbled."

He once again promised to build "a great, great wall along our Southern border."

The president, pointedly, once again used the phrase "radical Islamic terrorism" — a seeming rebuke of his new National Security Advisor, H.R. McMaster, who has said the term is not appropriate since most terrorist groups are not Islamic.

Calling the country's current system of immigration "outdated," Trump said the United States needs to adapt the "merit-based," system such as ones used in countries like Canada and Australia. In those countries, he said, "those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially.

"Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, will have many benefits: It will save countless dollars, raise workers' wages and help struggling families — including immigrant families — enter the middle class."

Trump then spoke of the need to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, implying that money spent overseas would have helped here.

"America has spent approximately 6 trillion dollars in the Middle East, all this while our infrastructure at home is crumbling," he said. "With this 6 trillion dollars we could have rebuilt our country — twice. And maybe even three times if we had people who had the ability to negotiate.

"To launch our national rebuilding, I will be asking the Congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in the infrastructure of the United States — financed through both public and private capital — creating millions of new jobs."

Calling Obamacare "a disaster," Trump then asked members of Congress who had passed it to help fix it.

"We should ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to coverage, and that we have a stable transition for Americans currently enrolled in the health care exchanges," he said. "We should help Americans purchase their own coverage, through the use of tax credits and expanded Health Savings Accounts — but it must be the plan they want, not the plan forced on them by the government."

Trump also said that governors should be given "the resources and flexibility they need with Medicaid," and the people should have the freedom to buy health insurance across state lines."

The president then took a line (literally) from President George W. Bush, saying that "education is the civil rights" issue of our time.

"I am calling upon members of both parties to pass an education bill that funds school choice for disadvantaged youth, including millions of African-American and Latino children," he said. "These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them."

Trump's first criticism of the media came around 45 minutes in when he said that his administration would provide a voice to the families of victims of immigrant crime — people whose stories "had been ignored by the media."

The most sustained ovation came when Trump introduced Carryn Owens, whose husband Ryan, was the Seal Team member killed during a raid in Yemen. Trump said the applause "broke a record" and Ryan was smiling down from heaven.

Trump reaffirmed the United States commitment to NATO, but with a now familiar "but."

"But our partners must meet their financial obligations," he said. "And now, based on our very strong and frank discussions, they are beginning to do just that."

He then seemed to improvise, adding, "the money is pouring in."

The reference to NATO — along with the ones to ISIS — were pretty much the only references to foreign policy in the speech, which is not surprising given that he pointed out:

"My job is not to represent the world. My job is to represent the United States of America."

The president, in a speech in which he almost entirely stayed on prompter, also stayed very close to the truth, rarely moving beyond an assertion that perhaps needed some context, such as when he referenced signing a directive that pipelines in the United States be built with American steel without mentioning that he doesn't have the authority to do that.

He also stated that "94 million Americans are out of the labor force." While that is true, that large number includes retirees, students, people with disabilities and stay-at-home moms and dads. The number of people considered "unemployed" by the government is around 7.5 million.

Meanwhile, Trump ended his speech where he started — with an appeal for unity.

"The time for small thinking is over," he said. "The time for trivial fights is behind us. We just need the courage to share the dreams that fill our hearts."

After the speech, former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear gave the Democratic response from a diner in Kentucky where he appeared surrounded entirely by other white people.

"This isn't a game," he said of Republican plans to repeal Obamacare. "It's life and death to people."

Other Democrats used the opportunity as a fundraising moment, sending out email solicitations for donations almost as soon as the president finished his speech.

"Tonight, President Trump tried to send a message to us," Chuck Schumer, Democratic Senator from New York and the Senate Minority Leader, emailed supporters. "And before midnight, we have a chance to send a message back to him."

"There’s nothing about Donald Trump’s vision for America that will make America great," Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote her supporters.

Watch a replay of the proceedings below:

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Photo credit: Aude Guerrucci-Pool/Getty Images News/Getty Images