WASHINGTON — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed Democrats Wednesday, some of whom protested President Donald Trump’s address before a joint session of Congress by shouting, holding up signs and walking out of the House chamber.
“The behavior of Democrats last night was completely disgraceful and demonstrated how severely out of touch they are with the American public,” Leavitt said.
Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, said the president’s remarks were the most offensive part of the night.
“The fact that, once again, he was willing to lie about things, the fact he said, after campaigning for two years that he was going to lower costs, that he's actually going to raise costs,” said McGarvey. “That's what was really offensive about that speech, where he just rambled on for nearly 100 minutes.”
President Trump defended his decision to slap new tariffs on imports from America’s top three trading partners: Mexico, Canada and China, and he promised reciprocal tariffs on imports from other countries, starting next month.
“We have been ripped off for decades by nearly every country on earth and we will not let that happen any longer,” Trump said.
Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Bowling Green, said in a statement:
“President Trump highlighted the many significant achievements his Administration has already accomplished while sharing an inspirational vision to restore the American Dream.”
In an interview with CTV News in Canada ahead of the president’s address, Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., said rising prices because of the tariffs should be called the “Trump tax.”
“He and he alone has started this trade war,” Beshear said.