Freshman senator Elissa Slotkin was quick to troll President Donald Trump during her rebuttal speech on behalf of the Democratic Party Tuesday night, dedicating her introduction to poking fun at how long the president’s congressional address went.
“It’s late so I promise to be a lot shorter than what you just watched,” Slotkin began, referencing Trump’s speech which went on for almost two hours.
The Michigan senator proceeded to introduce herself by diving into her career, touting her credentials at the CIA and past positions at the White House including roles in former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama’s administrations. Slotkin also spotlighted her bipartisan upbringing, noting that her father was a “lifelong” Republican while her mother was a Democrat.
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“It was never a big deal,” Slotkin explained. “We had shared values that were bigger than any one party”—a sentiment she maintained throughout her speech as she beckoned for a newfound unity between the polar sides of the political spectrum.
Slotkin also called out Trump for a line he “stole” from Ronald Reagan: “Peace through strength.”
“But let me tell you, after the spectacle that just took place in the Oval Office last week, Reagan must be rolling in his grave,” Slotkin said, referencing Trump’s unhinged meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We all want an end to the war in Ukraine but Reagan understood that true strength required America to combine our military and economic might with moral clarity, and that scene on the Oval Office wasn’t just a bad episode of reality TV, it summed up Trump’s whole approach to the world,” Slotkin added.
The 48-year-old called for the public to “hold elected officials accountable” and to “go to town halls and demand they take action.”
The senator tackled a flurry of talking points made by Trump during his speech. She focused on the president’s propositions and claims regarding the economy and tariffs.
“The president talked a big game on the economy but it’s always important to read the fine print,” Slotkin said. “So do his plans actually help Americans get ahead? Not even close.
“President Trump is trying to deliver an unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends. He’s on the hunt to find trillions of dollars to pass along to the wealthiest in America. To do that he’s going to make you pay in every part of your life,” she continued, listing the rising costs of groceries and home prices.
On tariffs, Slotkin argued that their imposition on “allies like Canada” will “raise prices on energy, lumber and cars and start a trade war that will hurt manufacturing and farmers.”
The senator then tackled the subject matter of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, asking if there was “anyone in America who is comfortable with [Musk] and his gang of 20-year-olds using their own computer servers to poke through your tax returns, your health information, and your bank accounts?”
“No oversight. No protections against cyberattacks. No guard rails on what they do with your private data,” she continued. “We need a more efficient government. We want to cut waste. I will help you do it, but change doesn’t need to be chaotic or make us less safe.”
The senator concluded her rebuttal by voicing her hope for the country’s future that’s built on the protection of its democracy. While she cited “security” and “prosperity” as factors that always made America “better,” it was the nation’s system of democracy that she honed in on and urged was at risk.
“For generations, America has offered something better—our security and our prosperity, yes— but our democracy, our very system of government has been the aspiration of the world,” Slotkin declared. “Right now it’s a risk. It’s at risk when you can pick and choose what you want to follow. When [Trump] ignores court orders and the Constitution itself, or when elected leaders stand by [and] just let it happen.
“But it’s also at risk when the president pits Americans against each other,” she continued. “When he demonizes those who are different and tells certain people they shouldn’t be included. Because America is not just a patch of land between two oceans. We are more than that. Generations have fought and died to secure the fundamental rights that define us. Those rights and the fight for them make us who we are. We are a nation of strivers, risk-takers, innovators and we are never satisfied. That is America’s superpower.”
The senator concluded her speech by noting that “engaged citizens” and “principled leaders” are what keep the country afloat.
“Thank you tonight for caring about your country, just by watching you qualify as engaged citizens,” Slotkin said. “I promise that I and my fellow Democrats will do everything in our power and be the principal leader that you deserve.”
The president’s congressional speech Tuesday night addressed several seminal talking points of his second term so far including his imposition of tariffs, hopes of bringing back industrial production to the country, and opposition to DEI.
Slotkin started her congressional tenure in 2019 representing Michigan in the House of Representatives. She was elected to the Senate in 2024.
