Elissa Slotkin slams Trump on economy, foreign policy in Democrat response to presidential address

Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin delivered the Democrat response to President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, where she criticized the president on his approach to the economy and foreign policy.

Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and former congresswoman, was announced as the designated speaker last week, in part because of her ability to win a Senate seat in a battleground state that Trump won in 2024. The senator defeated former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers in November.

The senator preached bipartisanship in the speech, but also highlighted the current state of the U.S. economy, national security, and looked to a hopeful and bipartisan future for the country. 

"We just went through another fraught election season," Slotkin said. "Americans made clear that prices are too high and that the government needs to be more responsive to their needs. But there's a responsible way to make change and a reckless way, and we can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country."

The senator opened her policy section by slamming the president over the economy, claiming that his policies do not actually help Americans, and instead benefit the billionaires in his circle.

"President Trump is trying to deliver an unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends," she said. "He's on the hunt to find trillions of dollars to pass along to the wealthiest in America, and to do that, he's going to make you pay in every part of your life. Grocery and home prices are going up not down and he hasn't laid out a credible plan to deal with either of those."

On the matter of national security, Slotkin urged the president to fix the "broken immigration system" rather than just securing the border, but also slammed Trump over his response to Ukraine, stating that the late-President Ronald Reagan would be "rolling over in his grave."

"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," she said. "That scene in the Oval Office wasn't just a bad episode of reality TV. It summed up Trump's whole approach to the world."

The senator concluded with an urge for Americans to be more involved in politics, including by holding politicians accountable for their votes. She also encouraged voters to go to town halls, and protest about topics they are passionate about.

"I'm a student of history, and we've gone through periods of political instability before, and ultimately, we've chosen to keep changing this country for the better," Slotkin said. "But every single time, we've only gotten through those moments because of two things, engaged citizens and principled leaders. 

"Engaged citizens who do a little bit more than they're used to doing, to fight for the things that they care about, and principled leaders who are ready to receive the ball and do something about it," she continued. "So thank you tonight for caring about your country. Just by watching you qualify as engaged citizens. I promise that I, and my fellow Democrats, will do everything in our power to be the principal leaders that you deserve."

Slotkin is perceived as a more moderate Democrat who champions bipartisanship in Congress, and was raised in a bipartisan household where her father was a Republican and her mother was a Democrat.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.