Washington - President Donald Trump told
Congress on Tuesday he was open to immigration reform, shifting
from his harsh rhetoric on illegal immigration in a speech that
offered a more restrained tone than his election campaign and
first month in the White House.
Trump, in a prime-time address to a country that remains
divided over his leadership, emphasised his desire to focus on
problems at home by boosting the U.S. economy with tax reform, a
$1 trillion infrastructure effort and an overhaul of President
Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, known as Obamacare.
After a first month in office dominated by a fight over his
temporary travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority
nations, Trump looked for a reset to move past a chaotic period
that sowed doubts about his ability to govern effectively.
He called for national unity and showed a more measured
tone, avoiding a repeat of his attacks on Democratic opponents
and media organisations.
Democratic Senator Tom Carper said that "the person who
wrote this speech must not have written the inaugural address.
That one was "dark" and this one was more uplifting."
At his January 20 inauguration, Trump painted a bleak picture
of the country and described it as beset with "American
carnage".
US stock futures advanced at the start of Trump's address,
but gave back some gains later in the speech.
Trump focused part of the speech on foreign policy,
stressing his support for NATO but insisting allies pay more for
their defense.
In a possible nod to his bid to warm relations with Russia,
Trump said: "America is willing to find new friends, and to
forge new partnerships, where shared interests align."
"We want harmony and stability, not war and conflict," said
Trump, who said, however, he would embark on a big defence
buildup.
Trump said a broad immigration reform plan was possible if
both Republicans and Democrats in Congress were willing to
compromise. He said US immigration should be based on a
merit-based system, rather than relying on lower-skilled
immigrants.
Comprehensive immigration reform eluded his two predecessors
because of deep divisions within Congress and among Americans
over the issue. Trump said reform would raise wages and help
struggling families enter the middle class.
"I believe that real and positive immigration reform is
possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve
jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nation's
security, and to restore respect for our laws," said the
Republican president, who took a hard line against illegal
immigrants in his 2016 campaign.
Trump has used his early weeks in office to repeat vows to
build a wall along the US-Mexico border and intensify
deportations of illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.
At the same time, he has expressed sympathy for children who
entered the country when their parents crossed the border
without proper authority, the "dreamers" who so far are
protected by an ordered signed by Obama.
Trump voiced a need to persuade Americans to rally behind
his agenda after a bitterly fought election, but he made his
argument in terms of urging people to rally behind his effort
for a "new chapter of American greatness."
Trump said he wanted to provide "massive tax relief" to the
middle class and cut corporate tax rates. But he did not offer
specifics and failed to comment on the most pressing tax issue
facing Congress, a proposed border adjustment tax to boost
exports over imports.
Lawmakers have been looking to Trump for more leadership on
an issue that has divided corporate America and Republicans in
Congress.
Trump called on the Republican-led Congress to repeal and
replace Obamacare with reforms that expand choice, increase
access and lower costs.
Republicans remain divided on how to accomplish that goal
and Democrats are ardently opposed to tampering with a system
that provides health insurance for millions of low-income
Americans.
Trump's comments lacked detail, but it was the first time he
publicly supported tax credits, a nod to health insurers who say
they are necessary to keep people in the market.
Former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear said in the
Democratic response to Trump's speech that "you and your
Republican allies in Congress seem determined to rip affordable
health insurance away from millions of Americans who most need
it."
In the most emotional moment of the night, Trump singled out
Carryn Owens, the widow of US Navy SEAL William "Ryan" Owens,
who was killed in a raid on al Qaeda in Yemen.
Owens, tears streaming down her face, clasped her hands and
looked upward from her spot in the balcony as lawmakers and the
president applauded her in the longest ovation of Trump's
hour-long speech.
Trump said the mission that her husband participated in
obtained vital intelligence that could be used against Islamic
militants, taking issue with news reports quoting US officials
who said little was gained from the raid.