Measured Trump gives first speech to Congress

President sets out blueprint for health care overhaul and immigration reform

Donald Trump has issued a broad call for overhauling America’s health care and boosting military spending, swapping his trademark pugnaciousness and personal insults for a more restrained tone as he addressed Congress for the first time.

Heralding a “new chapter of American greatness, the President said: “The time for small thinking is over.”

He still employed dark language to describe the threat posed by “radical Islamic terrorism” and warned against “reckless” and “uncontrolled entry” of refugees and immigrants from countries with ties to extremist groups.

Mr Trump’s overall message on immigration, one of his signature campaign issues, was unexpectedly mixed.

He said “real and positive immigration reform is possible” and had suggested to news anchors earlier that he was open to legislation that could provide a pathway to legal status for some of the millions of people living in the US illegally.

In his hour-long address, Mr Trump defended his early actions in office and ignored the missteps that have set even his allies in Washington on edge.

He was unusually measured and embraced the pomp and tradition of a presidential address to Congress, and outlined a populist agenda centred on promises to compel companies to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US.

The President was greeted by enthusiastic applause as he entered the House chamber.

Mr Trump offered a basic blueprint of his priorities, including suggesting he would get rid of the requirement that all Americans carry health insurance coverage, saying that “mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for America”.

Picture: AP. US President Donald Trump during his first address to Congress in the House of Representatives in Washington.