Trump to Congress: Border Crossings “Lowest Ever Recorded”; 100 EOs; “Woke No Longer”; English Official

President Trump delivered the accomplishments segment of his March 5, 2025, joint address to Congress as a comprehensive catalogue of first-month victories. He announced that “illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded” after deploying the military to the border. He cited “nearly 100 executive orders and more than 400 executive actions — a record.” He declared “our country will be woke no longer” after ending DEI across government and the private sector, announced English as the official U.S. language, ended government censorship, and noted he had ended “weaponized government where a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent — like me. How did that work out?” He compared his first month favorably to George Washington’s.

”Lowest Ever Recorded”

Trump opened with the border statistics that had become the administration’s signature domestic achievement.

“Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency on our southern border,” Trump said. “And I deployed the U.S. military and Border Patrol to repel the invasion of our country. And what a job they’ve done.”

He delivered the headline number: “As a result, illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded. Ever.”

Trump then offered his explanation for why the numbers had dropped so dramatically: “They heard my words and they chose not to come. Much easier that way.”

The observation — that deterrence worked not through physical barriers alone but through the credible communication of consequences — captured a truth about immigration enforcement that the Biden administration had never internalized. When would-be border crossers believed they would be caught and deported, many chose not to attempt the crossing. When they believed they would be caught and released into the interior, they came by the hundreds of thousands.

Trump drew the contrast: “In comparison, under Joe Biden, the worst president in American history, there were hundreds of thousands of illegal crossings a month.”

The juxtaposition — “lowest ever recorded” versus “hundreds of thousands a month” — was the starkest statistical contrast of the entire address. The same border, the same terrain, the same migration pressures, but two radically different outcomes produced by two radically different policies.

”100 Executive Orders, 400 Actions”

Trump quantified his first-month activity with numbers that underscored the pace of governance.

“Over the past six weeks, I have signed nearly 100 executive orders and taken more than 400 executive actions — a record — to restore common sense, safety, optimism, and wealth all across our wonderful land,” Trump said.

He offered the simplest possible summary: “The people elected me to do the job, and I’m doing it.”

Trump then cited the historical assessment. “It has been stated by many that the first month of our presidency — it’s our presidency — is the most successful in the history of our nation. By many,” he said.

He delivered the comparison with characteristic humor: “And what makes it even more impressive is that, do you know who number two is? George Washington.”

The room reacted, and Trump added with self-deprecating awareness: “How about that? I don’t know about that list, but we’ll take it.”

The Washington comparison was delivered with enough humor to avoid appearing arrogant while still making the point: no president had accomplished as much in their first month as Trump had in his second term opening. Whether the historical comparison was valid, the volume of executive action was objectively unprecedented.

”How Did That Work Out?”

Trump addressed the weaponization of government with a line that combined vindication with humor.

“We’ve ended weaponized government, where as an example, a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent — like me,” Trump said.

He paused for the audience to absorb the personal dimension, then delivered the punchline: “How did that work out? Not too good.”

The “not too good” referred to the electoral result: the voters had responded to the prosecutions not by abandoning Trump but by giving him the largest Republican popular vote in history. The weaponization of government had produced the opposite of its intended effect — it had strengthened Trump rather than destroying him.

Trump then announced the affirmative counterpart to ending weaponization: “And I have stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America. It’s back."

"Woke No Longer”

Trump catalogued the cultural policy reversals that had been among the most popular elements of his agenda.

“We’ve ended the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion policies all across the entire federal government, and indeed the private sector, and our military,” Trump said.

He delivered the declaration: “And our country will be woke no longer.”

He articulated the merit-based alternative. “We believe that whether you are a doctor, an accountant, a lawyer, or an air traffic controller, you should be hired and promoted based on skill and competence, not race or gender,” Trump said. “You should be hired based on merit.”

He credited the Supreme Court: “And the Supreme Court, in a brave and very powerful decision, has allowed us to do so.”

The reference was to the Court’s 2023 Students for Fair Admissions decision, which struck down race-based affirmative action in college admissions. The Trump administration had extended the principle of that decision across the federal government and leveraged it to pressure the private sector into abandoning DEI programs.

English and Two Genders

Trump then announced two additional cultural policy actions.

“Two days ago, I signed an order making English the official language of the United States of America,” Trump said.

He continued: “We have removed the poison of critical race theory from our public schools.”

And the biological sex declaration: “I signed an order making it the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders — male and female.”

Each announcement drew sustained applause from the Republican side. The three policies — English as the official language, the removal of CRT from schools, and the two-gender policy — addressed the cultural concerns that had been central to the populist coalition’s grievances. For millions of Americans who had watched DEI, CRT, and gender ideology spread through institutions over the previous decade, Trump’s executive orders were not merely policy changes but a cultural liberation.

Key Takeaways

• Trump announced “illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded” after deploying the military, compared to “hundreds of thousands” per month under Biden.
• He cited “nearly 100 executive orders and more than 400 executive actions — a record” in six weeks, comparing his opening favorably to George Washington’s.
• Trump ended “weaponized government” and asked of his own prosecution: “How did that work out? Not too good.”
• He declared “our country will be woke no longer” after ending DEI, removing CRT from schools, making English the official language, and establishing “only two genders — male and female” as government policy.
• Trump said “the people elected me to do the job, and I’m doing it,” citing the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling as enabling merit-based hiring across government.