Trump signs his agenda bill, with a flyover and fireworks to mark the occasion
By Kevin Liptak, Betsy Klein and Kit Maher, CNN
(CNN) — It’s the celebration President Donald Trump has been waiting for.
After weeks of cajoling Republicans into backing his domestic mega-bill — despite lingering concerns about its Medicaid cuts, deficit expansion and political pitfalls — Trump signed the measure into law on the White House South Lawn on Friday afternoon.
He’s turned the traditional July 4 picnic into a celebration of the country’s independence and of his win in Congress, seizing upon the day’s fanfare to salute the most decisive legislative victory of his second term. The festivities included a bomber jet flyover – a nod to the military’s recent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities – and will feature a fireworks show on the National Mall later.
“We made promises, and it’s really promises made, promises kept, and we’ve kept them. There’s a triumph of democracy on the birthday of democracy, and I have to say that the people are happy,” Trump said on the balcony of the South Lawn alongside first lady Melania Trump.
It’s all how Trump envisioned it when he first set the July 4 deadline to get the bill approved weeks ago. Even some of his own allies thought the timeline was overly ambitious. But Trump’s iron grip on his own party, combined with what a White House official described as an “omnipresent” effort by the president to get Republicans on board, culminated in the bill’s passage in the House on Thursday with only two GOP defections in the chamber.
In many ways, the event marks the payoff for weeks of effort by the president and his team to get the bill across the finish line. Trump invited members of Congress to come to the event, which was also attended by military families who are the usual guests for the Independence Day picnic. He called the legislation “the biggest bill of its type in history” soon before he signed it.
In other ways, however, the moment is just the start of Trump’s efforts to sell his bill to an American public that, according to polls, remains skeptical of its contents.
“We are going to have something where people are going to realize the level of success and popularity of this bill,” he continued.
The bill extends tax cuts Trump first approved in 2017 during his first term, along with creating new ones, totaling in cost of $4.5 trillion. It also boosts funding for immigration enforcement and defense.
To pay for the new spending and declines in tax revenue, the measure cuts $1 trillion from Medicaid, along with cuts to food assistance. But it will still, according to an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, add $3.3 trillion to the federal deficit, which does not include the cost of servicing the debt.
Many Republicans had feared the bill’s cuts to social safety net programs, like Medicaid and food stamps, could open them to political attacks ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
According to the CBO, almost 12 million Americans could lose health coverage as a result of the bill’s changes to government programs. Other analyses put the number higher, taking into account new paperwork burdens on recipients to prove their eligibility.
Democrats have already begun pointing to the bill’s overwhelming tax rewards for wealthy Americans to accuse Trump of snatching away benefits from the poor to reward his rich backers.
Some of Trump’s allies have conceded they have some catching up to do in messaging what they view as the benefits of the bill, including eliminating taxes on tips and bolstering money for Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. At the signing event on Friday, Trump called Democratic criticism of the measure a “con job.”
“We just have to look forward, fellas, look forward and just say what it is, because it’s the most popular bill ever signed in the history of our country, whether you’re military or anybody else, this is the most single most popular bill ever signed,” the president said, despite polling that shows most voters disapprove of the legislation.
Recent history is littered with presidents who, after using congressional majorities to push through major legislation meant to burnish their legacy, later lamented not doing enough to sell the bill to the American public – after their party members paid the price at the ballot box.
For Trump, however, the bill he signed into law Friday is less about helping Republicans win and more about his own legacy. He has framed the package as codifying the promises he made to voters on the campaign trail, and used it to punctuate what he’s called the most successful start to any presidency in history.
Friday’s flyover of the B-2 bombers — used to drop bunker-busters on Iranian nuclear facilities last month — underscores the consequential stretch of days punctuated by passage of Trump’s bill.
Aside from the Iran strikes, Trump successfully convinced NATO allies to spend more on defense at a leaders’ summit last week; secured a major victory at the Supreme Court that expands his executive powers; and generated new momentum toward a ceasefire in Gaza that could materialize in a matter of days.
A day ahead of his July 4 celebration, Trump basked in the string of victories.
“This had to be the best two weeks,” he said. “Has anybody ever had a better two weeks?”
Trump gave several personal shoutouts to his cabinet and members of Congress in attendance — and those not in attendance — for the signing, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Trump also thanked Vice President JD Vance, who was not at the signing as his family visited South Dakota, but CNN reported was deeply involved in getting senators and House Republicans on board with the legislation.
At the end of Friday signing event, Johnson presented Trump with the gavel that was used to close out the House vote for the bill.
“I want you to have that,” the speaker said.
“Are we ready?” Trump asked, then slammed the gavel.
This story has been updated with additional details from the signing event.
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