Don’t count Rep. Jennifer McClellan among those who enjoyed President Donald Trump’s speech Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress.

The Virginia Democrat said Trump “spent two hours spewing lies, and stoking bigotry and division.”

“Despite his claims tonight, this administration — and Elon Musk — haven’t saved the American people a dime,” McClellan said in an email Tuesday night to The Progress-Index. “Instead, they are engaged in a slash and burn attack on federal workers and the essential services they provide such as health care, food security, veterans benefits and more.”

Trump’s speech, delivered with his signature bravado and clocked in at officially one hour and 39 minutes, outlined the steps his administration has taken in the past six weeks and set the course for an even more aggressive approach at reducing government spending. It was part report card and part political rallying, with the president taking jabs at Democrats and his predecessor, Joe Biden, and promising to undo the “wokeness” of the past four years.

"I look at the Democrats in front of me, and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud, nothing I could do," he said.

Kaine promises ‘fierce opposition’

Reactions from McClellan and some of her fellow Virginia Democrats appeared to back up that statement.

“Trump made clear his priorities of making billionaires richer, squashing dissent, and bowing down to our foreign adversaries by turning our backs on an ally during a dire time for global stability,” McClellan said. The latter statement referred to last week’s acrimonious White House meeting Trump and Vice President JD Vance had with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, said in a statement that the Trump speech shows how his administration has “turned their backs” on Virginia and America’s middle class. Kaine, one of the more outspoken Trump critics on Capitol Hill, issued a challenge to the White House, vowing a bumpy road for future proposals.

“If the president, his administration and Republicans in Congress continue to go down the current path they are on, they should expect that they will be met with fierce opposition as more and more Americans will feel the impacts of Trump’s terrible policies,” said Kaine, who in 2016 was Hillary Clinton’s running mate against Trump in that year’s presidential election.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, said in his statement that Trump “bragged about his reckless plan to isolate America from its allies, turn our back on long-kept partnerships, raise taxes on hardworking families, and reverse historic advancements in U.S. innovation and competition.”

“Our country can – and should – do better,” Warner said.

A ‘bold, positive vision’

On the flip side, Virginia Republicans applauded Trump’s speech.

“President Trump just delivered a bold, positive vision to secure our border, revive our economy, and restore American strength,” Rep. Ben Cline, R-Virginia, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter . “Leadership is back, our enemies are on notice, and we’re making America great again.”

Cline’s fellow Virginia GOP lawmaker, Rep. Jen Kiggans of Virginia Beach, also praised the speech.

“If one thing is clear after tonight, it’s that Republicans are delivering on promises made to the American people and getting America back on track,” Kiggans said on X . “After four years of disappointment under the Biden-Harris administration, the president is working to restore common sense, reignite our economy, secure our border, and strengthen our military.”

Rep. John McGuire posted several images of and quotes from Trump’s speech to show his support.