US President Donald Trump has revealed he will meet Kim Jong Un in Vietnam for their second nuclear summit as he delivered his State of the Union speech.
He said he will hold talks with the North Korean leader on February 27th and 28th after claiming he helped avert a "major war" between the two countries and saved millions of lives.
Addressing Democrats and Republicans in Congress, Mr Trump insisted a wall will be built on the US-Mexico border to tackle the "urgent national crisis" of illegal immigration.
He also claimed America's "economic miracle" could be hampered by "ridiculous partisan investigations" - a reference to the Mueller investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.
Announcing his summit with Mr Kim, Mr Trump said: "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed.
"Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one. And Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam."
The two men held their first summit in Singapore last June but there has been little concrete progress in persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons programme.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (centre) listens as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington | Image: J Scott Applewhite/AP/Press Association Images
Urging Democrats to approve funding for a border wall, Mr Trump claimed "large, organised caravans" were marching to the US and he had sent 3,750 troops to "prepare for the tremendous onslaught".
"Simply put, walls work and walls save lives," he said.
"So let's work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe."
Mr Trump also addressed several foreign policy issues, saying his administration was holding "constructive talks" with Afghan groups including the Taliban.
Progress in the negotiations could result in the US reducing troops in Afghanistan, he added.
In a wide-ranging speech, Mr Trump also said he would seek to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years, aim to pass laws to ban late-term abortions and ask Congress for US$500m funding for research into childhood cancer over the next 10 years.
Reaction to his speech was swift, and scathing from some:
Politicians ?? should ?? not ?? tell ?? women ?? what ?? to ?? do ?? with ?? their ?? bodies. #SOTU
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 6, 2019
Why should I be "spirited and warm" for this embarrassment of a #SOTU?
Tonight was an unsettling night for our country. The president failed to offer any plan, any vision at all, for our future.
We're flying without a pilot. And I'm not here to comfort anyone about that fact. https://t.co/7bu3QXFMnC
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 6, 2019
Tonight, Trump repeated some of the most extreme anti-women attacks coming from the far right. At a time when we see an unprecedented and coordinated attack against a woman's right to choose, we must fight to make sure that every woman has the right to control her own body. #SOTU
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 6, 2019
@realDonaldTrump is the most divisive President I've ever experienced. His rhetoric rang hollow tonight. Watch my reaction to the #SOTU. pic.twitter.com/2wMqdSf3bn
— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) February 6, 2019
Watched by First Lady Melania Trump and his daughter Ivanka, Mr Trump's speech was interrupted several times by chants of "USA" from his supporters.
Several female Democratic politicians in the US Capitol building for the speech wore white, the colour favoured by early 20th Century suffragettes.
And in a rare outbreak of bipartisanship, Mr Trump received a standing ovation from Democratic politicians when he said there were more women in the workforce and in Congress than ever before.
"You weren't supposed to do that!" Mr Trump said.
"End his assault on health care"
In response, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "It will take days to fact-check all the misrepresentations that the president made tonight.
"Instead of fear-mongering and manufacturing a crisis at the border, President Trump should commit to signing the bipartisan conference committee's bill to keep government open and provide strong, smart border security solutions.
"Sadly, while talking about perceived threats to the safety of the American people, he completely ignored the gun violence epidemic that is claiming lives across the country.
"The president's call for ending HIV transmission in America is interesting, but if he is serious about ending the HIV/AIDS crisis, he must end his assault on health care and the dignity of the LGBTQ community.
"With the complicity of the GOP Congress over the last two years, President Trump failed the middle class by trying to take away Americans' health care and enriching the wealthiest 1%.
"The state of the American middle class has been weakened by President Trump's special interest first agenda."
It will take days to fact-check all the misrepresentations that @realDonaldTrump made during tonight's #StateOfTheUnion address. #SOTU https://t.co/m7UbKmzzRG pic.twitter.com/oKGdJUsVk3
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 6, 2019
The State of the Union address had been delayed following the longest US government shutdown in history.
President Trump concludes #SOTU address with a final appeal to overcome divisions. https://t.co/oFTNoBqiFl
— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) February 6, 2019
Additional reporting: Jack Quann
