Slotkin, who has only been in her first term in the U.S. Senate for a few months after winning an open seat in Michigan despite Trump winning the state, stated that Trump "has not presented a credible plan" to address the increasing everyday expenses of Americans. She said that the tariffs that took effect on Tuesday would only worsen the economy.
Slotkin spoke from Wyandotte, Michigan, a working-class community south of Detroit, after Trump delivered the longest speech to a Congress by a president in U.S. history. In her opening remarks, Slotkin acknowledged that "America wants change. But there is a responsible way to make change and a reckless way."
"We can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country and as a democracy," Slotkin said.
In a speech that lasted an hour and 40 minutes, Trump took credit for "swift and relentless action" in reforming the national economy, immigration, and foreign policy in his early weeks in office. The Republican-controlled House and Senate have done little to curb the president's agenda.
In her response, which lasted just over ten minutes, Slotkin told Americans that "change does not have to be chaotic or make us less secure" and warned about the dangers of Trump's economic strategy.
"For those keeping score, the national debt is increasing, not decreasing," Slotkin said. "And if not careful, it could lead us straight into a recession."
Slotkin, a former CIA analyst with extensive national security experience, said that last week's meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should have made former President Ronald Reagan "roll over in his grave."
Her comments came as Democrats struggle to find a unified message to confront Trump. This was evident on Tuesday night in the House chamber, where some Democratic members held up signs with various messages. Some Democrats chose not to attend the speech at all, while others sat in silence. Some shouted criticisms at Trump, and a congressman, Texas Representative Al Green, was escorted out of the chamber after repeatedly interrupting.
Slotkin focused on economic issues, after Trump announced on Monday that the 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada would begin on Tuesday, reigniting fears of a trade war in North America, which already points to increased inflation and stagnant growth.
"President Trump is trying to deliver an unprecedented gift to his billionaire friends," she said. "He is seeking trillions of dollars to pass on to the wealthiest in America. And to do that, he will make you pay in every part of your life."
"Food and housing prices are rising, not falling, and he has not presented a credible plan to address either," she added.
She also warned that the democracy that "has been the world's aspiration" is in danger.
"It is at risk when the president decides which rules he wants to follow, when he ignores court orders and the Constitution itself, or when elected leaders stand idly by and simply let it happen," Slotkin said.
Her team said that her guest for Trump's speech was Navy veteran Andrew Lennox, who recently spoke out after losing his job at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Ann Arbor due to cuts implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, led by billionaire Elon Musk.
Senator Slotkin, 48, is considered a prominent figure in the party's next generation. She first ran for office in 2018, defeating a Republican who had been in office for two terms. After district redistribution, she consistently won one of the most competitive seats in the country, earning a reputation as one of the party's top fundraisers.
In 2023, she announced her candidacy for the open Senate seat in Michigan after Senator Debbie Stabenow announced she would not seek a fifth term.