President Donald Trump speaks during the Military Family Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 4, 2025. Credit – BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP—Getty Images
At the White House on the Fourth of July, President Donald Trump held a “Big Beautiful Bill” signing, complete with B-2 bombers.
The most sweeping policy achievement of his second term so far includes tax cuts, eliminates taxes on tip and overtime, slashes Medicaid funding, food benefits, and clean energy incentives, and is expected to add $3 trillion to the national debt.
Trump hailed it as “the greatest victory yet” in his remarks before the signing on Friday. “It’s the most popular bill ever signed in the history of our country,” he stated.
Earlier in the day, Americans nationwide took to the streets to protest the signing at “Free America” demonstrations. About 300 events are listed on the Women’s March website. Participants are speaking out against what they see as an authoritarian president who works for the wealthiest citizens.
The House passed the bill Thursday by a narrow margin, 218-214. All Democrats voted against it, and every Republican voted for it, except Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie and Pennsylvania Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries tried to delay the vote by talking for eight hours and 45-minutes, breaking the House record for longest floor speech. The bill passed the Senate earlier in the week after Vice President JD Vance cast a tie-breaking vote.
Even though public opinion of the “Big Beautiful Bill” is looking ugly so far, some experts say Trump comes out seeming stronger than ever. In an article published after the House vote, TIME summed up the significance of the bill’s passage as “a moment when President Donald Trump’s hold on the Republican Party was tested — and he won.” Longtime Republican pollster Whit Ayres told TIME that Trump’s control over the GOP “is as close to total as any President has ever had over his own political party.”
Whether the American public comes to see the “Big Beautiful Bill” as “beautiful” remains to be seen. A June 26 Quinnipiac poll found 29% of voters support the bill, 55% opposed it, and 16% did not have an opinion. What’s clear is that Democrats will hold the bill against Trump during the 2026 midterm election campaign season.
Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com.
