DeKALB — In his first speech to a joint Congress, President Donald Trump addressed the progress he has made since taking office and what his goals are for the United States Tuesday.

Trump talked about a variety of issues including the economy, immigration and foreign policy.

Political science professor Matthew Streb said he is unsure how effective Trump’s speech will be on students or whether he will be able to keep his promises.

“I think what we saw last night was a change of style, not a change of substance,” Streb said. “It was more uplifting than some of the speeches he has given, but the policies he is putting forth are pretty much the same. There is a significant portion of the electorate who is not going to embrace it, like with [any president].”

In the speech, Trump noted the upward momentum of the economy since he was elected president.

“Since my election, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, Sprint, Softbank, Lockheed, Intel, Walmart and many others have announced that they will invest billions of dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs,” Trump said in his speech.

Although Trump has given himself credit for creating jobs, many CEOs said these plans were in place before Trump’s election, according to a Feb. 28 NBC article.

Trump also spoke about his plans to defeat ISIS, create a stronger vetting system for international travel and immigration, strengthen law enforcement and deport undocumented immigrants. He also talked in greater detail about his plans to repeal and replace the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

“Tonight, I am also calling on this Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare with reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs and, at the same time, provide better healthcare,” Trump said. “Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for America.”

When talking about a replacement, Trump promised that people with pre-existing conditions or an Obamacare plan would not lose their healthcare. He said his new plan would be more affordable by using tax credits, health savings accounts and purchasing insurance across state lines.

He also promised to reduce prescription drug prices and let state governors have more say over Medicare and Medicaid financing.

“On the repeal of Obamacare, there’s a lot of people who want [it], but they have not been able to [provide] a viable alternative yet,” Streb said. “What comes out of Congress is often times different than what goes into the president. This will be a challenge.”

Clarissa Hinshaw is a staff writer. She can be reached at [email protected].