President Donald Trump has promised a “renewal of the American spirit”, in his first speech to Congress.

The president said a “new surge of optimism is placing impossible dreams firmly within our grasp”, opening a “new chapter of American greatness”, reports the BBC.

Trump condemned recent vandalism of Jewish cemeteries and a hate crime in Kansas that left an Indian man dead.

His primetime address aimed to boost his low approval ratings after a bumpy start to his presidency.

In Tuesday night’s speech, Trump said of recent alleged hate crimes, “we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its very ugly forms”.

He also touted his decisions to withdraw the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and order work to start on a wall along the US-Mexico border.

He added that “real and positive immigration reform” was possible, hours after he told news anchors at a White House lunch that he might be open to granting legal status to undocumented immigrants, which would signal a tectonic policy shift for him.

“By finally enforcing our immigration laws, we will raise wages, help the unemployed, save billions of dollars, and make our communities safer for everyone,” he told lawmakers.

In other speech highlights:

Trump said the US “strongly supports Nato”, but members of the alliance “must meet their financial obligations”

The president drew some of the loudest applause when he railed against the so-called Islamic State and promised to “extinguish this vile enemy from our planet”

He urged Congress to “act decisively” to repeal and replace Obamacare

Trump also promised to provide “massive tax relief for the middle class”

The most thunderous ovation of the night came when he paid tribute to the widow of Navy Seal Ryan Owens, who died in a US raid on a suspected al-Qaeda base in Yemen, days into Trump's presidency.

“Ryan's legacy is etched into eternity,” the president told Carryn Owens, who sobbed.

Despite the Republican president's appeal for both main parties to "unite for the good of our country", Democratic lawmakers remained seated for virtually all of the ovations and some openly laughed at parts of the speech.

The president's political honeymoon has been soured by acrimonious spats with the media and the intelligence community, a high-profile court defeat to his controversial travel ban, and the firing of a top aide.

BDST: 1053 HRS, MAR 01, 2017
SR