President Donald Trump, the consummate showman, is hyping his primetime tackle Tuesday to a joint session of Congress.
“TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG. I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!” the president touted in a social media publish on the eve of his first main speech to Congress because the begin of his second presidential administration six weeks in the past.
Trump has been shifting at warp velocity since returning to the White Home on Jan. 20, and he’s anticipated to make use of the carefully watched tackle to tout his many accomplishments — a few of which have been very controversial.
Throughout his first six weeks again in workplace, Trump has signed a flurry of govt orders and actions — 82 as of Tuesday, based on a Fox Information rely. His strikes not solely fulfilled a few of his main marketing campaign path guarantees, but additionally allowed the returning president to flex his govt muscle mass, shortly placing his stamp on the federal authorities and making main cuts to the federal workforce, dramatically altering U.S. overseas coverage, implementing steep tariffs on the nation’s prime buying and selling companions and likewise settling some long-standing grievances.
TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TONIGHT ON FOX NEWS
President Donald Trump indicators an govt order within the Oval Workplace on the White Home on Feb. 14, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Photos)
The president will tout his home and worldwide accomplishments, highlight what the Trump administration has executed for the financial system, make a renewed push for Congress to cross further border safety funding and element his plans for peace across the globe, based on particulars from the White Home that have been shared first with Fox Information.
FIRST ON FOX: WHAT TRUMP WILL SAY IN HIS PRIMETIME SPEECH
The theme of the speech is “The Renewal of the American Dream.”
“The renewal of the American Dream is underway already. Have a look at all that President Trump has achieved in his first month as president. He’s going to focus on a few of these accomplishments,” White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned hours earlier than the tackle in an look on Fox Information’ “Fox and Buddies.”
President Donald Trump makes an financial announcement within the Roosevelt Room on the White Home on March 3, 2025. (Reuters/Leah Millis)
Listed here are 5 issues to look at for when Trump speaks to Congress, the nation and the world.
Tariffs and excessive costs
Trump will ship his tackle hours after his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico — the nation’s neighbors and prime buying and selling companions — kicked in.
FORMER PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHWRITERS ON WHAT TRUMP NEEDS TO SPELL OUT IN HIS ADDRESS
The speech will possible supply him a platform to elucidate his controversial tariff strikes, which have been broadly panned by critics, and to stipulate how he’ll fight continued inflation.
Democrats and even some Republicans warn that the tariffs might additional enhance inflation and lift costs even larger. Moreover, Democrats argue that “Donald Trump has executed nothing to decrease prices for you.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Nov. 29, 2024 to debate subjects just like the financial system, unlawful immigration and a proposed 25% tariff. (Justin Trudeau X)
Inflation, which dogged former President Joe Biden for a lot of his 4 years within the White Home, was a key concern that boosted Trump again to the presidency.
Nonetheless, Trump has not talked a lot about inflation since returning to energy, aside from accountable Biden for continued excessive costs. He has acknowledged that customers might really feel “some ache” from his tariffs however has mentioned they’re crucial to assist enhance the nation’s manufacturing.
“IF COMPANIES MOVE TO THE UNITED STATES, THERE ARE NO TARIFFS!!!,” Trump wrote in a social media publish hours forward of his tackle.
Shrinking authorities and Elon Musk
Arguably the largest attention-grabber through the opening weeks of Trump’s second administration has come from his just lately created Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE). Trump named Elon Musk — the world’s richest individual and the chief govt of Tesla and SpaceX — to steer DOGE.
POLITICAL STRATEGISTS WEIGH IN ON WHAT TRUMP NEEDS TO DO IN HIS SPEECH
DOGE has swept by federal businesses since Trump was inaugurated, rooting out what the White Home argues was billions in wasteful federal spending. It has additionally taken a meat cleaver to the federal workforce, leading to an enormous and controversial downsizing of workers. The strikes by DOGE have triggered a slew of lawsuits in response.
Elon Musk met with members of the Senate DOGE caucus on the White Home. (Getty Photos)
Trump has defended and applauded the strikes made by DOGE. Whereas public opinion polling means that People approve of slashing authorities waste and shrinking a bloated paperwork, a rising quantity have a detrimental view of Musk and fear that he has an excessive amount of energy.
The speech offers Trump a chance to elucidate Musk’s mission with DOGE.
What does Trump say about Ukraine and Russia?
Trump is predicted to element his plan to finish the warfare in Ukraine, which was triggered three years in the past by Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.
The speech comes 4 days after final week’s verbal conflict within the Oval Workplace between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The tense assembly and Trump’s booting of the Ukrainians out of the White Home, which placed on maintain a mineral assets deal between Washington and Kyiv, was seen as a key step towards reaching a deal to finish the bloody warfare with Moscow.
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Vice President JD Vance reacts on the White Home on Feb. 28, 2025. (Reuters/Brian Snyder/File Picture)
Nonetheless, on Tuesday, Zelenskyy mentioned he was prepared for peace negotiations after a “regrettable” assembly within the White Home.
The speech offers Trump a platform to elucidate his diplomatic efforts and fend off criticism from Democrats and a handful of Republicans that he’s studying out of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s playbook.
“He’s going to dive into overseas coverage – discuss his intention to finish the warfare in Ukraine,” Leavitt mentioned in her “Fox and Buddies” interview.
Trump instructed reporters on Monday that he would discuss concerning the minerals deal in his tackle.
Immigration and border safety
Border safety has lengthy been Trump’s signature concern and was a key ingredient in his profitable 2024 marketing campaign to win again the presidency, and since returning to the White Home, the president has cracked down on unlawful immigration.
Trump suspended asylum efforts and launched a mass deportation program, however he and his administration wish to velocity up efforts, and he’ll use his speech to ask Congress for assist.
Leavitt highlighted that Trump is “going to make an ask of Congress tonight: We’d like extra border funding to proceed these deportations.”
The theatrics
Which Donald Trump will present up in entrance of Congress; will or not it’s a disciplined president who principally sticks to his teleprompter, or will or not it’s the freewheeling and unpredictable Trump who zigzags between subjects and points in what he likes to name “the weave?”
Will or not it’s a bipartisan Trump who makes appeals for nationwide unity, or a partisan president relitigating previous grievances?
President Donald Trump talks with reporters earlier than boarding Marine One on the South Garden of the White Home on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Picture/Ben Curtis)
And the way will lawmakers within the Home chamber reply to the tackle?
Republicans are anticipated to enthusiastically applaud the politician who single-handedly remodeled their get together from a conservative bastion to a extra populist, America First and MAGA-dominated get together.
However what’s going to Democrats do?
Primetime presidential addresses to Congress, as soon as staid occasions, have change into way more rowdy up to now decade and a half, beginning with GOP Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina shouting “You lie!” at then-President Barack Obama throughout his 2009 tackle to Congress.
Fox Information’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
