WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will deliver a high-profile address to a joint session of the US Congress on Tuesday night, focusing on the economy, the war in Ukraine, and border security, the White House said.
The speech, scheduled for 9 p.m. Eastern Time (0200 GMT Wednesday), will be Trump’s first formal address to a joint session of Congress since the start of his second term.
Trump’s speech comes after a whirlwind first six weeks in office, in which the United States has been roiled by a radical bid led by billionaire Trump advisor Elon Musk to overhaul the federal government by closing down agencies and firing many workers.
The 78-year-old Trump has also caused turmoil on the global stage, pausing military aid for Ukraine as he pivots toward Russia, vowing to “own” Gaza and unleashing tariffs against US allies.
In general, the US President’s annual televised addresses are known as the “State of the Union” speeches, where the government’s accomplishments in the previous year and its agenda for the upcoming year are highlighted.
However, it has been called “a Joint Address to Congress” this time.
The White House has framed the address around the theme of “The Renewal of the American Dream.”
Trump would cover four areas: his second term’s achievements so far at home and abroad, the economy, a push for Congress to pass border funding and Trump’s plans for “peace around the globe.”
“President Trump is the greatest orator we’ve ever had in the Oval Office. Every time he’s done one of these addresses, Americans have been overwhelmingly blown away,” his Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told reporters on Monday.
“It’s an opportunity for President Trump, as only he can, to lay out the last month of record-setting, record-breaking unprecedented achievements and accomplishments that have made this the most successful opening to any presidency.”
Trump himself promised in a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday that the address to Congress “WILL BE BIG” and vowed that “I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!”
In a sign of Musk’s influence in Trump’s administration, the world’s richest person will reportedly attend the joint session of the House and Senate.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president’s remarks would highlight his administration’s early achievements and set out a “bold, ambitious, and common sense vision for the future.”
“President Trump has accomplished more in one month than any president in four years, and the renewal of the American Dream is well underway,” Leavitt told Fox News Digital.
The White House indicated that the speech would be divided into four main areas. The speech will focus on Trump’s achievements in his second term, both domestically and internationally. It will also discuss economic measures undertaken by the Trump administration, the White House said.
According to the White House, Trump will also launch a renewed call for Congress to approve additional border security funding.
The US President will also take the Congress into confidence on plans to restore global peace, particularly in Ukraine and Gaza.
Economic policy and inflation
Trump is expected to focus on what he describes as “fixing the economic mess left by the Biden administration.”
The US President will highlight the $1.7 trillion in investments secured since taking office to revitalise American manufacturing, boost energy production, and support private-sector investment in artificial intelligence.
A White House official, quoted by Fox News Digital, said the president would also lay out his administration’s approach to curbing inflation and lowering costs for American households.
Border security and immigration
Trump’s address is expected to renew his demand for more border security funding, including deportations and continuing construction of the US-Mexico border wall.
Leavitt told Fox News that “We need more border funding to continue with these deportations that have been incredibly successful because of the efforts of this administration.”
Ukraine and Gaza
The president is also expected to outline his approach to ending the war in Ukraine, though details on his proposed peace process remain unclear.
ALSO READ: Trump Stops Aid to Ukraine After Zelensky Clash
His address follows a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington last week, during which Trump reportedly expressed scepticism over continued US military support for Kyiv.
Economic pressure
Trump is likely to strike a triumphant tone as he returns to a Republican-controlled Congress, determined to exert more executive power than any president in decades.
Trump is expected to tout the record blitz of executive orders he has signed since his return to the White House.
Together with Musk, Trump has shown his intent to push through his “Make America Great Again” agenda — even if it means testing the constitutional limits of his authority or straining ties with allies.
Trump has moved to unilaterally dismantle federal agencies, fired thousands of government workers, ended diversity programs and begun holding undocumented migrants at the US military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba as part of his crackdown on foreigners without papers.
On the world stage, Trump will discuss his efforts to redefine US foreign policy.
He said on Monday that he would “let you know” during the speech about progress towards resolving the Ukraine conflict, after freezing military aid to Kyiv and stunning the world by starting talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
His speech will come just four days after an extraordinary clash in the Oval Office with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, which left US support for Kyiv hanging in the balance.
Trump’s presidential offensive has left the Democrats, already stunned by their 2024 election defeat, flailing for ways to counter him and his hogging of the news cycle.
But with his poll numbers softening, Trump will also know he faces pressure to deal with stubborn issues facing Americans — most importantly inflation.
Trump’s tariffs threaten to weigh on the economy, with US stocks closing sharply lower on Monday after he confirmed the levies would come into effect one minute into Tuesday against major trading partners Mexico and Canada.
