President Donald Trump on Tuesday is expected to lay out for Congress and the American people his plans for the weeks and months ahead after a turbulent first few weeks in office, which have featured a dismantling of the federal government, tensions with America’s allies and a trade war compounding economic uncertainty.
His joint address to Congress is the latest marker in Trump’s takeover of the nation’s capital, where the Republican-led House and Senate have done little to restrain the president as he and his allies work to slash the size of the federal government and remake America’s place in the world. With a tight grip on his party, Trump has been emboldened to take sweeping actions after overcoming impeachments in his first term and criminal prosecutions in between his two administrations.
Trump’s theme will be the “renewal of the American dream,” the White House said, and he was expected to lay out his achievements as well as appeal to Congress to provide more money to finance his aggressive immigration crackdown.
“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,” senior adviser Stephen Miller said.
Trump is speaking at a critical juncture in his presidency, as voters who returned him to the White House on his promise to fix inflation are instead finding economic chaos. All the gains the S&P 500 have made since Election Day are now gone, while consumer sentiment surveys show the public sees inflation as worsening. For a president who believes that announcements of corporate investments can boost attitudes about the economy, the speech is suddenly a test of his ability to rebuild confidence in his economic leadership.
Democrats, many of whom stayed away from Trump’s inauguration in January, were largely brushing aside calls for boycotts of the speech as they struggle to come up with an effective counter to the president.
Instead, they chose to highlight the impact of Trump’s actions by inviting fired federal workers as guests, including a disabled veteran from Arizona, a health worker from Maryland and a forestry employee who worked on wildfire prevention in California. They also invited guests who would be harmed by steep federal budget cuts to Medicaid and other programs.
“I get that people wanted change,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. “I get that they wanted someone to shake things up, to work on bringing health care costs down and doing something about housing, but they didn’t want this.”
Some Democrats, like Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, decided not to attend.
Connolly, who represents a state hard hit by the federal firings, said he has never missed a speech. But, he said, “these are not normal times.”
Trump planned to use his speech to address his proposals for fostering peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, where he has unceremoniously upended the policies of the Biden administration in a matter of just weeks. On Monday, Trump ordered a freeze to U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, ending years of staunch American support for the country in fending off Russia’s invasion.
Trump was tightening the screws after his explosive Oval Office meeting Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the U.S. leader tries to pressure the erstwhile American ally to embrace peace talks with its invader.
Many Democratic lawmakers planned to wear blue and yellow ties and scarves in a show of support for Ukraine.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, who was wearing a blue and yellow tie on Tuesday, accused Trump and Vice President JD Vance of “bullying a statesman last week on behalf of a thug.”
In the Middle East, negotiations to extend a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have stalled, with Trump floating the permanent displacement of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and a U.S. “takeover” of the territory, straining partnerships with countries in the region and undoing longtime American support for a two-state solution to end the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
The backdrop of Trump’s speech will also be new economic uncertainty unleashed after the president opened the day by placing stiff tariffs on imports from the country’s neighbors and closest trading partners. A 25% tax on goods from Canada and Mexico went into effect early Tuesday — ostensibly to secure greater cooperation to tackle illicit fentanyl trafficking — triggering immediate retaliation and sparking fears of a wider trade war. Trump also raised tariffs on goods from China to 20%.
The whole scene for Trump’s speech was a marked contrast to his final State of the Union address in his first term. Five years ago, Trump delivered his annual address just after the Senate had acquitted him during his first impeachment trial and before the COVID-19 pandemic had taken root across society.
As he finished, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, stood up and dramatically ripped up a copy of Trump’s speech.
Trump’s Tuesday’s address, which is not referred to as a State of the Union because he is still in the first year of his new term, will be received very differently, said House Speaker Mike Johnson.
“We will not be ripping up the speech tonight,” the Republican said. “I would like to frame it in gilded gold.”
The president planned to use his high-profile moment to press his efforts to reshape the country’s approach to social issues, as he looks to continue to eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the country and to roll back some public accommodations for transgender individuals.
Watching from the gallery will be first lady Melania Trump. Her guests in the chamber will include 15-year-old Elliston Berry, of Aledo, Texas, who was the victim of an explicit deepfake image sent to classmates.
Other White House guests include Stephanie Diller, the widow of New York Police Department Officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed in the line of duty during a traffic stop in March 2024; Marc Fogel, the Pennsylvania teacher who came home last month after years of detention in Russia, and his 95-year-old mother, Malphine; and relatives of Corey Comperatore, the former Pennsylvania fire chief who was killed as he protected his family during an assassination attempt on Trump last summer.
Trump was also expected to recognize additional guests in the room.
The Democrats’ guests also include at least one government watchdog dismissed by Trump in his bid to emplace loyalists across positions of influence.
Republicans lawmakers, too, are trying to make a point with their invited guests.
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa said she would host Scott Root, father of the late Sarah Root, who died on the night of her 2016 college graduation in a vehicle crash involving an immigrant who was in the country without legal authority.
Outside Washington, the latest round of public protest against Trump and his administration also was unfolding Tuesday. Loosely coordinated groups planned demonstrations in all 50 states and the District of Colombia timed to Trump’s address.
