President Donald Trump will give the first major speech of his second term Tuesday in an address to Congress that comes amid feuds with international allies prompted by his decisions this week to freeze funding for Ukraine and impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March ... [+]
It’s customary for new presidents to address Congress and lay out their vision for their term shortly after it begins.
Trump is expected to detail the various actions his administration has repeatedly cited as accomplishments—including his slashing of the federal workforce through Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the confirmation of most of his cabinet nominees, new tariffs on Mexico, China and Canada, efforts to deport undocumented migrants en masse and his push to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
The White House said the theme of the speech would be “renewal of the American dream,” while Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to multiple outlets Trump “will celebrate his extraordinarily successful first month in office while outlining his bold, ambitious, and common sense vision for the future,” calling it “MUST-SEE TV.”
Democrats will immediately try to throw cold water on Trump’s claims, likely citing a rocky stock market performance, turmoil created by federal civil servants and a suddenly fractured relationship with historic allies.
Trump’s speech will begin at 9 p.m. EST, and he is not scheduled to depart the Capitol until 11:20 p.m., indicating the speech could run much longer than his hour-long address to Congress during his first term. It’s expected to air on the three main networks and major cable news channels.
Melania Trump; family members of Corey Comperatore, who was killed in the assassination attempt against Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania last year; the widow of Jonathan Diller, the New York City Police Department officer killed during a traffic stop last year; and Marc Fogel, a schoolteacher recently released from his wrongful detainment in Russia, are all expected to attend.
Some Democrats, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Gerry Connolly, D-Va., have said they will boycott the speech. Others, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are expected to bring fired federal workers as guests to highlight their discontent with Trump’s slashing of the federal workforce. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., will deliver Democrats’ rebuttal address, which should air on the same channels that air Trump’s address.
Trump delivered a message of unity, calling for an end to “pure unadulterated division” during his first congressional address in 2017. He derided threats and violence against Jewish community centers, spoke of plans for his southern border wall and repeated his campaign promise to repeal and replace Obamacare.
Trump’s address to Congress comes on the same day he imposed a new 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, plus raised tariffs on Chinese imports to 20%, leading to stock market volatility and retaliatory measures from all three countries. A day earlier, Trump also announced he would freeze aid to Ukraine after his shocking Oval Office clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy and pressured him to make concessions to Russia to end the war. Trump is also facing blowback from members of his own party, along with multiple lawsuits, over his efforts to reduce the federal workforce and eliminate some agencies entirely, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Trump Threatens More Tariffs Against Canada—Here’s How The New Levies Could Impact Prices (Forbes)