ACCESSIBILITYTrump to address Congress for first time since returning to White House with big plans
WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump will make an address to Congress on Tuesday after making his return to the White House as his administration moves to remake the federal government in his image and works with Republican majorities to pass a massive tax cut bill that would also include funds to increase spending on defense and immigration enforcement.
Trump will address a joint session of Congress at 9 p.m. ET for the first time since returning to Washington in a drastically different environment than when he got into office in 2017. His control over the Republican Party has solidified and his popular vote victory in the November elections has emboldened his allies in Congress to carry out his sweeping agenda.
The president has shaken Washington in just weeks since retaking power with a flurry of executive orders touching on wide swaths of the federal government. Thousands of federal workers have been laid off or fired in his push to shrink the size of the government, Trump has signed multiple orders cracking down on illegal immigration and questioned the value of alliances with NATO and spending taxpayer dollars on foreign aid.
The speech is not a State of the Union address but will essentially be treated as one with lawmakers and the president following similar customs. But whether his speech follows the same pattern of trying to unify the country while relishing in the president’s accomplishments and laying out plans for the upcoming year is less certain.
His address comes as his honeymoon period with the American public after winning the popular vote and a governing trifecta appears to be waning with some polling finding his approval rating dipping back below 50% before Republicans have passed any major legislation.
“The timing is important, given that it's been a pretty uneven start in the beginning of the presidency, and things are really going to ramp up in the coming months,” said Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan. “He'll use the speech as an opportunity to get as much of the public on his side, which would translate them to help and support from Congress on some issues that are pretty controversial.”
The speech also comes as he is trying to bring an end to two foreign wars that absorbed nearly all U.S. attention on foreign policy over the last several years with Israel in an uneasy ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza and his administration pushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a peace deal to end its grueling war with Russia that resulted in a public spat in the Oval Office with Trump and Vice President JD Vance ridiculing him for a perceived lack of gratitude for America’s support.
Domestically, Republicans in Congress are trying to hammer out the details for a budget bill that seeks to cut trillions in taxes and provide over $100 billion in funds for the Pentagon and Trump’s mass deportation campaign. Many of the specifics of the bill are still unknown with fiscal hawks pushing for sweeping spending cuts to reduce the burden on the deficit and moderates hesitant to cut popular government programs.
Trump has moved swiftly to enact a wide range of tariffs with threats for many more in the coming weeks and months that have fueled concerns about inflation spiraling back out of control in a development that could pose a political issue for Republicans during 2026’s midterm elections.
Some of America’s largest trading partners are already dealing with or preparing for the impact of tariffs on many kinds of products that are raising fears for economists and consumers about ramping up prices again. Trump has accused other countries of taking advantage of the U.S. in the global marketplace and says his tariffs will ultimately put the economy into a strong position even if it means some temporary blips in prices.
Fears about the future of the economy have started to show up in Trump’s approval ratings and in indexes of consumer attitudes that have gotten the attention of the Federal Reserve and economists.
“For the public, the economy and inflation are always No. 1. The everyday prices that impact the lives of Americans are still on the top of their list,” Kall said. “They'd like to hear about how his policies, his new appointments — their vision for being able to help the pocketbooks of Americans in everyday lives.”
Democrats are also facing a test in how to respond to Trump, an issue that has given them major troubles in the opening weeks of his second presidency. Democratic lawmakers are facing pressure from their base and donors to mount a fiercer resistance to Trump and struggling to find a response that resonates with their voters and the broader public.
They have tapped first-term Sen. Elissa Slotkin from the battleground state of Michigan to deliver the Democratic response in a push to get the party back to its roots of appealing to working class voters that have shifted toward Trump. She is likely to hammer Trump and Republicans for failing to work to address the cost of living and for the massive tax cuts bill under consideration that they claim is prioritizing billionaires over everyday Americans.
“Nothing short of a rising star in our party—she’s dedicated her life to our country. She will layout the fight to tackle the deep challenges we face and chart a path forward,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in his announcement of Slotkin to deliver the Democratic response.
Trump’s speech is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET. The National News Desk will have live coverage and stream the speech online and on social media.