President Donald Trump is expected to brag about his administration’s dismantling of the federal government and his aggressive stance on Ukraine at Tuesday’s first joint Congressional address.
Trump – who is expected to speak around 9 p.m. tonight inside a packed House chamber – is poised to boast about the tough approach he has taken with world leaders during a whirlwind 43 days in office following last week’s Oval Office showdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The fallout has culminated in Trump’s decision to temporarily pause aid to the war-torn nation.
“He’s going to talk about the great things he’s done: The border’s secure, the waste he’s finding with DOGE,” Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and chairman of the Judiciary Committee told the New York Times.
“He’s going to keep laying out his vision, where he wants the country to go,” GOP’s Jordan, who speaks regularly with the president, told the newspaper.
DOGE lead Elon Musk is expected to be in attendance tonight to watch Trump likely boast about the billionaire’s gutting of federal agencies. This is despite growing backlash over relentless job cuts and emails from the mogul demanding workers respond detailing their accomplishments for the week or face termination.
Trump hinted Monday that Ukraine would come up in tonight’s speech. When asked by a reporter whether the minerals deal was still possible, the president said: “I’ll let you know,” before he added: “We’re making a speech, you probably heard.”
The president’s speech comes against the backdrop of his trade tariffs on Mexico and Canada, which went into effect Tuesday.
Fired civil servants, small business owners and Medicaid recipients who risk losing their healthcare have been invited to an assembly room by Democrats in an attempt to challenge Trump’s narrative of a “historic transformation” of the federal government.
The White House said Monday that the theme of Trump’s address – which is not technically considered a State of the Union message – will promise “the renewal of the American Dream.”
“Tomorrow night will be big,” blared Trump’s Truth Social on Monday in block capitals. “I will tell it like it is.”
Previous presidents have typically used these speeches to list their accomplishments and lay out future plans.
Trump is expected to focus on four areas: his second term’s achievements domestically and internationally, the economy, a push for Congress to pass border funding and his plans for “peace around the globe,” reports Fox News.
The president will likely continue pushing congressional Republicans – who hold a narrow margin – to turn his America First agenda into law.
The president will also focus on immigration and new tariffs, a senior administration official told NBC News last week.
He will also discuss his administration’s efforts to release hostages from Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, a White House official told the network.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt touted the speech as “must-see TV.”
“President Trump has accomplished more in one month than any president in four years, and the renewal of the American Dream is well underway,” she added.
Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told reporters Monday that the joint session of Congress is “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.”
Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin will deliver the Democrats’ reaction to Trump’s remarks – an almost 60-year-old tradition, normally done after the formal State of the Union.
“She will lay out the fight to tackle the deep challenges we face and chart a path forward,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X.
