What will Trump say in address to Congress? The topics (and tone) you can expect.
WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump will deliver a formal primetime address to Congress on Tuesday evening, as his second term hits its six-week mark.
Senators and representatives will gather in the House chamber for Trump's speech that, while strongly resembling a State of the Union, is not technically one.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., extended the invitation to Trump in January "to share his America First vision for our future."
In an equivalent address to begin his first term, Trump followed a similar "America First" theme, while touting plans for immigration policy overhauls and "historic" tax cuts.
"A new chapter of American Greatness is now beginning. A new national pride is sweeping across our Nation," Trump said at the outset of his 2017 speech. "What we are witnessing today is the Renewal of the American Spirit."
Here's what to know and expect from Trump's address this year.
When is Trump's address?
Trump's speech from the U.S. Capitol is expected to begin around 9 p.m. ET Tuesday.
What will Trump talk about in his speech?
Though the full extent of the second-term Republican president's remarks remain under wraps, Trump has said via social media that his speech will be "big," and promised to "tell it like it is!"
The president is expected touch on various parts of his legislative agenda, from national security to economic policy. While potentially laying out plans for new executive actions, he will likely also tout an array of measures his administration has already taken since day one, including massive federal workforce cuts.
Trump and ally Elon Musk, who is spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency, have directed the terminations of thousands of government employees across departments nationwide. And they have endeavored to shut down entire agencies, starting with the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The day of Trump's address to Congress coincides with when he has said proposed tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China will go into effect. The president had paused implementing a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico but announced plans last week to go ahead with the duty, along with a new 10% tariff on China that's on top of the 10% fee he already issued against the country last month.
Who will be there to watch Trump's speech?
Members of both chambers of Congress will be in attendance Tuesday, along with some members of the Supreme Court.
According to precedent, Vice President JD Vance, serving as president of the Senate, will sit at the dais behind Trump, beside House Speaker Mike Johnson. Musk and First Lady Melania Trump will be there watching from the House chamber, the White House confirmed.
Presidents often invite special guests to join the audience, typically for reasons that align with their political motivations. In 2017, Trump invited the widow of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia to his first address. And at his last State of the Union in 2020, he created a made-for-TV moment with the return of Army Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams, a husband and father who was on his fourth deployment to the Middle East.
So, it's not a State of the Union?
Technically, no.
State of the Union addresses are delivered during a president's second, third and fourth year in office, in keeping with the Constitution which says the commander-in-chief "shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."
The distinction is a technicality; the American Presidency Project writes that, "For research purposes, it is probably harmless to categorize these as State of the Union messages (as we do)."
"The impact of such a speech on public, media, and congressional perceptions of presidential leadership and power should be the same as if the address was an official State of the Union," their website reads.
The tradition of giving a speech shortly after Inauguration Day began with then President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Democrats will have something to say
The opposing party has been giving their response to the president's State of the Union or similar first-year addresses since 1966, according to the American Presidency Project.
This year, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin will deliver Democrats' reaction and counter-messaging to Trump's joint address. In announcing the assignment, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Slotkin is "nothing short of a rising star" in the party.
"She will layout the fight to tackle the deep challenges we face and chart a path forward," Schumer said on X.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., will give the Democrats' Spanish-language response, and Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Calif., will deliver a rebuttal from the progressive Working Families Party.