The president is expected to defend his strategies for ending the Ukraine war, securing the border, and using tariffs to bolster U.S. manufacturing.
WASHINGTON—When President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, he is expected to outline his policy agenda with a focus on three pressing challenges: the war in Ukraine, tariffs, and a potential government shutdown.
This will be Trump’s first address to Congress since his 2020 State of the Union address, less than two months before the pandemic upended his first administration’s priorities. Trump’s talk will mark the only time a president has given a post-inaugural address to Congress after a five-year gap.
“Tomorrow will be big,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform March 3. “I will tell it like it is!”
The 47th president’s address will begin at 9 p.m. EST.
The circumstances are vastly different from when he last spoke to Congress, when he was facing impeachment proceedings. During his 2020 State of the Union address, then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sat behind the president and ripped her copy of his remarks in half in a dramatic scene at the conclusion.
After Republicans gained control of both chambers of Congress in the 2024 election, the party now holds a federal government trifecta. House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) will be seated next to Vice President JD Vance behind Trump, with the tone now markedly in favor of the president’s agenda.
Security has been ramped up ahead of Trump’s speech. Capitol police announced about two dozen road closures in effect in the area around the Capitol, and tour buses will be redirected away from the complex.
A temporary, 7-foot steel security fence–which is theoretically non-scalable– completely surrounding the grounds was installed in the days before the talk to counter protesters potentially intent on disrupting the proceedings.
The theme of the address will be “Renewal of the American Dream,” according to a White House official.
The speech will consist of four main sections, the official told The Epoch Times: his achievements since taking office, his actions to reduce inflation, the need for additional border security funding, and his plans for global peace.
By Emel Akan and Travis Gillmore
