Trump Addresses a Joint Session of Congress: What to Watch

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(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump will speak before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, over a month into his unprecedented second term that’s already ushered in turmoil across the federal workforce and sparked consternation among allies.

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Trump has levied new tariffs on Canada and Mexico, the two biggest US trading partners, and his pro-Russia comments have injected uncertainty over prospects of a resolution to the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, mass firings of federal workers have led to protests nationwide, with some Republican lawmakers facing angry constituents. 

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Here’s what to know:

How do you watch Trump’s address to Congress?

The speech, themed “the renewal of the American dream,”  kicks off at 9 p.m. Washington time on Tuesday. Major networks will carry the remarks live on television and online, including C-SPAN, CNN, NBC, FOX, Noticias Univision and Bloomberg Television. 

What will Trump say about the economy, inflation and tariffs?

Although Trump had campaigned on the economy and vowed to lower prices, only 29% said he was prioritizing inflation “a lot” and 36% said the same about the economy, according to a CBS News/YouGov poll published Sunday.

Even before new tariffs on Canada and Mexico went into effect on Tuesday, a Bloomberg News/Harris poll in early February showed almost 60% of US adults expected Trump’s levies on imported goods to lead to higher prices.

Trump is likely to repeat his assertion that tariffs on imports and lower taxes on corporations will bring manufacturing jobs back to the US, though economists have quibbled with the feasibility of a whole-scale supply chain reset. He is also poised to call on Congress to pass a fresh round of tax cuts, increase funding for border security and approve legislation to spur domestic energy production.

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What will Trump say about Ukraine, Russia and the Middle East?

Trump, a longtime skeptic of continued US assistance to Ukraine, had vowed to settle its conflict with Russia before even taking office. On Friday, he clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the Oval Office before the two were set to sign a deal that would allow the US to tap into future revenue from the war-battered country’s natural resources.

On Monday, Trump told reporters that he didn’t think that the deal was dead and that “I’ll let you know tomorrow” during his speech.

Also igniting controversy is Trump’s proposal that the US take over the Gaza Strip and develop it into a “Riviera” of the Middle East, with its residents sent to Arab countries. Palestinian and Arab officials have rejected any displacement of Gazans and warned of destabilizing the region.

Who’s on the guest list for the speech?

First Lady Melania Trump invited several “everyday Americans,” including the wife and and daughters of Corey Comperatore, a firefighter who was killed by a gunman who shot at Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July 2024. She also invited the mother of a girl who was murdered by undocumented immigrants, a steel worker, and a teenager who was the victim of computer-generated deepfake revenge pornography, an issue the first lady is including in her advocacy portfolio.

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Democrats have extended invitations to several former federal workers who recently lost their jobs, a move to protest Trump and Elon Musk’s attempts to downsize the government workforce and slash agency spending.

Democratic women are planning to wear pink to the speech to represent women’s “power and persistence.” The group has repeatedly used their attire to send a visual political message in the chamber, including wearing white to speeches during Trump’s first term, a nod to the suffragists who fought for women’s rights.

Where’s Elon Musk?

Musk, who’s spearheading the cost-cutting effort known as the Department of Government Efficiency, is expected to watch the speech from the chamber. Trump has encouraged the billionaire’s actions that have led to mass firings and terminated leases. Opponents have raised concerns over the handling of sensitive federal and private data, and it’s unclear how much in savings has actually been achieved.

Why isn’t Trump’s joint address called the State of the Union?

House Speaker Mike Johnson invited Trump to speak before the joint session of Congress for the first time since the Republican was inaugurated for his second term in January. Typically, presidents deliver what’s described in the Constitution as a State of the Union after they’ve been in office longer. 

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