President Donald Trump is addressing a joint session of Congress tonight about the progress his administration is making and its plans for the future. This is Trump’s first address to Congress in his second term. However, this is technically not an official “State of the Union Address.” It is not deemed as such when there is a new president, but it is the same in all intents and purposes.
In his speech tonight, the president is expected to highlight three areas: the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the exploits of Elon Musk and his crew, immigration and the border, and foreign policy and tariffs.
DOGE
The president will highlight the savings that Musk and his campaign have unearthed, but more important, the extent to which his overall effort will shrink the size of the federal government. He will attempt to play down the cracks that are starting to appear as more Congress members question Musk’s tactics and the extent and targets of his cuts. The president must also convey that he is in charge and that Mr. Musk is not a loose cannon that Mr. Trump cannot control. According to sources, he will also highlight the administration’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the federal government.
Trump’s Immigration and Border Policies
Mr. Trump will highlight that the border between the U.S. and Mexico is secure, but other measures must be taken. Among the things that will be front and center will be that a little over 8.000 people were apprehended at the border in February, the lowest total in 25 years. What he will not mention is that border crossings were already significantly down after Biden administration actions to reduce asylum requests. He will also underline the importance of his deportation policies, the necessity of halting the fentanyl flow into this country, and perhaps the need for a border wall.
Foreign Policy and Tariffs
On Friday, the president will double down on his dispute with Volodymyr Zelensky, which played out to the world from the Oval Office. He will claim to be the champion of peace and say that the Ukrainian president should show more gratitude to the United States for the aid they have provided his country. In keeping with his “America First” motto, he will again implore Europe and other countries to take more responsibility for their own defense and that of their neighbors. Vladimir Putin’s name will not be mentioned during the speech.
On tariffs, he will reiterate his position that other countries must pay their fair share for international trade and that Democratic administrations have been pawns to other countries as our trade deficits have grown. Mr.Trump will also repeat his questionable projection that more companies will return to the United States to open up factories and plants as a result of these tariffs. And he will spend precious little time discussing the stock market, the price of groceries, and the state of inflation in this country.
Democratic Response and What to Watch For
Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin will deliver the Democratic response to the president’s speech. The opposing party typically selects a rising political star to lay out their party’s priorities and perspectives. And Representative Adriano Espaillat, Democrat of New York, whose Hispanic district includes Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx with a majority of Spanish-speaking constituents, will deliver a Spanish-language response to Mr. Trumpโs speech.ย Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., asked the Democratic caucus to bring guests who have suffered due to the Trump administration’s policies to the address. Those invited include two Medicaid recipients, a child with spinal muscular atrophy whose survival was credited to a National Institutes of Health program, as well as two fired federal workers.
On the Republican side, First Lady Melania Trump has invited Elliston Berry, a teenage victim of AI-generated pornography, along with Ms. Berryโs mother and stepfather. A bipartisan group of lawmakers have been pushing for a bill that would criminalize the act of publishing explicitly sexual images without consentย and require social media platforms to remove those images.
