WASHINGTON — When it comes to President Donald Trump, one can expect the unexpected.
That’s why his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, his first major speech since his inauguration, is likely to include some surprising new initiatives, as well as a rundown (likely to be inflated) of what he’s accomplished so far in his second term.
“TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG,” Trump posted all in caps on Truth Social on Monday. “I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!”
Trump’s speech, which will begin at 8 p.m. Central time, is not a State of the Union Address, which allows sitting presidents to recap their accomplishments over the past year in office.
For a newly sworn-in president, the address to Congress is an opportunity to lay out an initial agenda and ask Congress to help pass it.
But Trump has been moving on his own, effecting change since Day 1 through a rush of executive orders. Those orders, and the fast and furious activities of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are aimed at dramatically reshaping the federal government, cracking down on immigration and redefining the U.S. role abroad.
Trump has also taken the lead on U.S. trade policy, imposing hefty tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China on the eve of his speech that prompted retaliatory measures from those nations.
Although Republicans hold a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, approval of legislation that would deliver on Trump campaign promises has been difficult — largely because of the GOP’s slim majority in the U.S. House and the filibuster in the U.S. Senate.
Still, Trump will ask Congress for deep spending cuts, more money for border security and the renewal of tax cuts he implemented in his first term that will expire this year. He’s also likely to praise Musk’s efforts to downsize the federal government.
Trump’s demands are likely to make it more difficult for Congress to come to agreement on a budget or short-term spending bill that would avoid a shutdown of the federal government on March 14, when the current bill funding the federal agencies expires.
But Trump has had victories on Capitol Hill.
Since the Senate filibuster can’t be used to block nominees, Trump has scored major wins with the quick confirmation of Cabinet members and other top administration officials, something likely to be highlighted in what is expected to be a free-wheeling speech that will often stray from what’s on the teleprompter.
The most closely watched part of Trump’s address will focus on international affairs. The president may say U.S. military and intelligence support for Ukraine could end in the wake of last week’s acrimonious Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Trump will use what happened with Zelensky as an example of the brilliance of his diplomacy,” predicted Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University.
Trump could also reiterate his ambition to retake the Panama Canal and acquire Greenland.
David Schultz, a political science professor at Hamline University, said he expected Trump’s speech to Congress would be a variation of his stump speech, focused on blaming “everything that’s wrong with the country on Biden or Obama or somebody else.”
“He’s also going to say he’s made significant inroads on making America great again,” Schultz said.
He also said Trump’s “grievance-filled” speech will be targeted towards his supporters, who support the president’s actions.
Baker, meanwhile, said it’s likely Trump is going to give “the brightest and most optimistic view of the economy,” even as the stock market is faltering, inflation continues to bedevil consumers and recessionary warnings are flashing.
Baker also said Trump will use his platform to attack his perceived enemies, which could include the judges who have blocked many of his attempts to freeze federal funding, end birthright citizenship and other actions.
Hockey players in the gallery
Members of Congress will follow tradition and invite notable guests to the address.
Many Democrats, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-5th District, and Sen. Tina Smith, have invited laid off federal workers.
Omar’s guest will be Christopher Wicker, who served as deputy district director of the Small Business Administration in Minneapolis until he was fired last month. Like many federal workers Wicker is a veteran, having served with the Air Force in Afghanistan.
Smith has invited Kate Severson, a former Park Ranger at Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota who was also a victim of DOGE’s attempts to shrink the federal government, which included the firing of about 1,000 national park employees.
“I do not for one second believe these cuts were made to save the taxpayers money,” Severson said in a statement. “Parks have well-documented benefits to the economy. Instead, these cuts were designed to make government agencies vulnerable, strip away the protections and services in place for the public good, and open the way for those looking to exploit our resources.”
Meanwhile, Reps. Pete Stauber, R-8th District, and Tom Emmer, R-6th District, who have played plenty of hockey themselves, have invited some stars of that sport to witness Trump’s speech.
Emmer’s guests will be Minnesotans Buzz Schneider and Rob McClanahan, both gold medalists from the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team who have been inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Stauber has invited their “Miracle on Ice” teammate Phil Verchota, a Duluth native.
Stauber also invited Jennifer Hegseth, the wife of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“As a son of Forest Lake, Secretary Hegseth has made Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District incredibly proud through his work to make America’s fighting force stronger than ever before,” Stauber said in a statement. “I am honored to be joined by his wonderful wife tomorrow night during this historic address.”
Emmer also invited a guest with a political association — Minnesota Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring. And Rep. Michele Fischbach’s guest will be Minnesota Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson.
Rep. Betty McCollum, D-4th District, invited Ramsey County Commissioner Mary Jo McGuire, who recently finished a two-year term as the president of the National Association of Counties.
And Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s guest will be Gary Wertish, a third-generation farmer from Renville County and President of the Minnesota Farmers Union. Klobuchar is the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee.
In a statement, Wertish expressed the discomfiture some American farmers are feeling about Trump’s tariff’s policies and the downsizing of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and potential cuts to nutrition programs.
“Family farmers are used to watching the skies and hoping for favorable weather,” Wertish said. “Now they are watching Washington and wondering what a potential trade war, layoffs at local USDA offices, and proposed cuts to farm bill programs are going to mean for their farms and communities.”
Freshman Rep. Kelly Morrison, D-3rd District, will bring her husband John, an Army combat veteran.
Ana Radelat
Ana Radelat is MinnPost’s Washington, D.C. correspondent. You can reach her at aradelat@minnpost.com or follow her on Twitter at @radelat.
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