US President Donald Trump will address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday to give an account of his first weeks in office.
It will be the latest milestone in Mr. Trump's complete takeover of the nation's capital, where the Republican-led House and Senate have done nothing to restrain the president as he and his allies work to shrink the size of the federal government and reshape America's place in the world.
With his tight grip on his party, Mr Trump has been emboldened to take sweeping action after surviving impeachments and prosecutions.
The White House said Mr Trump's theme for the speech would be “reviving the American dream” and he is expected to highlight his accomplishments since returning to the White House and ask Congress for more money to fund his aggressive anti-immigration measures.
“This is an opportunity for President Trump, as only he can, to talk about the last month of record-breaking, record-breaking, unprecedented achievements and accomplishments,” said senior adviser Stephen Miller.
Democrats, many of whom did not attend Trump's inauguration in January, have largely ignored calls for a boycott as they struggle to find an effective response to the president.
Instead, they chose to highlight the impact of Mr. Trump's actions by inviting as guests laid off federal workers, including a disabled veteran from Arizona, a health care worker from Maryland and a forestry worker who helped prevent wildfires in California.
They also invited guests who would be hurt by deep federal budget cuts for Medicaid and other programs.
“Instead of focusing on American families and kitchen table issues, President Trump has spent his first month in office focusing on tax cuts for billionaires paid for by the very people he promised to help,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.
Mr Trump also planned to use his speech to discuss his proposals to bolster peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, where he has unceremoniously upended the Biden administration's policies in just a few weeks.
On Monday, Mr Trump ordered a freeze on US military aid to Ukraine, ending years of determined American support in repelling Russia's invasion.
Mr Trump is tightening the screws after his explosive Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, as the US leader tries to pressure America's former ally into peace talks with occupier Russia.
In the Middle East, talks to extend a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas have stalled as Mr Trump floated the idea of permanently displacing Palestinian civilians in Gaza and “taking over” the territory for the United States, complicating partnerships with countries in the region and undermining long-standing US support for a two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Mr Trump's speech will also come amid fresh economic uncertainty after the president began the day by imposing stiff tariffs on imports from neighboring countries and close trading partners.
A 25% tax on goods from Canada and Mexico went into effect just after midnight on Tuesday — ostensibly to ensure greater cooperation in combating fentanyl trafficking — prompting immediate retaliation and raising fears of a wider trade war. Mr. Trump also raised tariffs on goods from China to 20%.
The entire context in which Mr. Trump's speech was delivered was in stark contrast to his last State of the Union address during his first term.
Five years ago, Mr. Trump delivered his annual address just after the Senate acquitted him during his first impeachment trial and before the Covid-19 pandemic had taken hold. Tuesday’s address is not called the State of the Union because he is still in the first year of his new term.
The president planned to use his high-profile position to push for changes in the country's approach to social issues as he moves to continue to roll back diversity, equality and inclusion efforts across the country and roll back some public amenities for transgender people.
Watching from the gallery will be first lady Melania Trump, who on Monday held her first solo public event since her husband returned to power. She has pushed through legislation to ban revenge porn, and among her guests in the audience will be 15-year-old Alliston Berry, the victim of a deepfake image sent to classmates.
The Democratic guests also include at least one government overseer fired by Mr. Trump in his attempt to place his supporters in powerful positions.
Republican politicians are also trying to get their message across to their invited guests.
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa said she will host Scott Root, the father of the late Sarah Root, who died on the night of her college graduation in 2016 in a car crash involving an immigrant in the country without legal status.
Outside Washington, the latest round of public protest against Mr. Trump and his administration was also unfolding Tuesday. Loosely coordinated groups planned demonstrations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to coincide with Mr. Trump’s speech.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
