Trump to address joint session of Congress
Daily News Article — Posted on March 4, 2025
(Fox Digital and NPR) – The “Renewal of the American Dream” is the theme of President Donald Trump’s first address of his second term to a joint session of Congress, Fox News Digital has learned.
White House officials exclusively told Fox News Digital that the speech, themed “The Renewal of the American Dream,” will feature four main sections:
- accomplishments from Trump’s second term thus far at home and abroad;
- what the Trump administration has done for the economy;
- the president’s renewed push for Congress to pass additional funding for border security;
- and the president’s plans for peace around the globe
The president will review his administration’s “accomplishments from his extraordinarily successful first month in office, both here at home and abroad,” White House officials told Fox News Digital.
Officials said the president will also discuss what his administration has done and continues to do to “fix the economic mess created by the Biden administration and end inflation for all Americans.”
The president is expected to highlight the more than $1.7 trillion in investments made since he took the oath of office to bring manufacturing back to the United States, including increases in energy production, investments in the private sector on AI and more.
Also in the address, the president will push Congress to pass more border security funding to fund deportations and the continued construction of the border wall along the U.S. southern border.
On foreign policy, the president is expected to outline his plans “to restore peace around the world.” A White House official told Fox News Digital that Trump will lay out his plans to end the war in Ukraine. He will also focus on the work of his administration to ensure the release of all hostages from Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The president posted on his Truth Social account Monday morning teasing his address, saying, “Tomorrow night will be big. I will tell it like it is!”
When asked for comment on the president’s post, a White House official told Fox News Digital, “As always, President Trump will keep it real and speak the truth.”
The president is scheduled to speak before all members of Congress on Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST
The speech is not officially called the “State of the Union,” as Trump has not been in office for a full year, though it operates in a similar fashion. The yearly presidential address is intended to showcase the administration’s achievements and policies.
This speech is not a State of the Union address, why?
An address to a joint session of Congress is similar to a State of the Union address — each happens in the same place and around the same time each year. But they have slightly different purposes.
A State of the Union address allows a sitting president to recap their accomplishments over the past year in office. For a newly sworn-in president, the joint address is an opportunity to lay out an initial agenda.
That said, Trump is in a unique situation. He is offering a far different playbook from his predecessor, but will also stand in front of lawmakers as a second-term president with a ticking clock. He’s the first president to serve two non-consecutive terms in more than 130 years.
Who is delivering the Democratic response?
First-term Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., will provide remarks following Trump’s address on Tuesday. In a year that saw Democrats lose their majority in the Senate, Slotkin’s win was a rare bright spot for Democrats — and came in a state that Trump ultimately carried.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., will deliver the Spanish language response. Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Calif., will also give a response for progressives from the Working Families Party.
Economic concerns will likely be a focus of these rebuttal remarks. Democrats lost on the issue during the 2024 election and have made addressing rising prices a priority in their messaging. While Trump campaigned heavily on combating inflation, it has thus far not been a main focus of his presidency. Expect Trump’s close relationship with Musk to also face criticism.
Compiled from March 3 reports at Fox Digital by Brooke Singman and NPR by Elena Moore. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.
Questions
1. a) What is the State of the Union address?
b) When is the State of the Union given?
2. Why isn’t President Trump’s speech tonight a SOTU address?
3. What is the purpose of this address?
AFTER WATCHING THE ADDRESS, ANSWER THE FOLLOWING:
WITHOUT listening to any comments by the media, watch President Trump’s address to Congress and the American people and answer the following questions.
- To watch the address without comment, go to whitehouse.gov/joint-address or c-span.org
- To read the text of President Trump’s address, go to: whitehouse.gov
- or to read main points from the speech in tweet form, go to @POTUS
1. Tone is the attitude a speaker takes towards a subject. What was the tone of President Trump’s address? (optimistic, hopeful, energetic, even-tempered, pessimistic, discouraging, lethargic, bombastic, etc. …) Explain your answer.
2. What did the President say about the following: (What is his plan/purpose?)
a) DOGE findings, where we stand
b) tariffs / reciprocal trade
c) Border security/public safety/ICE deportations of criminal illegal aliens
d) making Trump tax cuts permanent through Congress
e) foreign policy: getting the hostages home, ending Hamas / Israel war, where we stand with Russia / Ukraine war peace agreement
f) other
3. a) Do you think the President is focusing on the correct issues in his first 100 days? Explain your answer.
b) Ask a parent the same question.
4. a) What issue presented by President Trump was the most important to you? Explain your answer.
b) Did any aspect of the speech disappoint or impress you? Explain your answer.
5. Watch/read/listen to reporting on President Trump’s address.
a) Are headlines positive, negative, or neither? Explain your answer. Give several examples.
b) Are reporters’ comments positive, negative, or neither? Explain your answer. Give several examples.
c) Do you think reporters accurately reported on the president's speech? Explain your answer.
Background
Traditionally, a president of the United States should be in office for a year before they give their first State of the Union address.
In a State of the Union address, the president usually reflects back on the past year and how the nation is doing, as well as uses the opportunity to highlight the administration’s legislative agenda — which needs congressional support — and priorities for the country.
The Constitution states that the president “shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”
However, (as with previous presidents), it is expected that President Trump will use Tuesday’s address to a joint session of Congress to continue outlining his goals for his administration. (from CNN)
What time is the joint address?
- President Trump's remarks to Congress are slated to begin Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST.
What TV channel or streaming platform can you watch it on?
- Trump's speech will be shown live on C-SPAN, all of the major network and cable television stations, as well as social media....
Where does the address happen?
- Trump's speech will take place in the U.S. House chamber. Larger than the Senate chamber, it can accommodate both House and Senate lawmakers as well as other officials who are typically invited to such events.
Who else will be there?
- Members of the U.S. Supreme Court and Trump's Cabinet will attend.
- There's always one Cabinet member missing, though. Called the “designated survivor,” that person — who by position is in the presidential line of succession — is intentionally left out of such events to ensure that someone could assume the office of the president in case of a catastrophic or mass-casualty event.
- The president typically invites guests who join the event from the balcony above the House floor and are seated with the first lady. Sometimes, there are personal connections, and other times the guests have an association with an issue the president intends to highlight in his remarks.
from NBC Chicago