President Donald Trump offered a big revelation about his speech to the nation on Tuesday night as he prepares to lay his agenda for the next year.
‘TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG. I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!,’ he announced in a Truth Social post.
It’s unclear what he’ll reveal when he steps up on the dais in the House of Representatives. He’s not seemed to have held back at all in his first six weeks in office.
His speech comes as he pushes to slash the federal government, close agencies, and fire hundreds of workers.
He had a jaw-dropping showdown with Ukrainian President Zelensky in the Oval Office and pardoned hundreds of his MAGA supporters who stormed into the Capitol on January 6th.
He’ll also drop long-promised tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Tuesday because of what he calls ‘very high and unacceptable levels’ of fentanyl flowing across the northern and southern borders.
And he needs lawmakers to come to an agreement on federal spending.
The government faces a shutdown on March 14 if lawmakers cannot pass a budget. Republicans are fighting with one another on the final figure – on how much the federal government should spend for the rest of the 2025 fiscal year.
And Democrats want reassurances Trump will spend the money as Congress allocates it. They’ve also questioned if Trump can legally fire federal workers and end federal contracts without congressional approval.
Some Democratic lawmakers are inviting fired federal workers to the speech as their guest. Each member of Congress gets a plus one.
Trump, for his part, seems ready to go it alone with his executive team on his side, wielding his power with no checks or balances.
He has pushed Elon Musk and his DOGE department to do more to cut down on the size and scope of the federal government.
He’s used executive orders to make English the official language and declare there are only two genders.
He’s referred to himself as royalty, writing on his social media accounts: ‘LONG LIVE THE KING!’
The American people seem unsure of what to make of Trump’s second term: a CBS News poll gave him a 51% approval rating, a CNN poll gave him a 48% approval rating.
But even as Trump seeks to expand the power of the executive branch, he will need Congress’ help on a few parts of his agenda – particularly on extending the tax cuts he pushed for in 2017.
He’s expected to speak on the economy, double down on his support for the Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, and talk about ways he wants to reduce illegal immigration.
Trump’s speech is scheduled to begin Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.
A joint address to Congress is different from the State of the Union. In their first year in office, presidents are typically invited to address a joint session in the spring, when they would typically give a State of the Union address.
But because the commander-in-chief has only been in office a few months, the speech is more of a look ahead for the nation.
Senate and House members from both parties will be in attendance with Vice President JD Vance and Speaker Mike Johnson seated behind the president.
Members of the U.S. Supreme Court and Trump’s Cabinet will attend.
First lady Melania Trump will be there in her box with her invited guests.
Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who previously served in the House, will give the Democrats’ response after Trump concludes.