President Donald Trump’s seventh week in office will spotlight his first joint session of Congress address since his return to the Oval Office in January.
Trump is scheduled to speak before all members of Congress on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.
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.
Trump and his administration have been working at a breakneck pace to realign the federal government with the president’s Make America Great Again policies, including Department of Government Efficiency chair Elon Musk and his team poring through federal agencies in the search for overspending, fraud and mismanagement, and prioritizing border security. The 47th president has signed at least 76 executive orders since his inauguration in January, in addition to dozens of other executive actions and proclamations.
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The address comes after Trump and Vice President JD Vance had a fiery meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, which was cut short when Trump asked the Ukraine leader to leave.
The White House meeting grew tense in approximately its final 10 minutes after Vance said that peace would be reached between Russia and Ukraine through U.S. diplomacy efforts.
“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people,” Trump added at one point during the meeting. “You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country.”
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Vance interjected, asking Zelenskyy whether he had “said thank you once this entire meeting.” He also added that Zelenskyy “went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October” and that he should “offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.”
Trump said on social media after the meeting that Zelenskyy could return to the White House “when he is ready for peace.”
Zelenskyy traveled to the U.K. over the weekend, joining European leaders to hash out a potential peace deal.
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U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told local media that he had spoken with Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the U.K. and France taking the reins on crafting a plan for peace that will be presented to the U.S.
“Let me be clear, we agree with Trump on the urgent need for a durable peace. Now we need to deliver together,” Starmer said at a press conference on Sunday. He added that the U.K. is willing to put “boots on the ground” in its support of Ukraine.
“The U.K. is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air. Together with others, Europe must do the heavy lifting. But to support peace in our continent and to succeed, this effort must have strong U.S. backing,” he added.
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In addition to his address to Congress and the ongoing efforts related to the war in Ukraine this week, Trump is also expected to hit Canada and Mexico with tariffs on Tuesday.
Trump signed an executive order last month authorizing tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China through the new International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The tariffs included 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on imports from China.
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Both Canada and Mexico agreed to concessions with Trump the day before the tariffs were set to take effect, pledging to send additional security personnel to their respective borders with the U.S. Trump agreed to pause the tariffs on the two nations for one month in light of the border security concessions.
The month’s pause ends this week, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick saying on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that tariffs will go into effect on Tuesday, but he did not elaborate on what the tariffs will entail.
“That is a fluid situation,” Lutnick said.
“There are going to be tariffs on Tuesday on Mexico and Canada. Exactly what they are, we’re going to leave that for the president and his team to negotiate,” he added.
