President Donald Trump arrives to address a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Donald Trump Address to Joint Session of Congress Live Updates: US President Donald Trump is delivering an address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, his first since returning to the White House six weeks ago. The speech comes as the administration is seeking to dramatically reshape the federal government, crack down on illegal immigration and redefine the US role abroad.
Why isn’t this called the State of the Union? By tradition, a State of the Union address is meant to reflect on the past year. Since Donald Trump was only inaugurated for his second term on January 20, he has been in office for just over a month. For this reason, the speech is not officially labelled as a State of the Union. Instead, newly inaugurated presidents use their first joint congressional address to set the tone for their legislative agenda and outline their priorities. According to the Congressional Research Service, the average first-year address includes around 42 policy requests.
What happens afterward? Following Trump’s address, the opposing party—this year, the Democrats—will deliver a response. Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, formerly a House member, will give the Democratic response, which is expected to focus on economic issues. The speech will be televised.
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