US President Donald Trump is set to deliver the state of the Union address later today.
It will be his first State of the Union address of his second term. Trump, like most newly elected Presidents, addressed a joint session of Congress last year, but it was not an official State of the Union.
He is expected to use his State of the Union address to champion his immigration crackdowns, his slashing of the federal government, his push to preserve widespread tariffs that the Supreme Court just struck down and his ability to direct quick-hit military actions around the world, including in Iran and Venezuela.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump will argue that Republicans are best suited to continue tackling the public’s concerns about the cost of living.
“The President’s going to make the case that three more years with him in the White House and with Republicans on Capitol Hill we can finally achieve the American dream in this country again that we had in his first term but was lost because of Joe Biden and the Democrats over the past four years.”
Karoline Leavitt
She added that the speech will also be a “celebration” of 250 years of America’s independence.
She stated that Trump will tell stories about “everyday Americans who have benefited from his policies” and also share “tear-jerking stories of American heroes, past and present, who really exemplify what it means to be a patriotic American.”
The United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4.
Leavitt said that one of the missions Trump will talk about during the speech is last summer’s Operation Midnight Hammer, in which the US bombed several nuclear sites in Iran.
Trump, who says those sites were “obliterated,” is again threatening Iran with military action and flooding the region with US military assets if Iran fails to reach an agreement with the US over its nuclear program. Another round of negotiations is set for Thursday in Switzerland.
“You’ll hear the President proudly and rightfully say that the United States military is the strongest and most lethal fighting force in the world.
“And you will hear him talk about the threats that remain abroad” and “what the United States is doing to ensure that not only America is the safest country in the world, but remains the strongest country in the world.”
Karoline Leavitt
Trump is also expected to decry the Supreme Court ruling against his signature tariff policies and talk about his attempts to maneuver around that decision without depending on Congress or spooking financial markets.
He’s also likely to urge lawmakers to increase military funding and tighten voter identification requirements, while defending immigration operations that have drawn bipartisan criticism following the shooting deaths of two American citizens.
Spanberger To Deliver Democrats’ Response To State of the Union Address
Democrats’ response to Trump’s State of the Union address will be delivered by Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, whose affordability-focused message helped her flip a Republican-held office last November.
Several Democrats in Congress, meanwhile, plan to skip Trump’s speech in protest, instead attending a rally known as the “People’s State of the Union” on Washington’s National Mall.
Spanberger, who also served three terms in the US House, will have far less time than the Republican President to make her case.
Trump’s speech before Congress last year stretched to an hour and 40 minutes, while Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin’s Democratic response lasted just over 10 minutes. Trump on Monday told reporters that his State of the Union is “going to be a long speech, because we have so much to talk about.”
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) will give a Spanish-language response, and Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) will deliver the reply to Trump on behalf of progressives.
