Trump to Address Congress for the First Time in Five Years

The president is expected to defend his strategies for ending the Ukraine war, securing the border, and using tariffs to bolster U.S. manufacturing.

President Donald Trump speaks to the crowd alongside Vice President JD Vance (L); House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) (3rd R); Johnson's wife, Kelly Johnson (2nd R); and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) in Emancipation Hall after Trump's inauguration at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025. Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—When President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, he is expected to outline his policy agenda with a focus on three pressing challenges: the war in Ukraine, tariffs, and a potential government shutdown.

This will be Trump’s first address to Congress since his 2020 State of the Union address, less than two months before the pandemic upended his first administration’s priorities. Trump’s talk will mark the only time a president has given a post-inaugural address to Congress after a five-year gap.