What you need to know about Trump’s address to joint session of Congress

President Trump will deliver 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 U.S. role abroad.

He will address Congress at a time when Republicans hold a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Despite those majorities, progress on delivering legislation to fund the president’s key campaign promises has been slow going.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of Tuesday night’s speech.

What time is the address?

Trump’s speech is set to start at 9 p.m. ET. NPR’s live special coverage and analysis of the president’s joint address and the Democratic response will also begin at 9 p.m. ET.

You can tune in on many public radio stations or in the NPR app, tell your Alexa device to “Ask NPR to play Special Coverage” and also watch our live in-studio video coverage here and on NPR.org

What will Trump talk about?

Trump has launched a blitz of actions since taking office, and Tuesday’s address will offer him an opportunity to tout his agenda to viewers in prime time — many of whom could have concerns, according to a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. The poll found that 53% of respondents think the state of the union is not strong, and 54% say the country is headed in the wrong direction.

In his address, Trump is likely to double down on his administration’s government restructuring initiative, known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Trump has turned to billionaire Elon Musk to lead.

As part of this effort, the administration has moved to lay off tens of thousands of federal workers and essentially closed multiple agencies — resulting in mass confusion among federal employees and a slew of legal battles.

Trump is also expected to talk about his plans for reducing illegal immigration. Days after taking office, he suspended the asylum process at the southern border as well as refugee resettlement. He also moved to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to parents without legal status, but that effort has since been blocked by two federal judges. The White House has sought to portray the crackdown on illegal immigration as a wholesale success, but critics say that the administration’s hard-line policy is feeding into misperceptions about immigrants and crime.

Tariffs may also be a big focus of the address. Trump has already imposed a 10% tariff on Chinese goods and has vowed to impose steep tariffs on Mexico and Canada. The president has said the tariffs are aimed at reducing illegal border crossings and the amount of fentanyl entering the U.S., even as federal data show crossings and fentanyl smuggling both falling.

Trump has also signed an executive order expanding steel and aluminum tariffs and another aimed at imposing “reciprocal tariffs” on U.S. trading partners.

On foreign policy, expect lots of attention on anything Trump may say about ending the wars between Israel and Hamas and Russia and Ukraine.

In the Middle East, Trump has said he wants the U.S. to take ownership of the Gaza Strip and redevelop the territory — in what would be a drastic and unprecedented shift in U.S. relations in the region. He has provided little additional detail on how the effort would work.

The role of the U.S. in brokering a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is another open question, particularly after last week’s heated Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

This speech is not a State of the Union address, why? 

An address to a joint session of Congress is similar to a State of the Union address — each happens in the same place and around the same time each year. But they have slightly different purposes.

A State of the Union address allows a sitting president to recap their accomplishments over the past year in office. For a newly sworn-in president, the joint address is an opportunity to lay out an initial agenda.

That said, Trump is in a unique situation. He is offering a far different playbook from his predecessor, but will also stand in front of lawmakers as a second-term president with a ticking clock. He’s the first president to serve two non-consecutive terms in more than 130 years.

Who is delivering the Democratic response?

First-term Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., will provide remarks following Trump’s address on Tuesday. In a year that saw Democrats lose their majority in the Senate, Slotkin’s win was a rare bright spot for Democrats — and came in a state that Trump ultimately carried.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., will deliver the Spanish language response. Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Calif., will also give a response for progressives from the Working Families Party.

Economic concerns will likely be a focus of these rebuttal remarks. Democrats lost on the issue during the 2024 election and have made addressing rising prices a priority in their messaging. While Trump campaigned heavily on combating inflation, it has thus far not been a main focus of his presidency. Expect Trump’s close relationship with Musk to also face criticism.