WATCH LIVE: Donald Trump’s address to Congress
President Donald Trump will make his maiden speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.
President Trump will begin his remarks around 9 p.m. EST. Watch on this page.
Trump will stride down the center aisle to lusty cheers and hearty handshakes from his Republican supporters. First lady Melania Trump, accompanied by special guests, will smile from the gallery above.
From there, though, the president who favors disruption over decorum can take the night in any number of directions. So can the Democrats who oppose him.
The White House is promising that Trump’s first address to Congress will be a forward-looking one about the “renewal of the American spirit.”
The speech offers Trump an opportunity to stand before millions of viewers around the United States and the world, and try to reframe his presidency after a chaotic opening in which he’s rattled world leaders, railed against leaked information, engaged in open warfare with the press and seen his signature effort to halt some immigration thwarted by the courts. He probably will stress early achievements such as his nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court and a series of executive orders to rein in government.
Majority Republicans in the House and Senate will be closely watching the prime-time address for guidance, marching orders or any specifics Trump might embrace on health care or taxes, areas where some of his preferences remain a mystery.
In a Monday meeting with the nation’s governors, Trump said his address to Congress will also include a “big statement” on his plans to rebuild the nation’s roads and bridges. He said he’ll also provide more details on his plans to rebuild the military. Trump said he wants to overhaul the nation’s tax system but it’s a “tiny little ant” compared to what he has to do with Obamacare.
PBS NewsHour will update this story as it develops.