5 things to watch as Trump delivers joint address to Congress

President Trump will head to the Capitol on Tuesday for the first joint address of his second term emboldened by a month of mass federal agency slashing, shocking foreign policy moves and a dizzying array of executive actions that have disrupted Washington and beyond.

Trump will show off such prowess before a joint session of Congress in the House chamber, where his Cabinet secretaries, Supreme Court justices, House and Senate lawmakers, and perhaps the controversial Elon Musk prepare to be his live audience.

The president is expected to tout his sweeping efforts to reshape the government, crack down on immigration and reorient U.S. foreign policy on the heels of an Oval Office spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Here are five things to watch for in his prime-time speech.

Musk and DOGE

The White House has yet to say whether Musk will be in attendance, and if so where he will sit, but Musk has joined Trump both in the Oval Office and at his first Cabinet meeting, where he spoke at length, sometimes for longer than Trump.

Musk has been put in charge of spending cuts and worker firings within the federal government that the administration says has so far totaled in the billions of dollars. Trump has floated the idea that 20 percent of that could go to taxpayers and another 20 percent toward paying down U.S. debt, but some budget hawks want the deficit taken care of before rebates are sent out.

Trump also has to defend the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Musk despite widespread controversy over the manner in which agencies have been slashed and workers fired on the spot, sometimes over one-line emails.

Some Republicans have faced pushback at town halls in recent weeks over the cuts the billionaire tech executive has implemented.

There’s also ongoing concerns from Democrats and some Republicans about the scope of the cuts that DOGE is implementing, especially as the team has overhauled the work of the U.S. Agency for International Development and targeted the critical work of the Internal Revenue Service and Federal Aviation Administration, among other departments.

Meanwhile, congressional Democrats are bringing fired federal workers to the speech to highlight their opposition to DOGE’s sweeping cuts.

What Trump will say about Ukraine

The speech comes right on the heels of Trump on Monday night pausing aid to Ukraine in an about-face of U.S. foreign policy amid his public clash with Zelensky starting in the Oval Office late last week.

Trump also called off peace talks with Zelensky but said Monday that a minerals deal was not completely off the table.

Trump’s remarks may provide more clarity on the path forward for U.S. policy toward Ukraine.

“We’re making a speech — you probably heard about it — tomorrow night. So I’ll let you know tomorrow night,” Trump told reporters Monday when asked about discussions around Ukraine.

The president said a proposed deal for the U.S. to invest in Ukraine’s critical mineral supply was still possible, but that Zelensky “should be more appreciative” if he wants to restart talks.

Some Republicans have in recent days suggested Zelensky was not the right leader for Kyiv moving forward, while Democrats have warned the Trump administration is playing into Russia’s hands.

Trump on Monday doubled down on criticizing Zelensky, bashing him for saying that a deal to end the war is “is still very, very far away.” Zelensky later said “we need real peace” and insisted on security guarantees, adding “it is very important that we try to make our diplomacy really substantive.”

New agenda items

The news out of the second Trump administration keeps coming at a frenetic pace, but Trump on Tuesday will have perhaps his biggest prime-time audience since retaking office.

Trump has used his time before cameras at the White House to make major announcements on tariffs, immigration and foreign policy, including when he stunned the world with his unexpected plan for a U.S. takeover of Gaza and an Oval Office fight with Zelensky that he said would make “great television.”

Trump may find more opportunities for fireworks from the dais, particularly those regarding how he plans to advance his legislative agenda, which he has suggested could be done in one or two sweeping packages involving tax cut extensions, border funding and energy investments.

“Tomorrow night will be big. I will tell it like it is,” Trump posted Monday on Truth Social. The day before the speech, Trump announced additional tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico will now go into effect the day of his address and that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company will make a $100 billion investment in U.S. chip manufacturing plants.

How Democrats respond

Trump has had limited interactions with Democrats on Capitol Hill since taking office, meeting with bipartisan governors at the White House but largely avoiding Democratic members of Congress.

That is set to change on Tuesday, with many Democrats slated to attend Trump’s speech.

All eyes will be on whether Democrats jeer or heckle Trump or conduct some type of silent protest. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) famously ripped up her copy of Trump’s State of the Union address in 2020 to show her displeasure with his speech.

Democratic women have also attended previous of Trump's State of the Union addresses wearing all white to symbolize women’s rights and suffrage.

Trump has taken jabs at former President Biden in various comments to the media since taking office and could use the address as another opportunity to criticize his predecessor, leading to more fireworks.

Still, joint addresses to Congress have typically contained some type of outreach to the other party to work on behalf of the American people. Biden used his joint addresses to advocate for issues that he said should be bipartisan, such as care for veterans and addressing the opioid epidemic.

In Trump’s case, much of it will come down to whether he and his team view the speech as an opportunity to broaden his appeal, or another chance to double down on the mandate he has claimed in the wake of the 2024 election.

Shutdown threat looms

Trump will speak to lawmakers 10 days before a government funding deadline that could lead to a shutdown if no agreement is reached.

The potential for a shutdown has been overshadowed in the early weeks of Trump’s term by the president’s own actions, as well as congressional Republicans’ efforts to get moving on his agenda.

Trump last week publicly backed a “clean, temporary government funding bill,” urging lawmakers to pass a continuing resolution that would keep the government funded through September.

The question is whether Trump can get Republicans unified around that idea. Some Republicans have called for incorporating spending cuts into any funding measure after DOGE identified various contracts it deemed wasteful.

Including DOGE cuts in appropriations, however, would spark outcry from Democrats and almost certainly lead to a government shutdown. The narrow margin in the House leaves little wiggle room for Republicans, and Trump may use his speech to urge lawmakers to avoid a worst-case scenario of a messy shutdown.

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