President Trump will address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, six weeks after being sworn into office.
University of Michigan speech and debate expert Aaron Kall, editor and co-author of "Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States: Addresses to a Joint Session of Congress," said he expects the speech to last 90 minutes, giving the president ample time-as compared to a shorter inauguration speech-to talk in-depth about issues such as tariffs, tax cuts, Ukraine, immigration, etc.
How common is it for a president to speak before Congress within the first 90 days in office?
There is an expectation for newly elected presidents to address a joint session of Congress within the first few months after being in office. Though not technically considered a State of the Union address, the high-profile speech usually reaches tens of millions of Americans. It allows presidents to highlight recent accomplishments while detailing a laundry list of legislative goals for the following months. President Trump likely won't command such a large viewing audience again until his 2026 State of the Union address. With Republican Congressional majorities being quite narrow, the address allows the president to use the bully pulpit of the office to command attention to important agenda items.
At his inaugural address, Trump discussed his vision for the future. He plans to do the same before Congress. What new information will be gleaned?
These days, major excerpts from Congressional addresses are selectively leaked to the media to increase anticipation. This makes policy surprises less likely, but every once in a while, genuine news is made during the evening. President Trump also has a habit of veering off the teleprompter and his prepared remarks in these settings. There have also been infamous exchanges between presidents and audience members in recent years, making this event must-watch television.
The Democrats will have a chance after the speech to offer a rebuttal. Of course, we don't know specifics about Trump's speech, but based on his early days in office, what do you think the Democrats will focus on?
New Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin was unexpectedly chosen to deliver the Democratic rebuttal. The rebuttal is considered the most difficult speech to deliver in politics for a variety of reasons. Senator Slotkin will have a general idea in advance of the major themes in President Trump's speech to forcefully counter, but she will only have about 10 or 15 minutes to do so very late at night in front of a much smaller audience. Senator Slotkin's bipartisan background, combined with strong national security credentials, will make her a formidable counterweight to President Trump. She will likely have a laser-like focus on economic and kitchen table issues, as prices, inflation and tariffs remain too high for many. Senator Slotkin will also defend President Zelensky and democratic efforts in Ukraine, given the recent Oval Office blowup.
