U.S. President Trump is preparing to address a joint session of Congress tonight, marking his first appearance before both chambers since returning to office six weeks ago.

Presidents typically use this early address to Congress to present their vision or agenda. This speech is not a formal State of the Union but rather an Address to a Joint Session of Congress.

According to reports, tonight’s speech will take place in the same chamber where, four years ago, lawmakers took cover during the unrest caused by a mob of Trump supporters, and where figures like Nancy Pelosi and Liz Cheney vowed to block his return to office. It is also the chamber where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was honored for his efforts in resisting Russia’s invasion during the early stages of that conflict.

When is Donald Trump’s speech scheduled?
The speech is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET (7:30 a.m. IST on Wednesday). In his first term, Trump’s 2017 joint address to Congress lasted around an hour.

Where to watch Donald Trump’s speech live online?
Several U.S. media outlets will stream the speech live on YouTube and social media platforms, including C-SPAN. The Associated Press will also offer a livestream on its website and YouTube channel.

Top five key agendas likely to be featured in Donald Trump’s speech to Congress:

  1. Efficiency and Overhaul of Governments
    Trump is most likely going to call attention to DOGE, headed by Elon Musk, which focuses on streamlining federal bureaucracy. He is also expected to talk about cost-cutting efforts with the government workforce reduction and projected impact on government spending. While the Democrats are bringing as guests several fired employees, Trump would most probably talk about defending the impacts of overhaul in defense of these changes.
  2. Immigration and Security of the Borders
    Trump probably will speak about how his administration’s immigration policy has helped to deter the illegal entry of immigrants into the United States. He may touch on complications associated with the expansion of the scope of deportation operations, noting concerns with respect to the ICE’s capacity and the agency’s ability to fulfill his endpoints. Trump could reaffirm his promise to border security and deportation, a subject he ran on.
  3. Top Economic Priorities and Inflation
    Americans have a lot of worries over the economy and inflation, so Trump will, most likely, talk about plans to majorly counteract rising prices so as to give the public some optimism. His speech may also defend the import tariffs that would be implemented against Canada and Mexico, usually considered part of his economic policy while many were worrying about an inevitable trade war.
  4. Legislative Agenda and Republican Confrontations
    He might talk about his legislative priorities for the last two years of his presidency, including more tax cuts, defense, energy reforms, and border control. Particularly since Congress is so narrowly Republican, it will be particularly useful for Trump to bring legislators behind his agenda while also addressing the specifics of how difficult it is to move through the Senate.
  5. External Policy and the Relations Between the US and Ukraine
    After the latest fallout with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump plans to explain his peculiar way on Ukraine and Russia to why he called for a halt to military assistance to Ukraine. Additionally, he could expatiate on the foreign policy approach of his administration that may include drifting away from continued intervention in the Ukraine conflict and toward prioritization on national security.