Trump's State of the Union: Tariffs, Ukraine, and government shakeup
During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday (at 9 PM Eastern Time), Donald Trump will deliver a State of the Union address to Congress. Media outlets and experts suggest that the Republican will speak about tariffs, purges in government agencies, and Ukraine. He will also present his plan for the next four years.
Donald Trump will deliver a State of the Union address to Congress for the first time since returning to the White House. However, as indicated by Axios, in the first year of a president's term, it is not called a State of the Union address, although it serves the same purpose.
The media outline several major topics the president may discuss, noting that in his first six weeks, Trump launched a federal government review led by DOGE, dismantled USAID, and moved to shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Axios emphasizes that the speech takes place just days after a dispute at the White House between Trump, J.D. Vance, and Volodymyr Zelensky. During his first term, Trump's addresses lasted an average of 80 minutes.
"Important moment"
Americanist Rafał Michalski highlights on platform X that the address "takes place at an important moment." The Trump administration has just announced that it is halting military aid to Ukraine. In his opinion, the White House is not informing Republicans in Congress about its plans concerning the Russian invasion.
An American law and politics expert added that during the first trade war, the tariffs were not "universally well-received by Americans (and by Republican politicians themselves—especially from New England)."
Today's speech will be significant, as for the first time, the president will clearly "explain himself" to Congress - Michalski believes.
ABC Television reports that in the initial weeks of his term, Trump sought to significantly restructure institutions by removing long-standing officials and appointing close allies to key government positions, including typically nonpartisan roles. Furthermore, he weakened Congress’s authority by freezing funding for programs he opposes. The cuts were overseen by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by his close associate Elon Musk.
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