(AFP) – Donald Trump will address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday and set out his vision for the United States and the world, both already shaken up by the president’s “America First” worldview and emboldened executive actions. His speech at the US Capitol — scheduled for 9:00 pm (0200 GMT Wednesday) — comes just six weeks after his inauguration and four years since his supporters stormed the building following his 2020 election defeat.
The Republican president is expected to tout the bevy of executive orders issued during his first 43 days in office and outline the remaining 1,419 days. Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Trump loyalist and former football coach, said on Instagram he expected the president to “highlight his administration’s wins so far and lay out a game plan for the next four years.” “One thing is for sure, it will be a lot different than the clown show we had to sit through the last four years under President (Joe) Biden,” said the Republican.
– Paradigm shift –
Trump, together with his billionaire adviser Elon Musk, have already shown their intent to push hard and fast to implement the president’s “Make America Great Again” agenda — even if it means testing the constitutional limits of his authority or straining ties with allies. Since his inauguration, Trump has moved to unilaterally dismantle federal agencies, fired thousands of government workers, and begun holding undocumented migrants at the US military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
He has also publicly mused about annexing Canada, using economic force if necessary, and claimed the European Union was created to “screw” the United States. Trump’s extraordinary public clash with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday, in which he berated his Ukrainian counterpart, was just the latest example of a US paradigm shift. Only a few members of his Republican Party, which narrowly controls both chambers of Congress, have publicly pushed back against the president. Legal attempts to thwart Trump and Musk’s government overhaul efforts continue to work their way through the courts, with the conservative-dominated Supreme Court expected to weigh in on several major questions. Members of the nine-member high court, three of whom were appointed by Trump during his first term, may attend his speech Tuesday, per custom.
– ‘Golden Age’ –
US Speaker Mike Johnson — a staunch Trump ally — invited the president in January to address Congress to share his “America First vision for our legislative future.” “America’s Golden Age has begun,” Johnson’s letter said, invoking a phrase used by Trump in his inaugural address. Trump’s tight grip on the Republican Party has only grown stronger since his 2024 comeback, and few are willing to risk losing their seat by antagonizing him and his base. But with narrow majorities and several competing factions, the party could struggle to push through his legislative agenda, including major tax cuts.
Democrats, meanwhile, are struggling to organize a united front capable of combating Trump’s media and political onslaught. Michigan’s new senator, Elissa Slotkin, will provide the traditional opposition rebuttal to the president’s address. The 48-year-old former CIA analyst, described by Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as a “rising star” in the party, said in a statement that she looked forward to “speaking directly to the American people.” “From our economic security to our national security, we’ve got to chart a way forward that actually improves people’s lives in the country we all love,” she said, without mentioning Trump.
– Robin LEGRAND
© 2024 AFP
