Trump speech to Congress: Trump airs familiar grievances in address before Congress

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Last updated: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 4:56AM GMT
Trump defends tariffs, government cuts in address to divided Congress
The president touted the moves his administration has made in his first weeks in office, touching on tariffs, the war in Ukraine and the border.

President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, six weeks into his historic return to the White House.

During the speech, Trump said "America is back" and defended the tariffs on key U.S. trading partners. He touched on immigration and the mineral deal with Ukraine, but neglected to go into detail on his economic plan. The speech was also met with protests and disruptions from Democrats.

Mar 05, 2025, 4:48 AM

Fact-checking Pres. Trump's speech to Congress

ABC News, along with PolitiFact, is live fact-checking Trump's speech statements that are exaggerated, need more context or are false.

READ MORE | Fact-checking Pres. Trump's speech to Congress

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
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Mar 04, 2025, 8:52 PM GMT

What is an address to the joint session of Congress?

Since this speech will be Trump's first during his second term, it's not referred to as a "State of the Union" -- although both the address to the joint session and State of the Union are effectively the same.

The address is called the State of the Union for the years that don't include the president's inauguration.

The speech is a presidential duty mandated in the Constitution, which calls for the president "from time to time to give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union."

ByIsabella Murray ABCNews logo
Mar 04, 2025, 8:14 PM GMT

Senate Democrats blast Trump's 1st month in office ahead of joint address

Senate Democrats blasted President Donald Trump's first month in office ahead of his address to a joint session of Congress, gathering for a news conference on Tuesday while holding up photos of the guests they're bringing to the speech, including fired bureaucrats and others who have been negatively affected by the White House's moves to slash the federal workforce.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) (C) and fellow Senate Democrats outside U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) (C) and fellow Senate Democrats outside U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.

"We think one of the best ways to let the American people know how horrible Donald Trump's first 30 days have been is to bring those who have been affected, the victims of his malevolence, of his desire, the tax breaks for the billionaires and make Americans pay for it," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate steps.

"Americans who voted for the president didn't sign up for this. They wanted lower costs. ... What is the State of the Union, we ask? Chaos is up, corruption is up, and costs are up for regular people," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., added.

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Mar 04, 2025, 11:29 PM GMT

How to watch and stream

ABC News will have special coverage of Trump's speech from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET on ABC and ABC News Live, which streams on Disney+, Hulu and other digital platforms as well.

MORE | How to watch, stream Trump's address to the joint session of Congress

"World News Tonight" anchor and managing editor David Muir will lead the coverage and be joined by ABC News Live "Prime" anchor and "World News Tonight" Sunday anchor Linsey Davis, chief Washington correspondent and "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl, chief global affairs correspondent and "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz, chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce, chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas, chief business, economics and technology correspondent Rebecca Jarvis, senior political correspondent Rachel Scott, national correspondent Mireya Villarreal and multiplatform reporter Jay O'Brien.

ABC News Digital will have wall-to-wall coverage, including a live blog with up-to-the-minute commentary on the major themes of the address and response from ABC News' team of experts, notable moments and key takeaways from the evening, and a fact check. 538 will have data-driven previews and reactions to the address, too.

MORE | What to expect from Trump's address to Congress