Trump To Address First Joint Congress Session Shortly — Where To Watch Live

Trump told advisers earlier in the day that he intended to announce the deal during his speech. However, they cautioned that nothing had been signed yet and that the situation remained fluid.

US President Donald Trump addressed Congress on Thursday after his new tariffs against Mexico, Canada, and China drove the US, a move that drove markets sharply downward for the second straight day.

This is also his first speech to Congress since taking office on January 20, after reshaping US foreign policy, reducing the federal workforce, and pushing the boundaries of presidential authority during a whirlwind six weeks in office.

Trump will address the House of Representatives in the same chamber where, just over four years ago, lawmakers took cover as a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol in a failed attempt to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 victory.

According to Reuters, Trump told advisers early in the day that he wanted to announce the mineral deal in his speech, though they cautioned that nothing has been signed yet and the situation could change. On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News there was "no signing planned" for a minerals deal, a reporter for the network said on X. 

Where To Watch Trump Address

Trump's speech is set to start at 9 PM local time. NPR's live special coverage and analysis of the president's joint address and the Democratic response will also begin at 9 PM local time. People can tune in on many public radio stations or in the NPR app, tell the Alexa device to "Ask NPR to play Special Coverage", and can also watch live in-studio video coverage on NPR.org.

What Congress Expects

US Congressman Zach Nunn told the media that they will have a “a great opportunity to hear from President Trump on three key issues - American energy independence, national security and getting our economy back on track”. He said the administration has done a good job in putting America first.

US Congressman Greg Stanton said that it wouldn’t be a good speech because Trump has to explain why he proposed to cut health care for the American people in the form of a Medicare system. Aside from this, Trump will have to explain why he turned his back on Ukraine and “switched sides in the war” because it sends the wrong message to US allies. He said that Trump would also have to explain when the prices should be lowered for Americans. He has decided on tariffs against the neighbours, which has raised prices for America, which is “exactly the opposite of what he told the American people".

While speaking to the media, US Congressman Dusty Johnson says, "I think Donald Trump is going to talk a lot about the illegal crossings, Ukraine war. We want a lasting and fair peace. It seems like he has got a mineral deal that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might be in favour of and that could be a good development".

Meanwhile, Trump is also expected to highlight the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to reduce federal spending during his address to Congress, according to CNN. Elon Musk’s DOGE has implemented workforce reductions and agency closures, moves that have drawn criticism from Democrats.