In speech to Congress, Trump is expected to boast about Doge cuts and Ukraine

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is expected to boast about his assault on the federal bureaucracy and his efforts to upend global relationships during an address to a joint session of Congress on March 5, even as his administration faces lawsuits over his domestic agenda and Europe rebukes him over his treatment of Ukraine.

Addressing his largest television audience since his return to power, Mr Trump is expected to speak about the speed with which he has pushed through reductions in border crossings, cuts to government through the Department of Government Efficiency, known as Doge, and a slew of executive orders. He is also expected to emphasise the need to pass his legislative agenda, which includes some US$4 trillion (S$5.38 trillion) in tax cuts.

“He’s going to talk about the great things he’s done: The border’s secure, the waste he’s finding with DOGE,” said Representative Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chair of the Judiciary Committee, who speaks frequently with Mr Trump. “He’s going to keep laying out his vision, where he wants the country to go.”

For Mr Trump, it will be a remarkable return to a chamber – and a prime-time, nationwide audience – he last addressed five years ago, before voters ousted him from office and replaced him with Mr Joe Biden. Mr Trump’s return has set in motion a rapid-fire series of actions designed to overturn decades of policy and diplomacy.

During his first term, the president delivered an annual speech to Congress that included a mix of exaggerations and grievance-filled attacks on his enemies. He is poised to do the same March 5 night, using one of the largest platforms that any modern president gets during his time in the Oval Office.

Mr Trump hinted March 3 that he might use the speech to extend his public feud with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine after

the Oval Office blowup between the two leaders last week.

Asked by a reporter whether a deal to share rare-earth minerals was still possible after the shouting, Mr Trump said that “I’ll let you know,” adding: “We’re making a speech, you probably heard.”

Later he said of Mr Zelensky: “I just think he should be more appreciative.”

Mr Trump is facing a litany of lawsuits over

his sweeping executive actions,

cuts to the federal government and layoffs of federal workers, which have been spearheaded by Mr Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a top adviser to the President.

Resistance to Mr Musk’s aggressive efforts, especially by courts around the country, has frustrated the President and those around him. During his first term, Mr Trump often lashed out at judges when they stood in the way of his agenda.

The President’s critics are bracing for more of the same March 5 as they struggle to slow down the pace of firings and spending cuts at federal agencies.

Democrats plan to highlight how those cuts to the federal government have hurt veterans. Representative Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said he would bring Mr Adam Mulvey, an army veteran who served the country for 20 years, as his guest.

Mr Mulvey was one month shy of ending his probationary period at his job at Lovell Federal Health Care Center when he was fired on Feb 13 in the middle of the night. He was one of nearly 6,000 veterans who were fired during two weeks in February.

“It is disgraceful that Elon Musk and a group of unelected, unvetted Doge bros are treating veterans like Adam with arrogant disrespect and utter disregard,” Mr Schneider said.

Republicans were expecting Mr Trump to focus on his administration’s success cracking down on the border. There has been a dramatic drop in the number of people gathering at the US border and trying to cross.

Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said she planned to invite Mr Scott Root, the father of Ms Sarah Root, as her guest. Ms Sarah Root was killed in 2016, the night of her college graduation, by a suspected drunken driver who was in the country illegally.

“After a nine-year battle for change, this week we remember Sarah and the fact that under the leadership of President Trump, our nation’s laws will no longer prioritise illegal immigrants over Americans,” Ms Ernst said.

While Mr Trump is barreling ahead with executive actions, his legislative agenda is moving more slowly through Congress.

The President is seeking to pass some US$4 trillion in tax cuts and get new funding for deportation efforts, while hard-line members of the House are seeking deep cuts to pay for that agenda. It is not clear where those cuts will come from, particularly as proposals to cut into Medicaid have proved unpopular.

Mr Trump has said repeatedly since Inauguration Day that his administration has turned around what he claimed was a failing economy, ignoring strong job growth throughout the four years of Mr Biden’s presidency. Mr Trump is likely to talk about

the tariffs he is planning to impose on Canada, Mexico, China and European countries,

even though many economists say they fear that the result could be inflation and supply disruption in the United States. NY TIMES