President Trump’s Capitol address: The agenda takes shape

US President Donald Trump will address Congress from the US Capitol at around 02:00 GMT Wednesday, marking his first appearance before lawmakers since retaking the White House. He’s expected to outline his vision for a wide range of domestic and foreign policy initiatives.

In his second term, President Trump has wasted no time getting started. He’s signed a series of executive orders in just a few weeks, and he promises even more are on the way. During his inaugural speech, he declared that “the golden age of America” had arrived, identifying immigration, trade, and national security as top priorities.

On the international front, the President recently held a turbulent Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Following that meeting, he announced a pause on military aid to Ukraine.

Turning to trade, another round of tariffs went into effect on March 4. Tariffs on Chinese imports have doubled to 20%, while imports from Canada and Mexico now face a 25% tariff (with a lower 10% rate for Canadian energy). President Trump also revealed plans to impose tariffs on “external” agricultural products starting April 2, along with automobile tariffs and country-by-country reciprocal tariffs set to begin the same day.