Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, which started Tuesday at 9:18 p.m., comes days after last week’s showdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. The pair’s unprecedented meeting upended a rare earth minerals deal between the two countries as Trump tries to negotiate peace between Ukraine and Russia.

Trump’s speech also comes hours after he imposed 25% tariffs on allies Canada and Mexico, sending the stock market into a downward spiral.

But as much as critics complain about those and other decisions Trump has made, including his seemingly endless support of Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency, they simultaneously earn the president praise from his own proponents. That is before considering the record-breaking number of executive actions he has taken less than 100 days since inauguration, from ending diversity programs and foreign aid funding and even trying to end birthright citizenship.

The White House previewed Trump’s prime-time remarks, themed “The Renewal of the American Dream,” as an opportunity for him to champion what he has achieved during the last two-and-a-half months, though he went back further to commemorate last year’s election as well.

While White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt promoted Trump’s appearance as “must-watch TV,” the president himself promised it “will be big.”

“I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!” the president wrote on social media.

But amid the stock market’s response to his tariff announcements, a White House official told the Washington Examiner that Trump would speak to what he and his administration have done and continue to do to “fix the economic mess created by the Biden administration and end inflation for all Americans.”

The Dow lost 670 points, or 1.55%, at 42,521, the broader S&P 500 was down 1.22%, and the Nasdaq Composite fell by 0.35% on Tuesday.

The White House has conceded to the Washington Examiner that February’s consumer price index, poised to be published next week, could undermine Trump’s campaign pledge to decrease inflation from day one.

Trump had hoped his energy policies would put downward pressure on prices. Inflation increased in the month ending January by 0.5% for an annual rate of 3%

Concerns regarding the economy are partly the reason behind Trump’s approval rating decline, which, as of Tuesday, was net positive 1 percentage point at 49% approval.

Trump is also expected to use the platform Tuesday to implore Congress to provide more funding for his administration to deport illegal immigrants and build the border wall as Republicans, who have majorities, however slim, in both chambers, remain in disagreement over how to keep the federal government open after March 14 and pass the president’s priorities, including tax reform.

Tax cuts introduced through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 are scheduled to expire on Dec. 31.

“The speech is just a perfect opportunity to use the bully pulpit, and the presidency, and all the advantages that come with that to command the attention of the public and draw the attention to the things that he wants to do,” University of Michigan debate director Aaron Kall told the Washington Examiner.

Kall, co-author of Mr. Speaker, The President of the United States: Addresses to a Joint Session of Congress, added: “Trump may need to put the screws on some legislative members that will be needed to get the votes across the finish line in a really close vote and he has this opportunity to do it.”

Earlier Tuesday, the White House announced some of the special guests who would accompany first lady Melania Trump and sit beside her in her box inside the House of Representatives.

Guests included the family of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who was killed during the first attempt on Trump’s life last summer in Butler, Pennsylvania, and Marc Fogel, the history teacher, also from Butler, whose freedom the administration secured last month after being wrongly detained by Russia for 14 years.

The family of Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student who was murdered last year by an illegal immigrant and for whom the first bill Trump signed into law, an immigration and border security measure, is named, were also be in attendance.

In the past, Trump, a former reality TV star, has taken advantage of the spotlight to create made-for-TV moments.

For example Trump surprised radio talk host Rush Limbaugh in 2020 by presenting him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom midevent. Two weeks earlier, Limbaugh had been diagnosed with lung cancer before dying from the disease in 2021.

To that end, the White House teased “surprise” guests Tuesday night, with Musk present. The billionaire entrepreneur, who was welcomed with tepid applause, was reprimanded by U.S. Capitol Police for recording in the room, which is not permitted.

Despite a White House official confirming that Trump will focus on domestic politics, he will likely not overlook foreign policy, particularly Ukraine. There was even speculation that the rare earth minerals deal could be announced by the president from behind the podium.

“Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format,” Zelensky wrote on social media Tuesday. “We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively.”

Meanwhile, Democrats are seeking to emphasize public dissatisfaction with DOGE by bringing fired federal employees upset by the cuts.

“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, tax breaks to the billionaires and make Americans pay for it,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Tuesday.

At the same time, the House Freedom Caucus put Democrats “on notice” to demonstrate decorum, despite GOP members best known for recent rabble-rousing during former President Joe Biden’s speeches.

“The President’s address to tonight’s joint session of Congress is a constitutional obligation — not a sideshow for Democrats to use noisemakers, make threats, throw things or otherwise disrupt,” the group’s leadership wrote. “Our colleagues are on notice that the heckler’s veto will not be tolerated. You will be censured. We expect the Sergeant at Arms and Capitol Police to take appropriate action against any Members of Congress or other persons violating House rules.”

TRUMP LIKELY TO EASE CANADA AND MEXICO TARIFFS ON WEDNESDAY: LUTNICK

Trump holds the record for the longest average address to Congress at one hour and 15 minutes, drawing his largest audience of 47.7 million viewers in 2017.

Vice President JD Vance was overheard asking House Speaker Mike Johnson beforehand how he bears these occasions “for 90 minutes.”

“The hardest thing was doing it during Biden, when the speech was a stupid campaign speech,” Johnson replied.

Samantha-Jo Roth and Rachel Schilke contributed to this report.