Highlights: Trump joint session of Congress address fact-check, opinion and analysis

Even if joint addresses to Congress aren’t exactly a State of the Union address, they share the same basic architecture. These speeches lay out a president’s priorities and demonstrate how much weight a president gives those priorities. And on that score, Trump’s address was — intentionally or not — quite revealing.

Tariffs and Ukraine seemed almost afterthoughts, which is remarkable in light of how those two issues have dominated recent news cycles. Culture war issues — immigration, crime and anti-trans policies — received the bulk of Trump’s time. Though the president mentioned balancing the budget and cutting taxes, he omitted any mention of Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid — programs he will have to cut to accomplish those goals.

Even Greenland got almost as much attention as, say, the price of eggs.

I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical when Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., began her response to Trump’s address when she chose to emphasize not just her background as a CIA officer, but the bipartisan household she grew up in.

“We had shared values that were bigger than any one party,” she said, describing a political reality that no longer seems to exist. When coupled with her comments from November about Democrats needing to move beyond “identity politics,” I was concerned that she would fail to properly stress the needs of the moment that we’re living through.

But as she went on, while she definitely sounded like a standard center-left Democrat, Slotkin managed to do so in a way that felt more like a sincere expression of her values than a calculated attempt to win over suburban moderates.

Slotkin’s speech also managed to serve as a welcome reprieve to the reports we’ve seen of Democratic officials feeling fatigued by the pressure from their constituents to stand firmer in opposition to Trump’s consolidation of power.

The Vermont senator delivered his own response to Trump’s address tonight, criticizing the president for failing to talk about the cost-of-living crisis, the housing crisis, the U.S.’ broken health care system, wealth inequality and climate change — “except, I guess, ‘drill baby drill,’” Sanders said. He slammed Trump for his proposed cuts to Medicaid, his attacks on Ukraine and DOGE’s mass layoffs across the federal government. Sanders also dedicated some of his speech to campaign finance reform, one of his longtime priorities.

Nicolle Wallace speaking on MSNBC moments ago:

If there was a moment tonight where your whole body could relax and you could celebrate, it should have been the moment when Trump shared the story of DJ Daniels, a 13-year-old cancer survivor who dreams of becoming a police officer. It was a genuinely beautiful moment.

But in the beauty of that child is the tragedy of the Trump presidency. We don’t know how DJ survived pediatric cancer, but it is likely he benefited from some sort of cancer research. And it is a fact that Trump’s massive cuts to government funding have put cancer research in jeopardy. 

Trump also talked about wanting anyone who murdered a cop to receive the death penalty. But the president’s first action when he took office was to pardon Jan. 6 defendants, including those who violently assaulted cops. 

There was a shallowness in what Trump said tonight. But I think it was also a lesson in finding one thing that can let yourself feel. I let myself feel joy about DJ and I hope he lives the life he wants to live.

These comments have been slightly edited for length and clarity.

The biggest takeaway from tonight’s address — amid the cruel jokes and shameless self-congratulation noted by my colleague Hayes Brown — was Trump’s acknowledgment that his economic policies are going to bring some pain for American households.

Trump’s acknowledgment that his trade wars will bring about a “little disturbance” almost certainly understated the chaos these policies are likely to unleash on the U.S. economy. But as Lawrence O’Donnell just said on air, it marks a departure from Trump’s previous claims that tariffs aren’t felt by consumers but rather by the countries on which they are imposed.

Brace yourselves, America, economic hardship is on the horizon.

In the past, presidents have typically used their first joint address to Congress as a way to look ahead and to highlight their priorities for the coming year. Here’s how PBS described those speeches:

That’s not what we got tonight.

Trump ended his speech after roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes, making it the longest address to a joint session of Congress in history (and that includes State of the Union speeches).

The longest on record before tonight was then-President Bill Clinton in 2000 at 1 hour and 28 minutes, NBC News reported.

While Sen. Elissa Slotkin will deliver the official Democratic response, the Vermont independent will be streaming his own thoughts after Trump’s address is over. “My speech is going to be better,” he told reporters as he left.

Tonight, Trump brought back a derogatory nickname he has used to taunt Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren over her claims of Native American heritage. Though Warren says her mother was part Native American, Trump has accused her of making up the ancestral connection and using it to her professional advantage.

“Do we really want to keep this Ukraine War going on for another five years? Pocahontas does," Trump said, referring to Warren who appeared to stare at him with a straight face and applaud.

NBC News reported that several Democrats walked out after the remark.

Part of Trump’s stated justification for the U.S. effort to take over the Panama Canal is that thousands of Americans died while building it. He’s half right: Thousands did die building the canal, but most of them weren’t Americans. Of the roughly 5,000 workers who died while the U.S. oversaw construction, most of the dead were Caribbean and particularly Barbadian workers. Approximately 300 Americans died during the construction.

Trump yet again publicly fantasized about laying claim to Greenland. “I think we’re gonna get it. One way or the other we’re gonna get it,” Trump said, after suggesting that the administration would welcome the territory if it wanted to join the U.S.

We’ve had several low points already but it was still jarring to hear Trump praise HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy before rattling off statistics about the rise of autism diagnoses and lamenting that “there’s something wrong.”

“We’re gonna find out what it is, and there’s nobody better than Bobby and all the people that are working with you,” he continued to the sound of groans from some Democrats. “You have the best to find out what’s going on, okay, Bobby? Good luck, it’s a very important job.”

It is the most blatant and disgusting wink to Kennedy’s debunked anti-vaccine conspiracies that I’ve seen from Trump so far.

In a notable omission from a very long section on immigration, Trump made no mention of his administration’s transfer of immigrants to Guantanamo Bay. On the one hand, it’s surprising, given that the Trump administration spent so much time touting the move at the time. On the other hand, it’s less surprising when one remembers the policy has led to multiple lawsuits and not even Trump’s own staff can keep straight who is being detained at Guantanamo. Though Trump promised only the “worst” immigrants would be sent there, immigrants deemed “low risk” have been included as well.

As Trump rambles about purported criminals casting a pall over the United States, I might note the irony that this is the first time a president who has been convicted of felonies has delivered a joint address to Congress.

When talking about the impact of his economic policies, Trump briefly noted that there would be a little bit of hardship from his tariffs.

“There’ll be a little disturbance,” he said. “We’re okay with that. It won’t be much.”

That quick bit of seeming ad-libbing echoed the blatant declarations from Musk during the campaign that Trump's tariffs and other plans would bring “temporary hardship.” Trump then, of course, quickly pivoted to blaming Biden for the economy he inherited.

The longest speech of this kind before tonight was Biden in April 2021, when he spoke for an hour and five minutes. The longest State of the Union address was Bill Clinton’s 2000 address when he spoke for an hour and 28 minutes. Given the current pace of Trump’s speech, we’re poised to see him blow that record out of the water with little of substance said.

Moments ago, Trump forcefully told Congress in his speech, "We have to take care of our law enforcement."

It's a striking statement given tonight's setting — the location of the Jan. 6 insurrection — and his actions. Just weeks ago, Trump pardoned hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants, including those accused of assaulting police officers.

The pardons were panned by many law enforcement officers and at least one police union that backed Trump in 2024.

The president tried to put a nice shine on what happened to farmers the last time he was in the Oval Office. In fact, Trump’s tariffs on China in his first term led to retaliatory tariffs that reduced agriculture exports by $26 billion, according to the Agriculture Department. The first Trump administration had to pass subsidies to cushion the blow. Now, in his second term, farmers and agriculture lobbies are again worried that Trump’s more expansive tariffs will hurt their industry.

Several House Democrats, including Reps. Jasmine Crockett and Maxwell Frost, stood up and removed their blazers to show slogans written on the back of their shirts, including “RESIST” and “NO MORE KINGS.” Instead of being escorted out by the sergeant-at-arms, they walked out of the chamber.

Reps. Andrea Salinas and Maxine Dexter later followed suit and left while Trump was speaking.

You’ll notice Trump didn’t mention what eggs actually cost these days — because the price has skyrocketed since he took office. Doing so would mean admitting that despite his promises to bring down prices on “day one,” his administration is only just getting around to addressing egg prices.

Last month, Trump publicly asked new Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to “do something” about egg prices; so far, her plans include Americans keeping chickens in their backyards.

Trump claimed to have the best economy ever of any president in American history. In fact, Joe Biden easily outpaced him in job creation and economic growth.

The president argues tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico are necessary to stem the flow of deadly fentanyl. “We need to see material reduction in autopsied deaths from opioids,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said earlier today on CNBC. “It has not been a statistically relevant reduction of deaths in America.”

The problems with using tariffs as a drug policy are legion, but let’s start with two: First, according to Customs and Border Patrol, just 10 pounds of fentanyl has been seized at the Canadian border in the current fiscal year. Second, contrary to Lutnick’s claim, fentanyl deaths have fallen significantly. Preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that overdose deaths from Oct. 2023 to Sept. 2024 were down roughly 24% from the year prior — to the lowest level since the middle of 2020. An analysis of the CDC data by the New York Times found that roughly 2,700 Americans died from fentanyl in Sept. 2024 — a terrible toll, but again the lowest since the last year of Trump’s first presidency.

The idea that the federal budget can be balanced based on cuts alone is truly absurd. As much as Trump would have you believe that his tariffs will be enough to cover the amount of revenue that would be required, there’s no way to do so if the GOP extends his tax cuts for the wealthy and campaign trail proposals (like those he mentioned on no taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security benefits) that could cost as much as $10 trillion over the next decade. That becomes extra impossible if you don’t touch Medicare and Social Security as Trump has promised in the past.

The president just claimed that Social Security is sending out benefits to millions of Americans who, he said, are over 100 years old. This claim, which came via Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency, was already debunked last month. In fact, fewer than 90,000 Americans over the age of 99 receive Social Security, and as of 2015 the Social Security Administration automatically deems anyone in its system over 115 as deceased. Trump’s lie likely stems from a misunderstanding of the Social Security system’s programming.

Trump gave DOGE a shoutout and said the group “is headed by Elon Musk,” even though the White House has said the billionaire is not in charge of the non-governmental organization that has wreaked havoc on the federal government. 

“He didn’t need this,” Trump said about Musk. “Thank you very much, we appreciate it.”

The White House last week named Amy Gleason as the acting administrator of DOGE after persistent questions from the press.

Trump tells one of his most obvious lies yet. “I have stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America,” he said.

As I’ve reported, his administration has opened up dubious probes into media outlets that Republicans have complained about, including NPR and PBS. They’ve also targeted a media outlet for reporting on ICE immigration raids, and his so-called border czar has threatened criminal prosecution against a sitting lawmaker for talking about civil rights. Trump’s administration has also restricted the Associated Press’ access over its decision to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as “Gulf of America.” Despite his claims, Trump is leading an administration that’s waging an assault on free speech.

Despite what Trump has said about DOGE’s purported savings after eliminating “waste,” the administration has provided little evidence to back up its claims. As my colleague Zeeshan Aleem recently wrote, the supposed “Wall of Receipts” that DOGE has posted on its website actually “showcases yet another example of how farcical it is to say DOGE is about making the government run ‘efficiently.’” The site not only exaggerates the savings of some of its cuts, but it has also quietly edited the page to remove mistakes. The New York Times reported yesterday that since the site went live on Feb. 19, “the total amount of savings that the initiative has claimed from cutting contracts has steadily declined, from $16 billion at first to less than $9 billion now.”

In 2023, the court struck down affirmative action programs in private and public colleges and universities. The justices, as is tradition, did not react, though Justice Amy Coney Barrett looked particularly ill at ease.

“A major focus of our fight to defeat inflation is rapidly reducing the cost of energy,” said the president — a statement that’s nonsensical both mathematically and strategically. The February report for the consumer price index found energy prices had risen just 1% over the last year.

But even if, like Trump, one makes up the math as one goes along, Trump’s specific approach of increasing oil production ignores the economy he inherited. Under Joe Biden, the U.S. was already producing more oil than any country ever (for which Biden was rightly criticized by environmental groups). In fact, oil producers have been reluctant to “drill, baby, drill” precisely because, they claim, prices are too low to justify new investment.

Trump told Congress that he was ending “persecution” that Biden attempted against his political enemies. “Like me,” he said with a grin. “How did that work out? Not too good.”

This wink at his dodging any accountability for his scheming and alleged crimes engendered wild applause from Vance and the other Republicans in the room.

Trump claimed an unprecedented “mandate” for a president, but the numbers say otherwise. He received less than 50 percent of the popular vote; his winning margin of roughly 1.6% is one of the smallest in American history, and his 312 votes in the electoral college are well below what presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama received.

Trump begins his speech declaring “America is back.” I’m not sure America knows: Bird flu is spreading, the stock market plummeted today in response to his announcement of tariffs against China, Mexico and Canada; and officials steering the GOP are advising the party’s own members to avoid in-person town halls due to the public’s anger at his gutting of the federal government.

It’s no surprise that Trump is busy making sure to paint his return to the White House as extremely popular. “Now, for the first time in modern history, more Americans believe that our country is headed in the right direction than the wrong direction — an astonishing record 27-point swing since Election Day alone,” he claimed. (That claim was slightly drowned out by the uproar over Rep. Al Green’s protest.)

In fairness, there was one poll that said what Trump is claiming. Mark Mitchell, a pollster from the conservative-leaning firm Rasmussen, said last month that a survey showed 47% of respondents thought the country was on the right track versus 46% who felt otherwise. (The poll’s margin of error was +/- 2%.) Interestingly, that high has already fallen since then, as independents surveyed have soured slightly on the administration according to a post from Mitchell today.

(Note: I’m on record as saying that the “right track vs. wrong track” framing is a terrible way to ask Americans what they think about policy and governing.)

Things are getting testy as longtime progressive gadfly Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, has continued to interrupt Trump’s speech, waving his cane and refusing to sit despite Speaker Johnson’s warnings.

“Remove this gentleman from the chamber,” Johnson ordered the sergeant-at-arms. The GOP briefly chanted “Na-na-na-na, hey hey hey, good-bye” as the sergeant-at-arms’ officers approached Green.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat, was seen holding up a sign that read, “This is not normal” as Trump made his entrance. Like other Democratic women, Stansbury is wearing pink as a silent protest against the president.

As expected, Musk is in attendance tonight, wearing a suit and blue tie. According to NBC News, he was told to stop taking photos on his phone, which is barred for everyone in the gallery except credentialed photographers.

The rogue’s gallery that makes up Trump’s Cabinet has entered the House chamber and it was strange to see them all together in one place. It’s incredible that Senate Republicans saw fit to confirm so many deeply unqualified people. (In fact, ironically, the only major nominee who hasn’t been confirmed yet is Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., whose nomination is being held to help protect the House GOP’s scant majority.)

Trump has entered the House chamber and is shaking hands with allies as he makes his way down the aisle and toward the dais.

As the designated survivor, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins will not be in Congress tonight and instead will watch Trump’s speech from an undisclosed location.

The position of designated survivor is typically conferred on a Cabinet member during a State of the Union or another large-scale event that everyone else in the presidential line of succession attends, so that someone can immediately assume the presidency in case of a mass casualty event.

During his first address to a joint session of Congress in his first term, Trump also chose his then-VA secretary, David Shulkin, as the designated survivor.

Alicia Menendez speaking on MSNBC moments ago:

The reason the conversation is so focused on how Democrats are going to respond to Trump’s address is because we know what Republicans are going to do. Republicans are going to stand there and cheer. Then they’re going to go back to what they’ve been doing, which is whispering to reporters, their Democratic colleagues and one another about how the DOGE cuts are bad for their constituents and how abandoning Ukraine is bad for the world order. They’re just not brave enough to stand up and say that tonight.

So that leaves us with Democrats. They’re the only ones who can, potentially, do something that will draw the nation’s attention and create a contrast with Trump. But Democrats should keep something in mind: Given the amount of chaos that has ensued in the past few weeks, there is a natural tendency to focus on the chaos. I think the challenge for Democrats is that part of that disruptive energy is what voters will tell you they voted for. They wanted him to go and shake things up. So Democrats need to say it’s not about him shaking things up. It’s about him screwing things up.

These comments have been slightly edited for length and clarity.

The Minnesota governor and former Democratic VP nominee charted a different course for his party in an MSNBC interview moments ago, saying that voters by and large don’t believe Democrats are on their side, despite the popularity of their policies. One of his party’s most effective communicators during the 2024 race, Walz said Democrats need to regain voters’ trust, including by “making sure [that] when we have the power to do something, pass some damn laws and improve people’s lives.”

“Don’t worry about the next election. If we can pass it all the first year — I said that as governor, if I can get everything passed, why would I come back again?” he said. “I think we have made a mistake on that.”

Walz also called on Democrats to take more initiative in fighting Republicans, rather than sitting back and watching them fumble — a sentiment that many Democratic voters would probably agree with.

“I disagree with this idea that, ‘Look, Republicans are digging a hole, Democrats should back off and just let them dig.’ That’s what we’ve done, and we’ve ceded space to them,” Walz said. “I say, jump in the hole and help them dig.”

Ahead of Trump’s speech, the far-right House Freedom Caucus put out a warning to Democrats: Mind your manners.

That’s rich when you consider how many of the caucus’ current and former members tried to earn MAGA cred by interrupting Joe Biden’s speeches. We’ve also come a long way from when the GOP was dead-set against a resolution of disapproval (the step below a censure) against Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., after he shouted “You lie!” at President Barack Obama during a joint address in 2009.

As Trump touts his administration’s purge of so-called wokeness from the military, his attack on diversity in the military ranks risks worsening defense agencies already wrought with bigotry. Trump and the conservative movement have falsely portrayed diversity programs as an impediment to military readiness. USA Today published a report today highlighting newly unearthed documents exposing discrimination — including the widespread use of bigoted slurs — in the National Guard. 

Taken together, the report suggests bigotry — not efforts to root it out — threaten cohesion in top defense agencies. Keep this in mind whenever you hear Trump and Republicans chirp about the need to root wokeness out of the military. To the contrary, it seems many members could use some wokeness now more than ever. 

Symone Sanders-Townsend speaking on MSNBC moments ago:

Several Democratic lawmakers told Axios that some members of their party are considering walking out of Trump’s address tonight in protest. Others are hesitant to make themselves the story. Instead, they want the guests they’re bringing to be the story.

Some of the guests attending with these members are truly remarkable. They are the physical representation of the devastating impacts of Trump’s policies and the DOGE cuts. Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey is bringing a woman from Eaton whose son is disabled and relies on Medicaid for home health care services. Similarly, Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas is bringing a mother who relies on Medicaid to help care for her 2-year-old daughter with a rare medical disorder.

However, there’s a danger that what Democrats plan to do tonight won’t translate to the people at home. Voters may believe the Democrats are in disarray. But lawmakers may say, “No, we’re fighting — just fighting in different ways.” Democrats’ message may not be as coherent as they want it to be.

These comments have been slightly edited for length and clarity.

It was already weird on Inauguration Day when we saw Trump standing in the U.S. Capitol rotunda being sworn in. It’s going to be much stranger to see him actually standing inside the House chamber, in front of the very seats where Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence sat on Jan. 6, 2021, when the president rallied a mob to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.

Four years later, Trump is returning to the scene of the crime to bask in his political comeback. It’s galling that he will do so with the air of a Roman dictator returning from the fields of conquest, having returned to power rather than face any consequences for his scheming. Moreover, it’s unfathomable that Republican lawmakers who were in the chamber that day and forced to evacuate could stand and applaud the man who callously put their lives at risk.

NBC News’ Julie Tsirkin and Ryan Nobles obtained a copy of talking points the White House distributed to GOP congressional offices earlier today. The first page of the 20-page document lists four main topics: immigration, the economy, foreign affairs and “restoring common sense” — which seems to be the White House’s shorthand for reversing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

The document has a distinctly “kitchen sink” quality, including “meeting with foreign leaders” and a cherry-picked list of polls most favorable to Trump. There are sections on DOGE and Ukraine, but nothing about Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.

And the section about “lowering the cost of living” does not cite any prices that have actually been lowered — no doubt an especially difficult lift on the same day Trump imposed new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China.

Never let it be said that Trump’s second term is the least popular start to an administration in American history. The president is polling ahead of the numbers of his own first term — just barely. As NBC News’ Steve Kornacki noted earlier this evening, an average of 10 polls taken since mid-February finds Trump with a median approval/disapproval split of 47% to 49%. That’s slightly above an NBC News poll from February 2017 that had Trump at 44% approval (though that was within that poll’s 3% margin of error).

But polling marginally better now than he did at the start of his failed first term isn’t much to write home about. Already Americans think Trump isn’t paying enough attention to the economy and that he is giving too much power to Elon Musk. And considering that presidents’ polls tend to decline over the course of their terms, there is little room for Trump to decline before he reprises his role as a drag on Republicans’ fortunes, as he was during the 2018 midterms.

Ari Melber speaking on MSNBC moments ago:

Sometimes the most straightforward questions give us the greatest insights. Tonight the American people have to ask themselves: Are you better off than you were six weeks ago?

The economy played a major role in November's election, particularly whether voters thought Trump would fix it. He certainly talked about it a lot. He certainly savaged the Biden administration over it. Now we’re six weeks in and tonight voters will hear a pitch from the president about how great things are and how well his policies are working.

But if you’re someone getting on a plane, do you feel safer than six weeks ago? If you deal with the government in any way, from nuclear safety to food safety, do Trump’s cuts make you safer than you were six weeks ago? If you're buying cars, eggs or anything in between, do they seem cheaper than six weeks ago? These are some of the real world questions people will be asking themselves tonight.

These comments have been slightly edited for length and clarity.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has reportedly invited right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson (no relation) to broadcast from his office in the latest example of Republican reliance on social media influencers to promote their message to the masses. Benny Johnson was one of the right-wing influencers named in a federal indictment of Russian nationals last year that alleged the influencers had been paid to promote pro-Russian, anti-democratic propaganda. Johnson wasn’t charged with a crime and claims he was an unwitting victim.

Johnson is certainly an odd choice for the House speaker to invite into his office for a livestream. But Mike Johnson is clearly using the day to promote far-right content creators. Also among his guests this evening are right-wing commentators Ben Shapiro and Matt Walsh.

At least, not officially. The term itself comes from Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution: “[The president] shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” “From time to time” is obviously not too specific as to how often the president is supposed to provide that update, but in the last century, it’s become more or less an annual event. And over the years, the State of the Union address has transformed from a written message delivered to Congress into a major speech given to the nation.

But Trump, like all newly inaugurated presidents, can’t exactly give an update on how his policies have been carried out over the last year, as many of them are still being enacted (or rescinded, as the case may be). But every president since Ronald Reagan has delivered a first-year “joint address to Congress” to make the case for his agenda. So here we are, awaiting Trump to give the nation what is sure to be a measured, fact-based rundown of his major legislative goals. (Just kidding.)

Last month, Trump paused tariffs against Canada and Mexico after minimal concessions from America’s neighbors. This morning, he plunged ahead with the measures, but after less than 24 hours it seems his administration, if not the president himself, has second thoughts.

Speaking on Fox Business today after a second day of stock market declines, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said a compromise between the U.S. and two of its largest trading partners could be announced as soon as tomorrow. Whether that proves true remains to be seen; Trump has previously undercut his staff’s attempts to make him look more conciliatory. But whatever happens, the latest tariff roller coaster will only add to the uncertainty many businesses are already complaining about.

Jen Psaki speaking on MSNBC moments ago:

I’ve been a part of these types of addresses in the past. I could tell you about how the president prepares and what they’re likely thinking about. I could talk about the communications meetings going on behind the scenes. But tonight’s address is unlike anything I’ve been a part of. There’s absolutely nothing normal about it, just like there’s nothing normal about Trump’s first six weeks in office.

These addresses are typically an attempt for a president to expand their support beyond their core base. Trump has not done that to date and I don’t expect him to tonight. His inaugural address was far more scorched earth than any major speech he gave in his first term, so that might offer a preview of what we could expect. 

The main thing I have my eye on tonight is the response in the room. I think that’s a really interesting component of this. It’s not just what Democrats do but it’s also about how Republicans react. Are they going to just sit there and clap when Trump comes out and says, “Hey, listen, we’re going to cut off cyber actions on Russia"? Are they going to applaud when he talks about cutting off military assistance to Ukraine?

These comments have been slightly edited for length and clarity.

Some Democrats are skipping Trump's speech in protest. And some of those attending are orchestrating visual signifiers to mark their disapproval. Party leaders have cautioned against causing a scene, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries telling colleagues in a letter Monday that it’s “important to have a strong, determined and dignified Democratic presence in the chamber.”

The Democratic Women’s Caucus told its members to wear pink to show their opposition to Trump. “Pink is the color of protest. It is a color of women’s power and persistence. Trump is raising costs, not lowering them, and we will push back,” the group wrote in an email obtained by NBC News. “Wear pink to stand out as united in our fight for women and families.”

Some Democrats are expected to wear anti-Musk stickers that say “Elon is stealing Social Security,” NBC News reported. Musk is expected to attend tonight.

Once Trump wraps up tonight, the spotlight will turn to the Democrats’ choice to give the party’s official response: Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. The first-year senator was elected last year to fill an empty seat, besting her GOP opponent even as Trump beat former Vice President Kamala Harris in the state. A former CIA analyst and three-term representative in the House, Slotkin has urged Democrats to emphasize “kitchen table issues” over so-called identity politics.

“I personally think that identity politics needs to go the way of the dodo,” she told reporters last November after her win. “People need to be looked at as independent Americans, whatever group they’re from, whatever party they may be from.”

It’s something of a paradox that occurs every year whenever someone is tapped to play Slotkin’s part in tonight’s bit of political theater. On the one hand, it’s often used to highlight a “rising star” within the party — as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York, have put it — by giving them a national platform to rebut the president’s speech. On the other hand, its staging can be awkward compared to the splendor of the House chamber and/or extremely memeable. Beyond that, it’s set to be a bit of a tough needle for Slotkin to thread, given the ongoing debate within the party on how best to counter Trump.

Trump is likely to brag about his administration’s gutting of federal programs during tonight’s speech — and perhaps, he’ll even tell us the American people support him. In reality, some Republicans are struggling to deal with their constituents’ fury over Trump allowing Elon Musk to pursue aggressive cuts to crucial government services and key roles. 

We saw evidence of this today, when NBC News reported the National Republican Congressional Committee — the GOP's top fundraising committee that works to elect Republicans to the House — advised its members against hosting in-person town halls, in response to the viral clips of constituents tearing into Republican lawmakers. If Trump’s gutting of the federal government were all that popular, the NRCC wouldn’t be taking steps to shield its members from the blowback.

David Jolly speaking on MSNBC moments ago:

If you were trying to destroy the country from within, you would do everything Donald Trump has done during his first six weeks in office — and I don’t mean that as hyperbole. Take the three major categories of policy we've seen during his second administration thus far:

First is DOGE. If you were trying to destroy the country from within, you would break the federal government’s ability to deliver services, both to people here at home and those abroad. You would completely crush the ability for the government to deliver services. Trump has done that.

Secondly, you would break international security relationships and agreements. That’s exactly what we’ve seen Trump do. He's not only put the vice around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but now all of Europe. Our allies are looking at the United States and saying, “We have to step up and support Zelenskyy but does that put us at odds with the U.S., which seems to be on the side of Russia?”

Melania Trump attended her husband’s first joint address to Congress in 2017 and is expected to attend tonight’s address as well, NBC News reported.

She’s been largely absent from the public eye since her husband’s inauguration on Jan. 20, though she appeared on Capitol Hill yesterday to advocate for the Take it Down Act. The proposed legislation would criminalize nonconsensual publication of sexually exploitative images.

Prior to the roundtable discussion yesterday, she most recently appeared at the National Governors Association dinner at the White House on Feb. 22. Before that, she traveled with President Trump to North Carolina and California to tour areas impacted by recent natural disasters. 

Many prominent Democrats will not be attending Trump’s address tonight. Sen. Patty Murray, the lead Senate Democrat on government funding negotiations, said in a press release that she would instead meet with constituents who “have been harmed by this administration’s reckless firings and its illegal and ongoing funding freeze across government.” Other senators who have declined to attend include Ron Wyden of Oregon, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland.

In the House, Reps. Gerry Connolly (the senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee), Don Beyer and Becca Balint all announced they would not attend. And just a few hours ago, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced that she will be reacting to the speech on Bluesky (where you can also find many MSNBC personalities). She will then switch over to Instagram Live after the address.

When a president addresses Congress, the opposition party typically brings guests to represent the problems they attribute to the sitting administration — and there are plenty of issues that have arisen under Trump in his second term already.

Guests being brought by Democrats tonight include former federal employees directly affected by the Department of Government Efficiency’s mass layoffs and citizens who rely on federally funded programs that Trump is seeking to cut, NBC News reported.

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., announced that his guest will be a federal firefighter who battled the devastating Eaton Fire in Southern California earlier this year. Trump had threatened to withhold federal aid to California unless state leaders complied with his demands to change its water policies.

Trump takes the stage shortly after major new tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China went into effect. But if the president’s team was hoping for a triumphant reaction to feature in tonight’s address, they’ll have to make one up out of whole cloth. 

The early returns from the new tariffs aren’t good. All three countries — the U.S.’ three largest trading partners — have announced retaliatory tariffs of their own. Stocks fell sharply again today, with the Dow now down 1,300 points in just two days and the S&P 500 in negative territory for the year. Automakers ranging from GM to Ford to Tesla all declined. And the CEOs of Target and Best Buy warned that the tariffs would lead to price increases. With consumer sentiment increasingly shaky, the president is taking a huge risk with these tariffs — but don’t expect him to admit that tonight.