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Cheat sheet for Trump’s
address to Congress
5 March 2025
At 9pm in Washington DC (1pm in Canberra) President Trump will address a joint session of Congress for the first time as the 47th President of the United States. The first 44 days of his presidency have been a whirlwind of activity, but the speech will likely give an indication of key dynamics to watch moving ahead.
Theme: Fox News reports that the theme of his remarks will be ‘Renewal of the American Dream,’ with four main sections: accomplishments thus far at home and abroad, what the Trump administration has done for the economy, additional funding for border security and the president’s plans for peace around the globe.
Ukraine: A White House official also told Fox News that the speech will include President Trump’s plans to end the war in Ukraine. This announcement came as the president also announced a pause on all military aid for Ukraine.
DOGE: Amidst the backlash to DOGE cuts, the president is expected to make the case for the Department of Government Efficiency and re-focus the message on the money they are saving for the American people. Elon Musk’s placement in the audience for an indication of his level of clout in a room full of decisionmakers – many of whom are privately concerned about him.
Tariffs: Late on Monday, a 25% tariff on all goods from Mexico and Canada went into effect. The global tariffs on steel and aluminium are also scheduled to take effect at midnight on 12 March. Trump will likely make the case for tariffs and how they will help the American people to counter what experts have said about price increases as a result of tariffs.
Allies vs enemies: Which countries make the cut to be called out favourably or unfavourably will signal both the administration’s sentiment towards them and their significance. Countries that are not mentioned, especially if they are central to discussions around conflict or tariffs, would be a notable snub.
Trump excels at creating good TV. With Republicans in charge of both chambers of Congress, expect a lot of enthusiastic, visible and audible support for the president and expect the president to feed off this. But whether Trump’s tone is ebullient or angry will speak volumes about the image he wants to project on a global stage.
Mari Koeck
Director, Engagement and Impact
"You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start
having cards."
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What’s really behind the US-Ukraine minerals deal
Hayley Channer explains on BBC
Director of Economic Security Hayley Channer talked to BBC about the potential critical minerals deal between Ukraine and the United States.
"I think what we will find is that in the immediate term, there's not a lot in it in terms of actual critical minerals and rare earths....a normal mine takes between a decade and 18 years to get up and running. And what we know about Ukraine's critical minerals is that the last time they were surveyed was anywhere between 30 and 60 years ago by the Soviet Union. So a number of things would have to happen to actually get value out of this critical minerals deal for the United States. You would need to map where the critical minerals are. You'd need to establish the mines and you would need to establish offtake agreements. And so the actual tangible benefits to the US wouldn't be felt under Trump. They wouldn't even be felt under the next president. It would be even the president after that, where the US and US companies could actually start to extract these minerals if it was determined that it was commercially viable to do so."
Upcoming event
WEBINAR
One month of Trump: The Australian business briefing
USSC's Director of Economic Security, Hayley Channer, together with Dr Merriden Varrall from KPMG’s Geopolitics Hub unpack the big Trump administration moves so far and tell you what business leaders need to take note of.
11:00-11:30am AEDT
6 March 2025
(Online)
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United States Studies Centre
Institute Building (H03)
University of Sydney NSW 2006