WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump planned to ask Congress on Tuesday night for help in expanding his agenda, as the polarizing president looked to cast his first month in office as an ode to working Americans and a "series of promises made and promises kept."
Aides previewing the speech said it would touch broadly on the populist-nationalist themes of Trump's presidency without delving deeply into policy. Advisers said the text was informed by the union workers, coal miners and other working people he has met in his early days in the White House, a period that has also included numerous meetings and high-level appointments with wealthy business executives.
"The president will specifically ask Congress to join him in coming up with and implementing solutions to restart the engine of our economy, provide more access to quality affordable health care, expand educational opportunities to every child no matter their ZIP code, and unite with law enforcement and the military to protect our military and the homeland," Sarah H. Sanders, his deputy press secretary, told reporters.
The address, which replaces a State of the Union during a president's first year in office, provides Trump with the most formal occasion since his inauguration to resell his agenda to a public that remains sharply divided over his presidency.
Trump, whose White House operation matches his penchant for improvisation and uncertainty, continued to float new policy ideas for the speech in the final hours before its delivery, including the possibility that he might advocate for a comprehensive immigration overhaul or human space travel, for example. Sanders said later that both ideas interested Trump but could not say whether he planned to mention them.
Trump said Monday that he would ask Congress to approve a $54 billion increase in military spending _ or about 10 percent _ coupled with an equal reduction in nondefense domestic spending.
The plan is still in its infancy and subject to significant changes before real debate begins. But it could amount to substantial cuts in a variety of programs that protect the environment and support the poor and middle class.
Trump has also said he will rebuild the nation's roads, bridges, airports and other crumbling infrastructure, another costly program that he has linked to economic growth, and repeal and replace Obamacare, an issue that has proved especially challenging given his pledge to provide more affordable coverage while retaining health care for low-income Americans.
Budget analysts have been skeptical that Trump can accomplish all those goals while still keeping his promise to reduce the nation's deficit and debt. Trump has not been deterred. He reiterated his promise Tuesday to protect Social Security and other safety-net programs from any spending cuts.
"If the economy sails, then I'm right, because I said I'm not touching Social Security," Trump said in an interview on Fox News' "Fox & Friends."
Though Trump's trade policy and spending plans are at odds with many in his party, he is united with traditional conservatives on education. Trump was expected to expand on his campaign promise to spend more on charter and voucher programs, an issue that has already marshaled strong opposition from teachers unions who failed in their effort to stop the confirmation of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
Trump, an outsider who campaigned as a norm-shattering change agent, has framed the early part of his term with a series of quickly executed orders and actions intended to gut regulations, halt trade deals, ban travelers from certain Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. and crack down on immigrants who came into the country illegally. While the orders have had varying degrees of impact _ the travel ban was blocked by the courts _ they have sent a strong message that Trump plans to move aggressively on his nationalist-populist agenda.
Trump planned to highlight that resolve Tuesday, reinforcing his message that illegal immigration poses a dire threat to security and the economy. Among his guests expected to sit by his wife, Melania, in the House gallery: three Californians whose relatives were killed by people in the U.S. illegally.
Trump's early actions, combative rhetoric and unpredictable interactions with foreign leaders have been popular with his core supporters. But the president's approval ratings have hit historic lows in many polls, which could undermine his agenda.
Asked to grade his performance by the hosts of "Fox & Friends," Trump gave himself a "C or a C-plus" on messaging, but an A for achievement and an A-plus for effort.
