Trump seeks reset with lawmakers
The president accuses his predecessor and his people of organising protests that rocked the US since he took over at White House
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump can be famously unpredictable and is known to meander off script, but in his first address to a joint session of the US congress on Tuesday, he is expected to focus on the “renewal of the American spirit” and immigration, according to his aides.
Trump could also address the surge in social tensions, anti-semitic attacks and the hostility towards immigrants that may have led to the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an Indian aviation engineer gunned by a man who mistook him for an Iranian.
The president will use the platform to address not only Americans but people around the world, who have watched anxiously as he and his new team have struggled to find their footing, hurtling from one controversy to another amid a flurry of executive orders.
Mostly though, Trump is expected to talk about his campaign promises and how he will fulfil them —tax reforms, upgrading infrastructure, repealing and replacing his predecessor Barack Obama’s healthcare law, strengthening the military and being tough on immigration.
Some of these pledges are already in motion — for instance, Trump announced on Monday a proposal to hike defence spending by 10%, which translates to an increase of $54 billion.
He called it a “historic increase in defence spending” that will send a “message to the world in these dangerous times, of American strength, security and resolve”.
He will address the issue of immigration as well. Sean Spicer, his press secretary, on Monday said, “You will hear about his commitment to immigration and his desire for border security, and what it means not just about keeping the nation safe, but what impact it’s having on the economy. So you will hear a lot about immigration tomorrow night, and he will talk about why it matters and the goal that we have and why we should come together on areas like this.”
According to a talking-points memo circulated by the White House, which was cited by Politico news site, the president “will lay out an optimistic vision for the country that crosses the traditional lines of party, race and socioeconomic status.
It will invite Americans of all backgrounds to come together in the service of a stronger, brighter future for our nation.”
‘OBAMA ORCHESTRATED PROTEST AGAINST ME’
Trump has accused his predecessor Barack Obama and “his people” of organising the demonstrations that have roiled city streets, airports and town halls during the first weeks of his presidency.
In an interview with Fox and Friends, which aired on Tuesday morning , Trump said Obama and his allies were behind the leaks of classified information from the White House to the press. There is no evidence that the former president has had any hand in either activity. WASHINGTON: The White House has rebuffed claims that Donald Trump was left empty-handed by his decision not to challenge Chinese president Xi Jinping over China’s claims to Taiwan.
Before taking power Trump, who has called China a US “enemy”, had hinted he might shred decades of policy towards the island which Beijing regards as a breakaway province, unless China’s leaders offered trade concessions.
The US president’s appointment of several notorious China hawks fuelled fears he would follow through on such threats and usher in a potentially dangerous new era of Us-china relations. However, Trump backpeddled during his first conversation with Xi on February 9 , sparking heated debate over whether he had capitulated to his Chinese counterpart or managed to secretly negotiate some unknown deal.white House press secretary Sean Spicer declined to detail what, if any concessions Trump might have secured from the Chinese in exchange for his compliance over Taiwan. “The president is not one to discuss his negotiating tactics,” Spicer said, according to Politico . Asked if “he got something”, Spicer replied: “The president always gets something” Spicer’s comments came as China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi met with Trump.