Trump seeks reset with lawmakers
ROCKY START The president needs to overcome scepticism of Americans as his approval rating of about 44% is relatively low for a new president
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump gets a chance to put the rocky start to his presidency behind him with a speech to the US Congress where he will lay out his plans for the year including a health care overhaul and military buildup.
The speech on Wednesday in the chamber of the House of Representatives will be Trump’s biggest chance yet to command a large prime-time audience and describe his agenda after a first month in office characterised by missteps, internal dramas and squabbles with the news media.
The address, which Trump has been writing with aide Stephen Miller and others, will include some gestures toward unifying a polarised country as he tries to bind the wounds from a bitterly fought election.
He has work to do to overcome scepticism and reassure Americans. An average of recent polls by Real Clear Politics put his approval rating at about 44 %, relatively low for a new president.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the theme of the speech to the Republican-controlled Congress would be “the renewal of the American spirit” and that it would be grounded in how to solve the problems of everyday Americans.
“He will invite Americans of all backgrounds to come together in the service of a stronger and brighter future for our nation,” Spicer told reporters on Monday.
Trump told Reuters last week in an interview that his address would be a speech of optimism “despite the fact that I inherited a total mess.”
The president faces a host of questions going into the speech. Specifics of his plan to overhaul former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law have not been released. He has yet to describe how to pay for a sharp increase in planned spending on rebuilding US roads and bridges.
His proposals to cut taxes for millions of people and corporations have not been sketched out. His strategy for renegotiating international trade deals remains unclear. He took delivery of a Pentagon proposal for fighting Islamic State militants and must decide on it in the days ahead.
A plan for an increase in defence spending includes a demand that non-defence federal agencies cut funds to offset the cost, painful reductions likely to face opposition in Congress.