Trump will address the US Parliament today: may give statement on Iran-Gaza and tariffs; Many victims of Epstein sex scandal will be included

US President Donald Trump will deliver the second ‘State of the Union’ speech of his second term in the US Parliament (Congress) today. During this time, he can give statements on the situation in Iran and Gaza as well as on the issue of tariffs. During his speech, many victims of the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal will also be present in Parliament. They have been invited by opposition Democratic Party MPs Chuck Schumer, Emily Randall, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Jamie Raskin and Suhas Subramaniam. Trump and Epstein had a long-standing friendship, although Trump has repeatedly said that he had no knowledge of any wrongdoing by Epstein. Trump’s address will begin at 7:30 am. In this joint session, House of Representatives (lower house) members, Senate (upper house) members, Supreme Court judges and the President’s cabinet are present. In this speech, the President tells about the current situation of the country and the future plans of his government. Trump can link the tariff policy to the country’s security. This time the theme of the speech has been kept as ‘America at 250: Strong, Prosperous and Respected’. According to CNN, the US Supreme Court recently banned some of Trump’s tariffs. After this they have implemented the new tariff for a limited time. Maybe they can call it a necessary step for national security and foreign policy. Trump can also speak openly on foreign policy. Tension has increased regarding Iran and America’s role is also in discussion regarding the situation in Gaza. Trump can present himself as a strong leader and say that a tough stance is the only path to peace. Ukraine war will also be in discussion. Four years have passed since the Russian attack. During the election campaign, Trump had said that he would end the war in a day, but this has not happened yet. Immigration will also be his main issue. After returning to power, he launched a large-scale deportation operation and increased strictness on the southern border. According to reports, Trump has signed about 240 executive orders in 13 months. Since Franklin D. Roosevelt, no president has issued so many orders in such a short period of time. On which issues can Trump give a speech… This speech is given every year in January or February. In America, the President gives an address to the Congress (Parliament) every year in January or February, which is called ‘State of the Union’. On the day of the State of the Union, members of the House of Representatives (lower house) and the Senate (upper house) of Parliament gather in the House Chamber. The Speaker of the House and the Vice President, who is also the President of the Senate, sit on a high platform behind the President. When the President arrives at Parliament, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House announces his arrival. After this the Speaker introduces the President and the President gives his speech to Congress. A member of the cabinet does not attend the program. According to a tradition, a member of the President’s cabinet does not attend this program. This is done so that if a major accident occurs and the President, Vice President and the rest of the cabinet members die, then the member who has not come to the program can take over the responsibility of the President. The President also calls some special American citizens for his speech. These people are invited because they have done something extraordinary. During the speech the President introduces and honors them. The State of the Union message is followed by a counter speech from the opposition party. In this, the opposition leaders give their opinion on the President’s words and give different suggestions to improve the country. It was earlier called ‘Annual Message’. The tradition of the State of the Union is linked to the US Constitution. Article 2 of the Constitution states that the President will from time to time inform Congress about the situation in the country and recommend necessary steps. Initially this speech was called ‘Annual Message’. From George Washington to Herbert Hoover, all the presidents used to call it by this name. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to call it the ‘State of the Union’ in his 1941 speech. However, this speech of his is more famous by the name ‘Four Freedoms’. The Constitution does not specify when and how this message should be given, but as a tradition the President gives this speech once every year. Earlier this speech was usually given in December, but since 1934 it started being given in January or February. In the year 2022, Joe Biden became the first President to deliver this speech personally in the month of March. He did the same in 2024 also. Last year, Donald Trump also gave a similar address in the joint session of Congress. Thomas Jefferson sent written messages. There was a time when this State of the Union was sent not in the form of speech but in written form. George Washington (1789–1797) and John Adams (1797–1801) gave speeches in front of Congress, but Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809) started the tradition of sending written messages. It is believed that he was not a good speaker. After this, till 1913 the President continued sending written messages only. Then Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) again started the tradition of addressing the joint session of Congress. Since Franklin D. Roosevelt, most presidents fulfill their constitutional responsibilities by giving speeches. There were two Presidents who could not give this speech. William Henry Harrison died of disease in 1841 and James Garfield died of an attack in 1881. Therefore both could not give the State of the Union during their tenure. Ronald Reagan did not call his first address a State of the Union in 1981. He named it ‘Address before a Joint Session of Congress’. All presidents who succeeded him did not call their first-year address a State of the Union. The length of the speech has varied over time The length of the speech has also varied over time. George Washington’s speech was the shortest, containing only 1089 words. Richard Nixon’s 1972 speech was the shortest, lasting about 29 minutes. Jimmy Carter’s 1981 written message was the longest, containing 33,667 words. This was the last time the State of the Union was given in written form. With time the language of these speeches has also become easier. Earlier the President used to speak in difficult and high level language, but now simple language is used keeping in mind the common people. Harry Truman gave the first televised speech in 1947. Technology has increased the ways in which these speeches can be heard and viewed. Calvin Coolidge was the first president whose message was broadcast on radio in 1923. Harry Truman’s speech was shown on television for the first time in 1947. Bill Clinton’s speech broadcast on the Internet in 1997. Despite this, the number of viewers has decreased instead of increasing. In 1993, about 67 million people watched Clinton’s speech, while last year Trump’s speech was watched by about 36.6 million people. Many important announcements in history have been made from this platform. James Monroe announced the Monroe Doctrine in 1823. Theodore Roosevelt added his amendment in 1904. Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced the ‘Four Freedoms’ in 1941. George W. Bush used the term ‘axis of evil’ in 2002.



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