Donald Trump will promise a “renewal of the American dream” on Tuesday in his first address to Congress since returning to office, laying out a vision of extended presidential power and a reshaped world order.The Republican president’s speech comes after a whirlwind first six weeks in office, in which the United States has been roiled by a radical bid led by billionaire Trump advisor Elon Musk to overhaul the federal government by closing down agencies and firing many workers.The 78-year-old Trump has also caused turmoil on the global stage, pausing military aid for Ukraine as he pivots toward Russia, vowing to “own” Gaza and unleashing tariffs against US allies.The White House said the theme of the speech at 9:00 pm (0200 GMT Wednesday) would be “the renewal of the American dream,” in social media posts linking to a story on Fox News, the administration’s preferred outlet.Fox said Trump would cover four areas: his second term’s achievements so far at home and abroad, the economy, a push for Congress to pass border funding and Trump’s plans for “peace around the globe.””President Trump is the greatest orator we’ve ever had in the Oval Office. Every time he’s done one of these addresses, Americans have been overwhelmingly blown away,” his Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told reporters on Monday.”It’s an opportunity for President Trump, as only he can, to lay out the last month of record-setting, record-breaking unprecedented achievements and accomplishments that have made this the most successful opening to any presidency.” Trump himself promised in a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday that the address to Congress “WILL BE BIG” and vowed that “I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!”In a sign of Musk’s influence in Trump’s administration, the world’s richest person will reportedly attend the joint session of the House and Senate.- Economic pressure -Trump’s address at the US Capitol comes just over four years after his supporters stormed the building following his 2020 election defeat.Trump is likely to strike a triumphant tone as he returns to a Republican-controlled Congress, determined to exert more executive power than any president in decades.Trump, who notoriously painted a picture of “American carnage” when he was inaugurated for his first term, is expected to tout the record blitz of executive orders he has signed since his return to the White House.Together with Musk, Trump has shown his intent to push through his “Make America Great Again” agenda — even if it means testing the constitutional limits of his authority or straining ties with allies.Trump has moved to unilaterally dismantle federal agencies, fired thousands of government workers, ended diversity programs and begun holding undocumented migrants at the US military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba as part of his crackdown on foreigners without papers.On the world stage, Trump will discuss his efforts to redefine US foreign policy.He said on Monday that he would “let you know” during the speech about progress towards resolving the Ukraine conflict, after freezing military aid to Kyiv and stunning the world by starting talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.His speech will come just four days after an extraordinary clash in the Oval Office with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, which left US support for Kyiv hanging in the balance.Trump’s presidential offensive has left the Democrats, already stunned by their 2024 election defeat, flailing for ways to counter him and his hogging of the news cycle.But with his poll numbers softening, Trump will also know he faces pressure to deal with stubborn issues facing Americans — most importantly inflation.Trump’s tariffs threaten to weigh on the economy, with US stocks closing sharply lower on Monday after he confirmed the levies would come into effect one minute into Tuesday against major trading partners Mexico and Canada.

US President Donald Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine on Monday, a White House official said, sharply escalating pressure on Kyiv to agree to peace negotiations with Russia.The move comes just days after a stunning public clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, who is seeking a rapid end to the war. Trump earlier on Monday had declined to rule out a pause when quizzed by reporters, but any disruption in the flow of US arms to the front line would rapidly weaken Ukraine’s chance of beating back Russia’s invasion.”The President has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well,” a White House official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.”We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” the official added. Congressional Democrats immediately condemned the pause as dangerous and illegal. “My Republican colleagues who have called Putin a war criminal and promised their continued support to Ukraine must join me in demanding President Trump immediately lift this disastrous and unlawful freeze,” said Gregory Meeks, top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.Trump also warned he would “not put up” much longer with Zelensky’s defiance, and said Ukraine’s leader should be “more appreciative” of US support.Speaking at the White House, Trump said Zelensky “won’t be around very long” without a ceasefire deal with Moscow.The pause has gone into effect immediately and impacts hundreds of millions of dollars of weaponry in the process of being sent to Ukraine, The New York Times reported.Zelensky for his part said Monday he was seeking for the war to end “as soon as possible.”The comment came after Zelensky accused Russia — which invaded Ukraine in 2014 and greatly expanded the conflict in 2022 — of not being serious about peace.He insisted tough security guarantees were the only way to end the war.But Trump’s stance has upended US support for Ukraine, and Washington’s allies more broadly, and stoked concern about Washington pivoting to Russia.- European support -After weekend crisis talks in London, Britain and France are investigating how to propose a one-month Ukraine-Russia truce “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure” — potentially backstopped by troops on the ground.Zelensky said discussions were still focusing on the “first steps,” adding: “An agreement on ending the war is very, very far away” — a comment that angered Trump.Zelensky added in a video statement that “real, honest peace” would only come with security guarantees for Ukraine, which agreed to denuclearize in 1994 only in exchange for protection provided by the United States and Britain.”It was the lack of security guarantees for Ukraine 11 years ago that allowed Russia to start with the occupation of Crimea and the war in Donbas, then the lack of security guarantees allowed Russia to launch a full-scale invasion,” Zelensky said.Russia dismissed the comments, accusing him of not wanting peace — echoing US criticism after he was shouted down Friday in the Oval Office.On the ground, Ukrainian officials reported fatalities from a Russian missile strike on a military training facility some 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the front line.A respected military blogger said between 30 and 40 soldiers were killed and 90 more wounded in the attack near Dnipro on Saturday.- ‘Deliberate’ escalation? -Trump has previously called Zelensky, president since 2019, a “dictator” for not holding elections, even though martial law precludes any vote because of the war. Zelensky dismissed calls for him to resign, repeating his pledge to do so only if Ukraine were given NATO membership, which Russia — and now the United States under Trump — opposes.In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Zelensky for Friday’s blow-up with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, saying he “demonstrated a complete lack of diplomatic abilities.””He doesn’t want peace,” Peskov told reporters.On Monday Vance told broadcaster Fox News he was confident Zelensky would “eventually” agree to peace talks with Moscow.”I think Zelensky wasn’t yet there, and I think, frankly, now still isn’t there,” Vance said. “But I think he’ll get there eventually. He has to.”But Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said the astonishing White House clash was a “deliberate escalation” by Trump.US and Russian officials have held talks on ending the war, enraging Kyiv and Europe for being sidelined, and prompting fears that any deal could threaten Ukraine’s future.

Taiwanese chip-making giant TSMC will invest at least $100 billion in the United States to build “cutting edge” manufacturing facilities, President Donald Trump said Monday, announcing the latest blockbuster financial pledge by a private company since his return to office.Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s new investment will come on top of their existing commitments, and will go into “building five cutting edge fabrication facilities,” Trump said during a White House event, flanked by TSMC chief executive C.C. WeiHe added that much of the funding would be invested in the US state of Arizona, where TSMC — the world’s largest chipmaker — has already invested heavily, and would create “many thousands” of high-paying jobs.TSMC has long faced demands to move more of its production away from Taiwan, amid fears that supplies of the critical technology could be disrupted in any conflict with Beijing.The company, during former president Joe Biden’s administration, pledged to invest more than $65 billion in three factories in Arizona, one of which began production in late 2024.Trump recently ratcheted up the pressure on TSMC and other chip manufacturers by publicly mulling the introduction of 25 percent tariffs on all semiconductor chips made outside the United States.Taiwan said it will review the investment “in accordance with the law”.The review will take into account “the company’s development while ensuring the overall competitiveness of the semiconductor industry and the country,” cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee said.  Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai said the island looked forward to “continuing to cooperate with friendly countries for mutual benefits”.But he said it was important that Taiwan maintain its “key position” in the global chip supply chain and “ensure that we are leading in key technologies”.Taiwan’s Department of Investment Review spokesman Su Chi-yen told AFP the government could potentially veto the investment, but that “most past rejections were due to incomplete documentation.”Monday’s announcement brings the total amount committed by TSMC to around $165 billion, C.C. Wei said Monday.”We are going to produce many chips to support AI progress, and to support smartphones’ progress,” he added.The new investment will help expand the firm’s US footprint to include “three new fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities and a major R&D (research and development) team center,” while supporting 40,000 construction jobs over the next four years, TSMC said in a statement.The concentration of chip manufacturing in Taiwan has been described as a “silicon shield” against a possible invasion or blockade by China, which claims the island as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.There are concerns Taiwan could lose that protection if its companies build too many factories overseas.”Taking away Taiwan’s technology sector will reduce the power of Taiwan’s ‘silicon shield’,” James Yifan Chen, assistant professor in the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations at Tamkang University in Taiwan.”Taiwan without semiconductor and tech industries will be like Ukraine without nuclear weapons.”- Tariff threats -Since regaining the White House, Trump has called on companies to create more manufacturing jobs in the United States, while threatening to impose steep levies on those who do not comply.His administration has already imposed a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods, and is scheduled to impose a 25 percent tariff Canada and Mexico from Tuesday, alongside an additional levy of 10 percent on goods from China.On Monday, Trump said there was “no room left for Mexico or for Canada” to avoid the tariffs, adding: “They’re all set, they go into effect tomorrow.”Trump has invited executives from some of the world’s largest companies — including OpenAI and Oracle — to the White House since his January 20 inauguration to tout investments worth hundreds of billions of dollars in US manufacturing.The amount announced since inauguration day now totals more than $1 trillion, including a commitment from Apple to invest $500 billion over the next four years.These gargantuan sums are sure to please Trump’s supporters. His critics point to some similarly ambitious targets pledged during his first term in office which failed to materialize.