What Time Is President Trump's Speech Tonight? How to Watch His First Address to Congress (and Why It’s Not a State of the Union)

President Donald Trump is holding his first joint congressional address of his second term. 

The White House teased the speech on March 3 with a post on X, featuring an image of the 47th president with a screenshot of a post from his personal X account that read, "TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG. I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!” Later, they shared another post announcing that the theme of Trump’s speech would be “the renewal of the American Dream.” 

The address will be held at 9 p.m. ET on March 4 in the U.S. House chamber, per the Associated Press.

In addition to Trump, his Cabinet and members of the U.S. Supreme Court, first lady Melania Trump has invited a few notable “everyday Americans” to watch the address. The guest list includes, among others, the parents of Laken Riley, a student who was murdered while out jogging; Marc Fogel, a former hostage of the Russian government who was released via a presidential negotiation; and the family of Corey Comperatore, a firefighter killed during an assassination attempt on Trump in July 2024, according to the White House.  

Elon Musk will also attend, and Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan will deliver the Democratic response to the address, per the White House.

Here’s everything to know about President Trump’s March 4 speech to Congress, including how to watch it. 

What time is President Trump’s speech tonight?

Trump’s joint address to Congress is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET on March 4, 2025.

According to his schedule, Trump is expected to begin speaking around 9:10 p.m. and leave the Capitol at 11:20 p.m.

What will President Trump’s speech be about?

The White House hasn’t released the exact topics Trump will be speaking on. However, he’s expected to discuss the controversial changes he’s made to both domestic and foreign policy during his first six weeks in office, as well as his priorities for the rest of the year.

Some of those subjects could include tariffs, his plans to reduce undocumented border crossings and the thousands of federal layoffs made by the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), per NPR.  

How can I watch President Trump’s speech?

Trump’s congressional address will be televised on multiple networks, including NBC, CBS, PBS, ABC, NewsNation and the Fox broadcast network.

Multiple news outlets, like AP and The New York Times, will also stream the speech on their websites.  

Which cable shows will President Trump’s speech interrupt? 

A few networks had to shift their Tuesday night lineup to accommodate Trump’s address. NBC announced that Deal or No Deal Island will air one hour earlier at 8 p.m. ET. on March 4, before Trump's speech.

CBS isn’t airing any new episodes of FBI, FBI: International or FBI: Most Wanted, which typically make up its Tuesday evening programming. Instead, the shows will pause for the week of March 4 and resume their regular schedule on March 11, per the network’s schedule. 

ABC’s The Rookie will not air in its typical Tuesday 9 p.m. ET slot on March 4 but will resume with a new episode on March 11, per TV Insider. Fox’s medical drama Doc will also not air a new episode until March 11, per TV Insider. 

Is President Trump’s speech to Congress a State of the Union?

No, Trump’s speech is not technically a State of the Union address. 

The Constitution mandates that the president “shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union.” Since George Washington gave the first in 1790, the way in which these addresses are delivered has varied, with some presidents even choosing to send written addresses versus oral speeches. 

However, a State of the Union traditionally reflects on the president’s actions and decisions over the prior year. So speeches delivered early in a president’s term are not considered State of the Union addresses, per The New York Times. 

Since Trump has only been in office for six weeks, his March 4 address isn’t considered a State of the Union.