washington Trump looks to refocus presidency in address to Congress

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump’s first address to Congress gives him a welcome opportunity to refocus his young administration on the core economic issues that helped him get elected – and, his allies hope, to move beyond the distractions and self-inflicted wounds that have roiled his White House.

Trump’s advisers say he will use his prime-time speech tonight to declare early progress on his campaign promises, including withdrawing the U.S. from a sweeping Pacific Rim trade pact, and to map a path ahead on thorny legislative priorities, including health care and infrastructure spending.

“We spend billions in the Middle East, but we have potholes all over the country,” Trump said Monday as he previewed the address during a meeting with the nation’s governors. “We’re going to start spending on infrastructure big.”

The White House said Trump has been gathering ideas for the address from the series of listening sessions he’s been holding with law enforcement officials, union representatives, coal miners and others. Aides said he was still tinkering with the speech Monday night.

Republicans, impatient to begin making headway on an ambitious legislative agenda, hope Trump arrives on Capitol Hill armed with specifics on replacing the “Obamacare” health law and overhauling the nation’s tax system, two issues he’s so far talked about in mostly general terms. More broadly, some Republicans are anxious for the president to set aside his feuds with the media, the intelligence community and the courts, which have overshadowed the party’s policy priorities.

“Results aren’t going to come from that,” said Judd Gregg, the former Republican senator from New Hampshire. “Results are going to come from driving the policies he said he would do.”

The pressure from Republican lawmakers makes this a critical moment for a new president who ran for office on a pledge to swiftly shake up Washington and follow through on the failed promises of career politicians.

While most new presidents enjoy a honeymoon period, Trump is saddled with record low approval ratings – just 44 percent of Americans approve of his job performance, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey. His most sweeping executive order was blocked by federal courts, sending advisers scrambling to write a new travel and immigration directive, which the president is expected to sign Wednesday.

Morale is also plummeting among some White House staffers following a string of leaks that have left aides questioning each other. On Sunday, Politico reported that White House press secretary Sean Spicer had sprung surprise “phone checks” for members of his communications team after details from a staff meeting were made public.