Will Trump be presidential in first speech to Congress?

We ask that question in the headline about President Donald J. Trump’s appearance tonight at a joint session of Congress because of the way he has comported himself since taking office Jan. 20.

Trump, who won the presidency with a no-holds-barred campaign and a willingness to say anything to get his legions of supporters riled up, has shown little interest in changing his style since moving into the White House.

If anything, he has doubled down on his attacks against those he views as the enemy. At the top of the list are the news media, which have come under intense criticism from Trump and some members of his administration.

Indeed, if his speech Friday to the Conservative Political Action Conference is any indication, tonight’s address on Capitol Hill promises to be an unpresidential barn burner.

Trump, who has unjustifiably called the media “the enemy of the American people,” told the gathering of conservative activists that unethical reporters “make up stories and make up sources.”

“They should not be allowed to use sources unless they use somebody’s name,” he said. “Let their name be put out there.”

Ironically, just hours before he spoke to CPAC, members of the White House staff insisted on briefing reporters only on condition their names be concealed.

Therein lies the problem.

The president either refuses to understand or does not understand that unlike the campaign, his every word is being scrutinized.

In addition, the White House press corps, which includes many veteran reporters, has long depended on unnamed sources to bring to the American people the truth of what is going on in the federal government.

While Trump objects to confidential sources providing information that runs counter to the narrative he wants spotlighted, we have no doubt that he would not object to friendly reporters being fed information anonymously that would put the administration in a positive light.

REBOOTING TRUMP PRESIDENCY

The time has come for the president to make the transition from campaign bomb thrower to leader of the free world.

Tonight’s joint session of Congress provides Trump with the chance to reboot his presidency. Millions of television viewers in this country and around the world will tune in to watch how he handles his first major address since his inauguration speech.

The White House has promised that the speech will be a forward-looking one about the “renewal of the American spirit.”

But it would be unrealistic to expect a kinder, gentler Trump.

As presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway told “Watters’ World” on the Fox News Channel, “The Trump address won’t be boring because Donald Trump’s not boring.”

Perhaps boring is called for, given that everything the president says will be analyzed and could have real-world ramifications.

There is no doubt that he will be greeted as the conquering hero by the Republican majority in Congress and will be afforded a level of adulation in which he revels.

But Trump also must be prepared for expressions of disagreement from Democrats in the House and Senate who not only find fault with many of his policy positions, but have publicly criticized him for his divisive language and his us-against-them attitude when it comes to the opposition and the media.

As the Associated Press reported, the speech tonight is an opportunity for Trump to reframe his presidency after a chaotic opening in which he rattled world leaders, railed against leaked information, engaged in open warfare with the press and seen his signature effort to halt some immigration thwarted by the court.

“He probably will stress early achievements such as his nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court and a series of executive orders to rein in government,” the wire service reported.

But the White House has yet to submit to Congress its plans for repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, which was former President Barack Obama’s signature health-reform initiative.

Trump also has not unveiled a detailed strategy for forcing American corporations to bring back jobs from abroad.

Repeal of the ACA – Obamacare – and job creation were two of the issues that bolstered Trump’s support among middle-class voters, especially white, blue-collar males with no college education.

The president has the chance tonight to lay out his agenda and articulate how he intends to keep the promises he made during the campaign – and to present himself as a new and improved Donald Trump.