Ahead of President Donald Trump's address to Congress Tuesday night, revisiting his 2017 congressional address shows both striking parallels and differences to the current political climate, and a prophetic question about what America will become as it rings in its 250th birthday in 2026.
During Trump's address in 2017, with Vice President Mike Pence and Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan behind him, Trump opened by acknowledging "threats targeting Jewish community centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries" before transitioning to a call for "a renewal of the American spirit."
"In nine years, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding - 250 years since the day we declared our independence," said Trump,who was elected to his first term in November 2016. "It will be one of the great milestones in the history of the world. But what will America look like as we reach our 250th year? What kind of country will we leave for our children?"
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In one of his first executive actions this year kicking off his second non-consecutive term, Trump signed "Celebrating America's 250th Birthday," which will "provide a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4, 2026."
In 2017, Trump continued his first address to the nation after the Obama administration by promising to crack down on illegal immigration, implement an America-first agenda and restore the economy. Noticeably, however, there was no mention of Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) nor "radical" gender ideology.
"These are kind of common themes when he speaks today, and those are gone," Tevi Troy, presidential historian and former HHS secretary under the George W. Bush administration, told Fox News Digital in an interview. "Those are not there. But that aside, there are a lot of similarities, and at first I was reading and wondering if it could be given in this administration, because there's a lot of the same stuff."
"He talks about borders in there, for example, and he talks about unleashing the American economy," Troy said. "And so the themes are the same, but some of the circumstances have changed."
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While joint addresses to Congress and State of the Union speeches are typically written well in advance, Trump is known for speaking off the cuff. Troy said Trump may bring up the explosive Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.
"I could see that coming as an improv moment, but it's probably not in the speech's written," he said.
In addition, inflation is going to be on peoples' minds come Tuesday night.
"No one's going to blame Trump for DEI or woke or the problems of Biden," Troy said. "He is in danger at some point in being blamed for inflation. So he's got to handle that one a little bit more carefully."
Trump's 2017 address did not include inflation, but he does mention restarting "the engine of the American economy - making it easier for companies to do business in the United States, and much, much harder for companies to leave our country."
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So far this year, Trump has signed a slew of executive orders, many aimed at bolstering American manufacturing and the domestic economy as well as removing the U.S. from worldwide climate change commitments.
