Trump may also offer greater clarity on trade. His protectionist leanings have kept him at odds with the establishment side of his Republican Party. He walked away from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a Pacific Rim trade pact, during his first week in office, and this month slapped tariffs on solar-panel and washing machine imports. Trump is considering similar actions on aluminum and steel imports to bolster U.S. manufacturers.
Foreign Policy
Tuesday’s address comes a day after the sixth round of North American Free Trade Agreement talks is set to conclude in Montreal. Trump has called the current deal “horrible” for U.S. businesses and left open the possibility that he might exit the 24-year-old pact if discussions aren’t favorable to the U.S. -- though people familiar with the matter said he won’t do that in Tuesday’s speech.
The speech is nearly certain to include a significant portion of foreign policy, with Trump seeking to burnish his resume in an area where many voters give him low marks. Just 38 percent of Americans approve of the way Trump is handling foreign policy, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week, with a majority -- 55 percent -- disapproving.
That’s driven in no small part by the president’s high-stakes spat with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom Trump has taunted as “Little Rocket Man.” Trump is likely to strike a more measured tone on Tuesday, and could again signal his openness to direct talks with North Korea under the right circumstances.
Trump is likely to highlight the significant loss of territory by Islamic State fighters, including coalition victories in Mosul, Iraq, and Raqqa, Syria, and attribute those successes to his decision to loosen the rules of engagement.
Not only Americans will be listening to Trump for clues. “Every leader in the world is trying to figure out where the United States is going,” said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
“I still think the president is struggling to articulate what American leadership means. The president’s big challenge has been how to lead in ways that people are eager to follow.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.