Trump's Past Speeches To Congress Asked Them To Pass His Agenda. Now, He's Willing To Go It Alone

Judging by his past speeches to Congress, President Donald Trump once felt the need to ask lawmakers to pass his agenda. Not so much anymore.

Trump, who is addressing Congress on Tuesday night, has asserted his authority to reshape the federal government without needing to consult the legislative branch. That's a break from his previous remarks to Congress in which he specifically sought lawmakers' backing on many of the actions he's now taking unilaterally.

On his own, Trump has signed order to levy punishing taxes on imports, deport immigrants in the country illegally, fire hundreds of thousands of federal workers and freeze congressionally approved spending. There are limits to that approach as he will still need lawmakers' help to extend his 2017 tax cuts.

But the speeches delivered during Trump's first term show his evolution as a leader. His hopeful rhetoric in 2017 gave way to a 2020 State of the Union address in which Democrats were socialists. The event that defined the United States that year - the coronavirus pandemic - received only a brief mention by Trump.

'The torch of truth, liberty and justice'