Tuesday’s speech is Trump’s one and only chance to make his case to the US public before those elections in a major set-piece event before an audience of millions.
On Monday, he previewed what he hopes to accomplish with the address. “We have a country that’s now doing well, we have the greatest economy we’ve ever had and the most activity we’ve ever had,” Trump said. “It is going to be a long speech, because we have so much to talk about.”
According to Robert Rowland, a professor at the University of Kansas who has written a book analysing Trump’s rhetoric, it is standard fare for Trump to boast about his accomplishments, leavened with attacks on his perceived enemies and critics.
His past speeches to Congress including last year’s, which stretched for nearly two hours, have followed a similar pattern. But at what he called a “critical moment” for the president, Rowland said a typical Trump speech may not be the best approach.
“State of the Union addresses are normally a time when the president does two things that President Trump essentially never does,” Rowland said. “The president makes a case for his agenda. And they try to broaden the appeal of the agenda of the administration.”
Much of Trump’s second-term agenda, and his efforts to tout it, have been directed at his political base. Broadening his appeal can at times feel like less of a priority than going on the attack. The political reality, however, suggests the president has some work to do in selling his agenda before November’s elections.
His decision to surge federal immigration agents to cities like Minneapolis may have been popular with the party faithful who waved “mass deportations now!” signs at the 2024 Republican National Convention, but polls indicate many Americans believe he has gone too far.