(AFP) – US President Donald Trump was to deliver a high-stakes State of the Union address Tuesday, boasting of a “turnaround for the ages” and vowing to confront threats to America as conflict with Iran looms. In what promises to be a marathon speech to a joint session of Congress, Trump will seek to sell voters on the achievements of a breakneck and deeply divisive first year back in power.
But the 79-year-old Republican faces a major challenge to reverse his dismal approval ratings and convince Americans ahead of crucial midterm elections in November. Republicans fear Trump’s unpopularity could lose them their wafer-thin majority in the House — paralyzing the rest of Trump’s second term and exposing him to a possible third impeachment. Trump, however, was set to strike a defiant tone in the first official State of the Union of his second term.
“Tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before, and a turnaround for the ages,” Trump was to say, according to excerpts released by the White House. Trump is expected to focus in particular on the economy, having promised a “golden age” despite their concerns about the cost of living.
On the international front, the man who complained that he did not win last year’s Nobel peace prize is now mulling military strikes on Iran over its nuclear program and crackdown on protesters. “As president, I will make peace wherever I can — but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must,” Trump was to say, according to the excerpts. His spokeswoman posted a picture of Trump with his Iran negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner shortly before the speech.
The president himself warned on Monday that the first official State of the Union of his second term was “going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about.” Speculation mounted that the speech could be as long as three hours — far outstripping the hour and 40 minutes that Trump gave in the longest ever speech to lawmakers last year.
But Trump has been battered by a series of blows in the second year of his second term, most recently when the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs at the heart of his economic agenda. In an extra touch of drama, the same justices Trump branded “fools and lapdogs” over the tariff ruling will be sitting right in front of him in the chamber of the House of Representatives. The billionaire has also been rocked by a backlash from the killing of two US citizens in immigration raids in Minneapolis, the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, and a new partial government shutdown.
A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll published on Sunday showed his approval rating at 39 percent. Only 41 percent approved of his handling of the economy overall, and just 32 percent on inflation.
Democrats are lining up responses including boycotts and silent protests for the address. The New York Times said at least 40 Democrats were set to skip the speech. The State of the Union speech is mandated by the US Constitution, which says that the president shall “from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union.” Adding to the interest will be the guests that both Republicans and Democrats bring to watch the address from the gallery, part of a long tradition.
Trump has invited the US men’s ice hockey team after they won Olympic gold. But the women’s team said they were declining Trump’s invitation, US media reported. The president was also inviting Erika Kirk, the widow of assassinated right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Two Democratic members of the House of Representatives said they were bringing as guests the family members of a victim of disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has denied any links to sex offender Epstein, but the scandal continues to nag at his presidency.
– Danny KEMP
© 2024 AFP
