STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
President Trump speaks to Congress and the country tonight.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It's going to be a long speech because I have - we have so much to talk about.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The State of the Union address is any president's annual opportunity to set the national agenda or reset the agenda when it's not going well. Many Americans don't feel good about the state of the union. An NPR survey out this week finds that 60% of those responding - 6 out of 10 - say the country is worse off than a year ago. In a few moments, we'll discuss all this with a Republican analyst and speechwriter. First, let's preview the speech.
INSKEEP: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez has an assessment. Franco, good morning.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: What do you know about the president's approach?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I expect his team is finishing a speech that tries to do that - push the reset button - a speech that not only touts his accomplishments but sets the stage for the upcoming midterms, you know, focusing on how the administration plans to really tackle costs for everyday Americans. But I spoke with Ashley Koning, a pollster from Rutgers University, who told me that the administration faces an uphill battle.
ASHLEY KONING: There is so much on the table right now with the president going into this speech between whether we're talking about the partial shutdown, the economy, immigration or Iran, and then clearly him seeing his worst poll numbers right now during his second term.
ORDOÑEZ: You know, and the thing is, Steve, you really don't know what Trump is going to say. And the reality here is the president says a lot of things in public, but he hasn't really explained some of the policies in a way at least that many Americans would approve. So he has this opportunity to clarify those plans tonight.
INSKEEP: Well, as you're saying that, I'm thinking he's talking to the nation right after the Supreme Court found his tariffs were illegal.
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, a huge blow to his agenda and a great example to what we're talking about. Trump's promising new tariffs under a different law, which really has some Republicans concerned because of the associated higher costs. Jon McHenry, a veteran Republican strategist, told me that Trump could take this moment to give his reasons for a policy many Americans don't agree with.
JON MCHENRY: He has an opportunity to say, this is why I think these tariffs are important, and we are going to handle it in this manner because I'm trying to preserve manufacturing jobs, because I'm trying to preserve farming jobs, rather than just saying, I can't believe these people are against me. What losers and RINOs they are.
INSKEEP: Got to note, when the court first ruled, the president took the latter course, Franco. He called the justices, quote, "unpatriotic and disloyal," even though he appointed some of them.
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. And just think about this, Steve. Those justices are going to be in the room with Trump. And as always the case with this president, the optics are going to be a big part of the evening. So when Trump sees those justices, you know, walking in in their black robes, you know, is he going to be able to resist attacking them personally, as he did so aggressively last week?
INSKEEP: So we'll watch for that and also watching this - what approach can the president take to the possible war against Iran?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I think a similar one. I mean, right now, there's a real concern, especially from his own party, that the U.S. can be dragged into a long-term conflict, you know, the kind of conflict Trump himself pledged to avoid. Again, Trump has not made the public case for why strikes may be necessary, as presidents have in the past. And this could be an opportunity for Trump to do that, to explain his reasoning. And if he does, at least people will have understood why he made that decision. But that's obviously not Trump's MO.
INSKEEP: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Thanks for your insights, as always.
ORDOÑEZ: Thanks, Steve. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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