What Kind of Opportunity Does Trump Have With First State of the Union?

“The real question…is what happens tomorrow morning? Does the president blow all of this capital with a tweet?”

Libby Casey/Washington Post

President Donald Trump delivers his first State of the Union speech Tuesday night before a joint session of Congress.

The president is expected to discuss his plans for infrastructure and immigration. He will probably also take a victory lap with a surging stock market and a tax overhaul.

But Trump takes the rostrum at a strange moment that will surely become part of national political lore — he’s the subject of a special investigation within the Department of Justice, and his divisive rhetoric consistently sets the nation on edge.

Click here to hear a conversation on Detroit Today about the history of presidential speeches

What kind of opportunity does Trump have with this speech? What should we expect from the president?

Washington Post reporter Libby Casey joins Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson to preview the address.

“The theme the White House is telling us to expect is building a safe, strong, and proud America,” says Casey. “Those are a lot of positive words. That’s not ‘American carnage,’ which is what we heard from his inaugural speech.”

“The real question a lot of people here in Washington, and I’m sure everywhere, (are) asking is, what happens tomorrow morning? Does the president blow all of this capital with a tweet?”

Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.

You can hear live coverage of President Trump’s first State of the Union address tonight (Tuesday) at 9 p.m. on WDET 101.9FM.

Author

  • Dynamic and diverse voices. News, politics, community and the issues that define our region. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, Detroit Today brings you fresh and perceptive views weekdays at 9 am and 7 pm.