Trump in State of the Union address expected to tout economy, domestic energy, immigration reform

President Donald Trump will deliver the first State of the Union speech of his second term Tuesday night. The speech begins at 9 p.m. ET. 

The president is expected to discuss the economy, the success of his “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act (OBBBA), his efforts to secure the border, foreign policy and the state of tariffs following the Supreme Court ruling them illegal. 

Trump’s populist tone has often carried a brash style, which has been seen as a response to the Biden-era cancel culture defines by some as "wokeism." 

Trump may temper the tone in Tuesday’s formal address, but with the midterms now just roughly nine months away, the president will likely try to bolster support for Republicans by taking aim at Democrats throughout the speech. 

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that the president’s speech will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence. 

Trump will likely spend time contrasting his second term with that of preceding Democrat President Joe Bide, in his first and only term.  

Leavitt said that Trump had brought the country back from the “brink of disaster.” Trump, she said, will argue that he and the Republicans over the next three years will “finally achieve the American dream in this country again that we had in his first term but was lost because of Joe Biden and the Democrats over the past four years.” 

Trump’s accomplishments on the economy are expected to be a focus of the speech, and he will likely lay out a vision for economic policy in the remaining three years of his term. Trump will tout the successful passage of the OBBBA, and the tax cuts it’s provided to Americans. 

“Affordability” has become a key concern among voters, and Trump’s speech is expected to delve into how his policies have made the cost of living easier on Americans. He will also bring up the rate of inflation, which has been considerably tamed compared to the sky-high rates of his predecessor. 

Trump is also expected to discuss the Supreme Court ruling against his signature tariff policies. Following the ruling, Trump took to Truth Social to call the ruling “very intentionally divisive,” and he argued that the decision inadvertently gave him even more “powers and strength” than he had before. 

In his speech Tuesday, he will likely defend his tariffs and their impact on the economy, while discussing how he’s going to proceed without depending on Congressional approval.

Trump will also discuss his efforts to lower the costs of drugs, which will include highlighting his TrumpRx.gov. The government-run portal is an initiative intended to direct patients toward manufacturers offering low-cost drugs. 

Immigration has been a top concern for Americans, but federal law enforcement agents having fatally shot two Minnesota residents last month has left some Americans with the sense that the president’s effort to deport illegal immigrants has been mismanaged or too zealous.  

In the State of the Union speech, Trump will likely tout the numbers of illegal migrant deportations and how they have made Americans safer from crime. 

Trump’s discussion on foreign policy will likely center on the possible military action in Iran, as well as the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. He will also boast of his administration’s success in helping bring about a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas, amid speculation the U.S. will engage in some sort of military response to a surge in violence by drug cartel members in that country.  

Tuesday’s speech will also be an opportunity for the president to discuss the situation in Venezuela. Trump met with oil company executives in January, hoping to coax them into investments in the country’s oil production following the capture of its dictator Nicolás Maduro. 

Trump is also expected to report on the outcomes of his unleashing of American energy, a policy he put forth on his first day in office. Gasoline prices have remained low, as have oil prices, and should Venezuelan oil hit the market, the low-price environment will likely be maintained for the foreseeable future. 

Trump’s success in lowering energy costs will add to his remarks on his economic successes.