Washington, DC – US President Donald Trump hailed the first 13 months of his second term as "transformative" during his State of the Union address, a message the White House plans to use to build support for the Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections.
But the speech on Tuesday also highlighted uncomfortable political realities for Trump, exposing the vulnerabilities of a president who has relied on executive orders, unilateral actions, and emergency declarations to advance his agenda.
The Supreme Court's ruling against his signature tariff policy – just days before the speech – underscored how quickly Trump's boldest actions could unravel amid legal challenges.
"It was a speech to shore up his base of supporters," said Aaron Kall, a University of Michigan professor who studies presidential messaging. "As opposed to extending olive branches to Democrats or trying to attract new supporters."
This is a potentially constraining approach for a president who will need congressional support – including from vulnerable Republican lawmakers and centrist Democrats – to achieve many objectives in the coming months.
Trump's most substantial legislative victory of his second term came in the form of a sweeping bill passed by the Republican-controlled Congress in July, which he highlighted in his speech.
The legislation, dubbed by Trump as his "Big Beautiful Bill," codified several of his top campaign agenda items, including populist economic pledges. However, polls show the public has not noticed major changes in their lived experience, and Trump's approval rating has slumped since the bill's passage.
On Tuesday, Trump did not call for another sweeping bill but instead pitched several pieces of legislation aimed at addressing the high cost of living.
While Trump has generally preferred a go-it-alone approach, his statements underscored that he still needs Congress for many policy initiatives, even as he blamed Democrats and the Biden administration for economic challenges.
Source: www.aljazeera.com