President Trump will try to bring his pitchman’s A-game to his first State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress and a national television audience, though even the strongest performance may not sway many voters.
Trump will have about 60 minutes of prime time Tuesday night to try to turn public opinion as his approval rating sits at historic lows for a president at this point in his term, and his party faces the prospect of losing control of the House and perhaps the Senate in the midterm election. …
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president would talk about the “great things happening in this country,” accomplishments in his first year, and “all of the great things that we’re going to do in the next seven years after this.”
Judging by many polls, however, Trump’s boasts will be met with skepticism if not hostility, except among the loyalists who voted for him. While the White House sees this high-profile, unfiltered address as a rare opportunity for Trump, history has shown that State of the Union speeches rarely have a lasting effect on approval ratings. CONT.
Brian Bennett, Los Angeles Times