Affordability, Tariffs to Take Center Stage in State of the Union Address

Nathan Dean, Senior US Policy Analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, previews tonight's State of the Union address.

President Donald Trump needs his State of the Union address Tuesday to assuage voters anxious about the economy, foreign policy and even more tariff turmoil.

Indications are that he settled on an approach: steamrolling the assembled lawmakers, dignitaries and prime-time audience with a list of accomplishments in hopes of resetting a national mood that has curdled before the midterm elections.

“It’s going to be a long speech, because we have a lot to talk about,” Trump said Monday.

The risk is that it could further alienate voters wary of his immigration crackdown, uneasy with an increasingly interventionist foreign policy and skeptical of his signature tariff agenda after the Supreme Court struck it down. And while the president has championed the rapid development of artificial intelligence, many Americans fear potential threats to their jobs and wonder who will pay for the enormous electricity required to power AI data centers.

But Trump has also reveled in past national addresses as an opportunity to redefine controversies on his terms. A persuasive case for his economic record, new manufacturing commitments and his approach to flash points such as immigration, Iran and Ukraine could give Republicans much needed momentum heading into November.

The speech also serves as the prelude to the nation’s 250th anniversary, a year packed with high-profile events that offers a patriotism-soaked presidency another chance to rally public support.

The president will deliver the address before a joint session of Congress — and justices of the Supreme Court — at 9 p.m. Washington time from the US Capitol. How will Trump handle tariffs?

Expect Trump to criticize the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling that undermined his economic agenda and reiterate that he will continue to wield the threat of implementing global duties.

Within hours of Friday’s decision, Trump said he would impose a 10% global tariff — which he then increased to 15%  — and vowed to use other tools to maintain duties. But they are less nimble than the sweeping authority he was denied from using by the court and will be subjected to fresh legal challenges.

Cranes and container ships at the Port of Long Beach in California on Feb. 20.

At the same time, thousands of companies big and small are poised to sue for refunds of more than $170 billion the US has collected in tariff revenue.  Will Trump address ICE raids?

Trump’s 2024 comeback was in part fueled by his promise of swiftly deporting people who are in the country illegally and securing the southern US border.

But the violent Immigration and Customs Enforcement blitz in Minneapolis that resulted in the killings of two American citizens touched off nationwide protests and rare bipartisan backlash. It has turned public sentiment, with 54% of Americans saying that the surge in immigration enforcement was a bad idea in retrospect, according to an Economist/YouGov poll released last week.

Federal law enforcement agents detain a demonstrator during a raid in south Minneapolis in January.

Expect Trump to reframe the issue as one of criminal justice, especially since Democrats have refused to fund the Department of Homeland S

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