Donald Trump to go head to head with Congress in State of the Union speech

President Donald Trump will be facing his accusers Tuesday night during his State of the Union speech. The impeached president is speaking on the eve of what's anticipated to be his Senate acquittal on Wednesday. File picture: Evan Vucci/AP

President Donald Trump will be facing his accusers Tuesday night during his State of the Union speech. The impeached president is speaking on the eve of what's anticipated to be his Senate acquittal on Wednesday. File picture: Evan Vucci/AP

Published Feb 4, 2020

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Washington - With the impeachment drive

against him ebbing, US President Donald Trump will face his

Democratic accusers on Tuesday night at a State of the Union

speech where he is expected to push his case for another four

years in office.

Trump, a Republican, may be tempted to lash out at the

Democratic critics seated before him in the US House of

Representatives, seeing it as a chance for payback against those

who sought to oust him through what he calls a "witch hunt."

Some of his aides and allies, however, are pressing for him

to avoid a confrontation.

The Republican-led Senate is almost certain to end the

impeachment drive on Wednesday with a vote to acquit him. His

speech, which starts at 9 p.m. ET (0200 GMT) on Tuesday, affords

Trump the opportunity to advance his message for what is likely

to be a hard-fought battle for re-election on November 3.

Aides say there has been an internal debate inside the White

House over whether he should even bring up impeachment in his

speech.

A senior administration official said on Monday night that

Trump was not expected to delve deeply into the issue, if at

all, but acknowledged that this could always change.

Trump himself has said he plans an upbeat speech offering an

optimistic vision at a time when Washington - and the rest of

the country - is polarized over his leadership.

"We’re really looking to giving a very, very positive

message," Trump told reporters during a Super Bowl party at his

golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday.

Senator Pat Roberts, a Kansas Republican and strong Trump

supporter, told reporters on Capitol Hill on Monday that Trump

would help himself by taking the high road.

“I hope he will smother people with the milk of human

kindness,” Roberts said.

Asked if Trump could turn impeachment to his advantage by

being gracious about it going forward, Roberts said, “Could.

Some of us have urged that.”

The theme of Trump's speech is "The Great American

Comeback." He plans to highlight the strength of the U.S.

economy and achievements to support it like a China trade deal

and another trade pact with Mexico and Canada.

Trump is also expected to offer to work with his political

opponents on issues like reducing healthcare costs and drug

prices and rebuilding infrastructure, officials said.

But with the two parties immersed in election-year

politicking, no major legislative action is expected this year.

Trump is expected to contrast his vision for healthcare with

the plans advanced by his Democratic rivals, a reference to

left-leaning proposals by two of the Democratic presidential

candidates he frequently attacks, Senators Bernie Sanders and

Elizabeth Warren.

He is also expected to promote his efforts to limit migrants

from crossing the southern U.S. border, as well as national

security moves such as his decision to kill Iranian military

commander Qassem Soleimani with a U.S. drone strike.

Still, the president held out little hope for bipartisan

cooperation this year in the wake of the impeachment fight,

saying he doubted Democrats would want to work with him.

"I’m not sure that they can do it, to be honest," Trump told

the Fox network in a Super Bowl Sunday interview.

The State of the Union speech is attended by Democratic and

Republican lawmakers from both the House and the Senate as well

as such VIP guests as Cabinet secretaries and Supreme Court

justices. The television audience for last year's speech was

estimated at 47 million people. 

Reuters

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