What Time Is The State Of The Union Address Tonight — Trump’s Chance to Turn Things Around
For anyone asking what time is the state of the union address tonight, this preview comes as the president confronts a sharper political landscape than the last time he spoke to Congress. A staff writer argues the speech could be a chance to reverse course—if the president doesn’t undercut his own message.
What Time Is The State Of The Union Address Tonight: a fraught return to the podium, in context
The conversation with Jonathan Lemire centers on how the address could play out. Lemire, a staff writer, notes that when Donald Trump last addressed Congress in March 2025 he was triumphant, having stormed back into the White House after surviving two assassination attempts and seen his first 100 days in office on track to be historically productive. Now, as he prepares for the State of the Union, Lemire says the president is on far less stable ground and that the speech could be a chance to turn things around—if he doesn’t get in his own way.
Public opinion and the affordability line
Polling shows a sharp uptick in criticism: 68 percent of Americans now say the president hasn’t paid attention to the country’s most important problems, up from 52 percent this time last year. Another poll finds 57 percent of Americans disapprove of the president’s handling of the economy. Lemire highlights that the president has repeatedly played down the affordability crisis, deeming it a "hoax, " a posture that may be hard to sell in an economy that Lemire characterizes as clearly doing very well for the rich and less so for others.
Tariffs, the Supreme Court and the Dow as talking points
In a question from Will Gottsegen about how the president might defend divisive moves such as tariffs and hard-line immigration policies, Gottsegen noted that tariffs have raised costs for Americans and that immigration policies have resulted in civilian deaths. Lemire says the president’s advisers want him to stay on message about the economy, leaning on job growth and a claim that inflation has cooled, though not as much as many hoped. Lemire adds that the president will likely point to the Dow hitting 50, 000 in recent days and to trade deals. The speech follows a recent reversal: the president’s sweeping tariff policy was overturned by the Supreme Court a few days ago, and Lemire says the president has been raging about that decision ever since.
Immigration enforcement, Minnesota and Minneapolis
Lemire points to the president’s recent backtracking on an immigration-enforcement crackdown in Minnesota as a sign that he is acutely aware of negative responses to some of his most aggressive policies, even within his own party. His signature approach—these mass deportations—has become broadly unpopular, especially after the two killings in Minneapolis and the scenes of federal agents seemingly terrorizing people. Lemire underscores that the president’s two biggest strengths in the 2024 campaign were his vow to be a strong steward of the economy and his immigration promises: Americans seem to like that he closed the southern border, but they decidedly do not like a supercharged expansion of ICE operations when it targets people who have lived here for years, if not decades—people known as friends, neighbors, classmates, and co-workers.
What winning looks like, and an unfinished thought
When Will Gottsegen asked what the best- and worst-case outcomes might be, Lemire sketched a best-case scenario in which the president stays on track, even appears somewhat bipartisan, extols his successes and suggests there is more to be done. Lemire’s line begins: "I think that the best-case scenario would be if he were to—suspend your disbelief here—stay on track, even appear somewhat bipartisan, and extol his successes while also suggesting that he understands there's more to be done. " The published conversation breaks off mid-sentence at "He needs to acknowledge th, " and the remainder of that thought is unclear in the provided context.
Where the speech could change the arc
Lemire’s takeaway is blunt: the address is an opportunity, but it comes against a mix of legal setbacks, public skepticism, and policy controversies that the president has already struggled to manage. How he frames the economy, handles questions about tariffs and the Supreme Court decision, and addresses the fallout from immigration operations will shape whether the night is a reset or another moment of political strain.
