President Donald Trump on Tuesday was set to deliver a State of the Union speech challenging Democrats to approve funding for his long-sought border wall with Mexico, but stopping short of declaring a national emergency over it, at least for now. Before a joint session of Congress, Trump will likely stir contention with remarks on US immigration policy, after his demand for $5.7 billion in wall funds triggered a historic 35-day partial government shutdown that more than half of Americans blamed him for, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. Millions of Americans were expected to be watching the address on television, giving Trump his biggest opportunity to date to explain why he believes a barrier is needed on the US southern border with Mexico. The speech was delayed for a week because of the shutdown that ended 25 January. When Trump takes centre stage in the US House of Representatives for his speech, sitting behind him will be his main congressional adversary, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who became House speaker after her party won control of the chamber in November's midterm elections. She has shown no sign of budging from her opposition to Trump's wall-funding demand. That has led Trump to contemplate declaring a national emergency, which he says would let him reallocate funding from elsewhere without congressional approval. But a source close to Trump said the president was not expected to take that step, which would likely draw a swift court challenge from Democrats. Instead, he will urge a congressional committee to make a border security deal by 15 February. This was the deadline agreed with Democrats to temporarily end the government shut down, and allow more than 800,000 federal employees to get paid. The looming threat of another government shutdown weighs heavily on both Trump and his Democratic opponents, as opinion polls showed that most Americans believe federal workers should not be held hostage to political disputes. “He's going to set the stage,” the source said. “He'll tell people: ‘Here's why I should,' but say: ‘I'm giving Congress another chance to act.'” Trump's speech will also offer an olive branch to opponents as he looks towards the 2020 presidential elections, targeting areas he sees for potential bipartisan agreement, such as infrastructure improvements, lowering prescription drug costs and healthcare. A senior administration official said Trump would “encourage Congress to reject the politics of resistance and retribution, and instead adopt a spirit of cooperation and compromise so we can achieve it.” But that message could be undermined with Trump threatening to go his own way on the wall if he cannot get Congress to approve the funding he wants. On Sunday, Trump tweeted: “If there is no Wall, there is no Security.” He has said the wall, which he promised in his 2016 campaign, is needed to deter illegal immigration and drugs. Some Republicans are urging Trump not to declare an emergency. “I'm for whatever works that prevents the level of dysfunction we've seen on full display here the last month, and also doesn't bring about a view on the president's part that he needs to declare a national emergency,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters last week. Trump will also address foreign policy, including support for an effort to coax Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro into leaving power, declaring the Islamic State militant group all but defeated, and perhaps announcing where he will next meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. He will also give an update on trade talks with the Chinese. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney went over the speech Monday night with about a dozen supporters, including former campaign aides Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie, as well as Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, a source familiar with the meeting said. The source said Trump would discuss troop drawdowns in Syria and Afghanistan, and that about half the speech would be devoted to foreign policy. Trump will also claim success on economic policy, including cutting federal regulations, the source said. Some Democrats have invited guests to the speech to highlight various causes, some at odds with Trump's policies, making a raucous atmosphere possible inside the House. Representative Pramila Jayapal said Monday she would invite climate scientist Lisa Graumlich, dean of the College of the Environment at the University of Washington, as her guest, to underscore the climate change issue. “One thing you will see is that the chamber is full and the president is surrounded by women, by people of colour, by individuals who have really been hurt by this president and many of the actions that he has taken,” Jayapal said. Republican strategist and former White House official Raj Shah said the speech offered Trump a chance to turn the page. “Washington right now looks a little bit petty and a little bit small and the State of the Union is an opportunity to go big and talk in broad themes about what's good about America and look beyond some of the issues of the last few weeks,” he said. The theatre that unfolds in the House Chamber Tuesday will encapsulate a turbulent moment in America's story, resonate with clashing political egos and paint a picture of stark national divides and accelerating demographic change. Dominating the spotlight, where he loves to be, will be a president who believes he's unfairly treated but whose grasps for personal glory often alienate all but his most loyal followers and make the recognition he craves ever more elusive. The hostile Democratic caucus in Congress will be staring right back at Trump as he gives his speech, depriving him of the adoration he gets from restorative crowds of “Make America Great Again” fans at campaign rallies. The transformative power of the midterm elections will be written on the faces of the most diverse House majority in history in terms of race and gender, while the Republican half of the chamber will look mostly white, male and middle aged. Democrats will stress the comparison by enlisting Georgia's rising star Stacey Abrams, who narrowly failed to be elected as the first black woman governor of any state, to deliver their State of the Union response, to be delivered right after Trump ends his speech.
