A test of tone

Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Tuesday the 24th of February.

You’re listening to WORLD Radio and we’re so glad you’ve joined us today. Good morning, I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

First up on The World and Everything in It: The State of the Union.

Tonight, President Trump will address a joint session of Congress, he will highlight his wins and concerns from the last year, and look ahead.

We will have reaction tomorrow on Washington Wednesday, but right now, a look at what to expect tonight.

WORLD’s Carolina Lumetta has the story.

CAROLINA LUMETTA: As President Trump prepares to address the nation, several news networks released polls on Monday gauging Americans’ view of his performance so far. 

Here’s ABC News:

ABC: Our new poll out today shows the president's approval rating stands at just 39%. That means 60% of Americans disapprove of the president's job currently in office right now.

Added together, these ratings roughly match the same point in Trump’s first term. That November, Democrats won majorities in the midterm elections.

This year, Republicans have asked Trump to focus more on the economy and issues at home to shore up support ahead of the elections. According to a CNN poll, 57% of Americans want to see the president discuss the economy and the cost of living.

They also want to hear about immigration. The ABC poll found that 58% of Americans think the Trump administration has gone too far with its immigration deportation efforts. The White House is hoping to turn attention to the victims of illegal immigration, instead.

TRUMP: We gathered here today for a truly solemn occasion.

On Monday, the White House hosted the families of people murdered by illegal immigrants during the Biden administration.

TRUMP: Everyone in this room not only suffered an infinite loss, they were the victims of politicians who put the comfort of foreign criminals before the safety of American citizens and American patriots.

Tariffs are also top of mind in Washington this week, following a decision from the Supreme Court to strike down the president’s emergency tariffs enacted last year. 

On Friday, Trump called the Court “partisan” and “un-American” by ruling his tariffs unconstitutional…and insisted tariffs aren’t going away. He invoked new global tariffs under a different authority, but Congress must codify them within 150 days.

TRUMP: All we're doing is we're going through a little bit more complicated process. Not complicated very much, but a little more complicated than what we had. We'll be able to take in tariffs, more tariffs.

Tonight’s address also comes amid a partial government shutdown since Congress has not passed funding for the Department of Homeland Security. 

Democrats have demanded reforms to the administration’s immigration operations, and talks with the White House have not resulted in any agreement. In the meantime, agencies such as TSA and FEMA are working without pay.

The chamber will not be at full capacity, as some Democrats continue to make their displeasure with the President known. Last year, when President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress to cast his vision for his second term...

SOUND: [Members heckling]

Democratic members booed, shouted, or waved signs that said “lies.” One member was even escorted out of the room by U.S. Marshals. 

This year, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told his members to maintain decorum.

JEFFRIES: The two options that are in front of us in our house is to either attend with silent defiance, or to not attend and send a message to Donald Trump in that fashion.

Several members are opting for the latter by appearing at alternate events. 

Senators Adam Schiff, Chris Murphy, and others are speaking at the National Press Club tonight for an event called State of the Swamp. Left-leaning organizations are also hosting the “People’s State of the Union” on the National Mall tonight.

Those who do attend the President’s address or watch are likely to be in for a long night. Between the economy, immigration, foreign policy and tariffs, the President has a lot of ground to cover, and he knows it.

TRUMP: It's going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Carolina Lumetta in Washington.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.