Seeking to move past the shadow of the Russia investigation, President Donald Trump intends to use his first State of the Union address to cite economic progress under his watch while pushing for bipartisanship with Democrats on issues such as rebuilding roads and bridges.
The president will point to a robust economy and low unemployment during his first year in office and the benefits of a tax overhaul during Tuesday’s address to Congress and the nation, the White House says.
Trump, who stayed at the White House over the weekend as he prepared, is expected to set aside his more combative tone for one of compromise and bipartisanship, according to aides.
“The president is going to talk about how America’s back,” says White House legislative director Marc Short. “The president is also going to make an appeal to Democrats … to say we need to rebuild our country. And to make an appeal that to do infrastructure, we need to do it in a bipartisan way.”
Trump also would urge Democrats to support additional military spending in light of “dramatic threats on the global scene,” Short says.
The theme of the annual address will be “building a safe, strong and proud America.”
