WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – President Donald Trump will strike an optimistic tone Tuesday night when he delivers this year’s State of the Union address, focusing on issues central to his 2016 election and his 2020 reelection bid. But there’s one topic no one really knows if he’ll address tonight until he starts speaking: Impeachment.
In last year’s State of the Union address, President Trump called for an end to an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
This year, the commander in chief will give his prime-time speech in the very House chamber where Democrats voted to impeach him in December. If his campaign rallies are any indication, President Trump won’t shy away from the topic, even though the Senate’s final impeachment trial vote is on hold until Wednesday.
Reports indicate Tuesday night will be the first time in months that President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be in the same room.
But the president says he will use this year’s speech to talk about moving the nation ahead.
Officials say he plans to highlight a variety of topics including the economy, new trade deals, immigration, health care and school choice. He’ll also try to make the case for why he deserves four more years in the White House.
Democrats cheered the president’s call for unity in his 2019 address. But this year’s bitter partisan divide may make it more difficult to get anything like a standing ovation.
Throughout the Trump impeachment process, there have been many comparisons drawn to the Clinton impeachment – and rightfully so. After Tuesday night, Both Clinton and President Trump will have given a State of the Union address amidst their Senate trials. Clinton completely avoided talking about or even alluding to his impeachment.
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