The State of the Union address comes at a pivotal moment in Trump’s second term. Here are 5 pre-title questions

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he has a lot to talk about tonight.

He is returning to Congress to deliver the State of the Union address at a key moment in his presidency, with his approval ratings near all-time lows and restive supporters waiting for him to deliver a more concrete speech on their struggle with the cost of living.

Moreover, the Supreme Court has just declared the tariffs that were central to his second term illegal. And the foreign policy challenges he promised to easily fix now do not seem so simple with the possibility of another military strike against Iran on the horizon.

The narrow Republican majority in Congress, which has done little to counter Trump’s expansive vision of power, is at risk of collapsing after this year’s midterm elections, when its self-interests may collide.

Here are some questions we think about before starting the speech.

How awkward will things get with the Supreme Court?

Trump did little to hide his anger last week when the Supreme Court struck down the far-reaching tariff policy. He didn’t just say that the justices who voted against one of the cases he signed — including two he appointed — were wrong in their legal reasoning. He said they were an “embarrassment to their families.”

He watches: Why did the Supreme Court rule against Trump’s tariffs?

Many of those justices will now likely sit at the front of the House chamber while Trump delivers his speech.

Will Trump criticize judges to their faces? Will he somehow show restraint in keeping his criticism limited to the decision itself?

Trump would not be the first president to use the State of the Union address as an opportunity to criticize the court. During his 2010 speech, President Barack Obama said the court’s Citizens United decision — which opened the way to millions of dollars in undisclosed political spending — would “open the floodgates to special interests,” prompting Justice Samuel Alito to shake his head and mouth “That’s not true.”

Since then, the presence of Supreme Court justices has become more sporadic. Alito began skipping them after the 2010 speech, joining fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, who has long argued that speeches are too partisan. By last year, when Trump gave a private address to Congress, there were only four members of the court — Chief Justice John Roberts along with Justices Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — on the House floor.

At the time, Trump warmly greeted the justices, even telling Roberts: “Thank you again, I’ll never forget it.” The comment was interpreted as showing Trump’s appreciation for the court’s decision to grant broad presidential immunity. But Trump said on social media that he was just thanking the chief justice for his swearing-in.

Regardless, justices who don’t want televised bashing from the president may decide to stay away Tuesday.

How will Democrats react?

Democrats were still adjusting to Trump’s return to power when he last addressed Congress — and it showed.

During his 2025 joint speech, Democrats entered the room carrying signs with messages ranging from “Save Medicaid” to “Musk Steals” to simply “Wrong.” Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, heckled Trump at one point, leading to his expulsion from the chamber.

Read more: 7 points from Trump’s first speech to Congress after his return to the White House

The signs were widely criticized as contrived and Greene’s protest served as a distraction. For voters angered by Trump’s aggressive use of power during his first months in office, the spectacle did not offer much confidence that Democrats were in a position to serve as an effective check on the White House.

Democrats aim to avoid a repeat of last year’s unrest. Expect fewer mentions and perhaps fewer Democrats in the chamber at all. Dozens of lawmakers said they would not attend the speech, and some were planning to attend competing events in Washington.

This may help avoid some of the theatrics of the past year. But it may do little to encourage disillusioned voters that Democrats have a coherent and effective message after a decade of Trump’s political rise.

After Democratic governors boycotted a White House dinner with Trump over the weekend, skipping the State of the Union may reinforce the sense that America’s two major political parties are charting fundamentally different paths.

Abigail Spanberger, Virginia’s new governor, is scheduled to deliver the Democrats’ official response to Trump.

How will Trump handle affordability and immigration?

Trump will deliver his speech at the beginning of an election year full of challenges for his fellow Republicans, who still maintain a weak grip on Congress. Much of the challenge for the GOP has centered on the feeling among voters that the party has not done enough to lower prices.

The White House insists that it recognizes the economic anxiety among voters and is working to address it. But Trump consistently has difficulty sticking to his message. During a trip to Georgia last week that was intended to focus on the economy, the president instead highlighted false claims about election fraud and pushed his proposal for voter identification requirements. When he addressed the issue of affordability, he said it was a problem created by Democrats and that he had now “solved” it.

He watches: Revised economic numbers inject uncertainty into the labor market

Trump’s tone on immigration may also be notable. Republicans found themselves on the defensive after the killing of two American citizens in Minneapolis last month by federal agents conducting an aggressive immigration enforcement operation. As Trump continued his tough rhetoric on illegal immigrants, his administration began withdrawing agents in Minneapolis. The president told New York Gov. Kathy Hochul last week that he would direct future increases in immigration enforcement where they want it.

What does he say about foreign policy?

Trump promised a quick and easy end to conflicts around the world when he was elected. A year later, Russia’s war in Ukraine is still raging, there is a fragile ceasefire in war-torn Gaza, and Trump is threatening a major military strike against Iran just eight months after claiming the United States had “destroyed” the country’s nuclear facilities.

And let us not forget his military operation in Venezuela less than two months ago, in which US forces kidnapped leader Nicolas Maduro. Trump has repeatedly said he will run the country.

Trump’s supporters may cheer his “America First” rhetoric, but the Republican president is showing more globalist tendencies a year into his second term.

The possibility of war with Iran is real. Trump has already built the largest US military presence in the Middle East in decades. Last week, he warned the Iranian regime that “bad things will happen” soon if a nuclear agreement is not reached.

How long will it go?

Trump is rarely one to moderate himself. His speech last year, which was technically a joint address and not the State of the Union, lasted nearly an hour and 40 minutes. It was the longest speech before a joint session of Congress, and Trump might want to set another record.

“It’s going to be a long speech because we have a lot to talk about,” he said Monday.