- President Donald Trump began his third annual State of the Union address at 9 pm ET on Tuesday.
- His national address comes less than two months after the House charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress and a day before the Senate is set to end his impeachment trial with an acquittal.
- The president is set to defend his record and celebrate what he perceives as his achievements, particularly the state of the economy, in a speech designed to layout his path to reelection.
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President Donald Trump began his third annual State of the Union address at 9 pm ET on Tuesday, less than two months after the House charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress and a day before the Senate is set to end his impeachment trial with an acquittal.
The president is set to defend his record and celebrate what he perceives as his achievements, particularly the state of the economy. In a meeting with news network anchors on Tuesday, Trump said his fourth address to a joint session of Congress would be "low key."
The president is reportedly planning to tout a "great American comeback," three years after decrying American carnage in his inauguration speech.
"In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American Decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny," Trump is planning to say. "We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!"
Trump has been boosted by strong poll numbers in recent days. A Gallup poll released Tuesday found Trump reached his highest approval ratings of his presidency amid the ongoing Senate impeachment trial.
Two Democrats are scheduled to deliver the party's official response following Trump's address. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will reportedly focus her speech on the economy and Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar, who will deliver her address in Spanish, will focus on the president's anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric.
"It doesn't matter what the president says about the stock market," Whitmer will say, The New York Times reported. "What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or don't have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans or prescription drugs."
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