President Donald Trump is set to deliver his first State of the Union address Tuesday night from the U.S. Capitol, his first formal chance to unite an increasingly divided nation and equally fractured Congress.
Trump’s speech, which will be broadcast live at 9 p.m. EST, comes as his job approval rating languishes in the high 30s, among the worst ever for a commander in chief.
The president, who’s mostly played to his base during a tumultuous first year in office, will focus during the speech on the economic progress made since his January 2017 inauguration, White House officials said. He will also likely address hot-button issues such as immigration, health care and tax reform.
A handful of House Democrats, including Reps. Maxine Waters (Calif.), Frederica Wilson (Fla.) and John Lewis (Ga.), plan to boycott the speech, displeased by disparaging comments Trump allegedly made earlier this month about immigrants from Haiti and African nations.
“I cannot in good consciousness attend the #SOTU address after the president went so low in his remarks about Haiti & African nations,” Wilson tweeted. “It would be hypocrisy to go to an event at which he is honored.”