WASHINGTON — Addressing a deeply divided nation, President Donald Trump called upon lawmakers Tuesday night to "summon the unity" to make good on long-standing promises to fix the nation's crumbling infrastructure and fractured immigration systems, infusing his presidency with a sense of optimism, for at least one high-profile night.
"To every citizen watching at home tonight, no matter where you have been, or where you come from, this is your time," Trump declared in his State of the Union address. "If you work hard, if you believe in yourself, if you believe in America, then you can dream anything, you can be anything, and together, we can achieve anything."
[RELATED: Associated Press updates from State of the Union address]
Trump spoke with tensions running high on Capitol Hill. An impasse over immigration prompted a three-day government shutdown earlier this year, and lawmakers appear no closer to resolving the status of the "Dreamers" — young people living in the U.S. illegally ahead of a new Feb. 8 deadline for funding operations. The parties have also clashed this week over the plans of Republicans on the House intelligence committee to release a classified memo on the Russia investigation involving Trump's presidential campaign — a decision the White House backs but the Justice Department is fighting.
Trump's approval ratings have hovered in the 30s for much of his presidency, and just 3 in 10 Americans said the United States was heading in the right direction, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. In the same survey, 67 percent of Americans said the country was more divided because of Trump.
Trump devoted significant time to touting the tax overhaul he signed at the end of last year, promising the plan will "provide tremendous relief for the middle class and small businesses." He also highlighted the decision made early in his first year to withdraw the U.S. from a sweeping Asia-Pacific trade pact, declaring: "The era of economic surrender is totally over."
He spoke about potential agenda items for 2018 in broad terms, including a call for $1.5 trillion in new infrastructure spending and partnerships with states and the private sector. He touched only briefly on issues like health care that have been at the center of the Republican Party's policy agenda for years.
Tackling the sensitive immigration debate that has roiled Washington, Trump redoubled his recent pledge to offer a path to citizenship for 1.8 million young immigrants — as part of a package that would also require increased funding for border security, including a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, ending the nation's visa lottery method and revamping the current legal immigration system. Some Republicans are wary of the hardline elements of Trump's plan and it's unclear whether his blueprint could pass Congress.
Trump played to the culture wars, alluding to his public spat with professional athletes who led protests against racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem, declaring that paying tribute to the flag is a "civic duty."
Republicans led multiple rounds of enthusiastic applause during the speech, but for the opposition party it was a more somber affair. Democrats provided a short spurt of polite applause for Trump as he entered the chamber, but offered muted reactions throughout the speech. A cluster of about two dozen Democrats, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus, remained planted firmly in their seats, staring sternly at the president and withholding applause.
After devastating defeats in 2016, Democrats are hopeful that Trump's sagging popularity can help the party rebound in November's midterm elections. In a post-speech rebuttal, Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy, the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, was seeking to undercut Trump's optimistic tone and remind voters of the personal insults and attacks often leveled by the president.
"Bullies may land a punch," Kennedy said, according to excerpts from his remarks. "They might leave a mark. But they have never, not once, in the history of our United States, managed to match the strength and spirit of a people united in defense of their future."
On international affairs, Trump warned of the dangers from "rogue regimes," like Iran and North Korea, terrorist groups, like the Islamic State, and "rivals" like China and Russia "that challenge our interests, our economy and our values." Calling on Congress to lift budgetary caps and boost spending on the military, Trump said that "unmatched power is the surest means of our defense."
The president also announced that he had signed an executive order directing the Department of Defense to keep open the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay. The order reverses the Obama-era policy of the executive branch, long stymied by Congress, to close the prison.
First lady Melania Trump, who has largely stayed out of the spotlight following the latest allegations of Trump infidelity, arrived at the capitol ahead of her husband to attend a reception with guests of the White House. Those sitting alongside the first lady included an Ohio welder who the White House says will benefit from the new tax law and the parents of two Long Island teenagers who were believed to have been killed by MS-13 gang members.
Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
EARLIER:
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will call for a "new American moment" in Tuesday night's State of the Union address as he seeks to rally a divided nation and infuse his presidency with a sense of optimism.
According to excerpts released ahead of the prime-time address, the president will declare that there has "never been a better time to start living the American dream." He's calling on lawmakers in both parties to join forces to modernize the nation's crumbling infrastructure and revamp immigration policies to focus on "the best interests of American workers and American families."
"I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties, Democrats and Republicans, to protect our citizens, of every background, color, and creed," Trump said in the excerpts.
Partisanship in Washington has only deepened in the year since Trump has taken office, driven in part by the president's personal attacks on his political rivals and Democrats' criticism of his policies and behavior.
The divisions that have gripped Congress throughout Trump's presidency were on full display in the hours before his speech. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., sparked controversy by calling for the arrest and deportation of any "illegal aliens" who attempted to attend the address. More than 20 Democratic lawmakers had invited so-called Dreamers — young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children and living here illegally. The immigrants could face deportation in March unless Congress acts.
A spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan said he disagreed with Gosar's position.
The annual presidential address to Congress and millions of Americans watching at home is traditionally a commander-in-chief's biggest platform to speak to the nation. However, Trump has redefined presidential communications with his high-octane, filter-free Twitter account.
Trump was quiet Tuesday on Twitter, and the White House sought to focus attention on his big speech. Officials said Trump had spent months giving aides "tidbits" about lines he wanted to use in the speech and was assisted in its crafting by national security adviser H.R. McMaster and economy adviser Gary Cohn.
The economy will be the centerpiece of Trump's address, which is expected to run about an hour. Though the current trajectory of lower unemployment and higher growth began under President Barack Obama, Trump argues that the tax overhaul he signed into law late last year has boosted business confidence and will lead companies to reinvest in the United States.
According to the speech excerpts, Trump will herald the tax plan, which slashed rates for businesses and the wealthy while delivering more modest gains for most Americans, as a "tremendous relief for the middle class and small businesses."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the president should thank his predecessor for the economy during Tuesday's address, but predicted that was unlikely to happen.
"Here are two words we won't hear President Trump say tonight about the economy: 'Thanks, Obama,'" Schumer said.
The president has been shadowed for months by a special counsel investigation into possible connections between his campaign and Russia. His approval rating has hovered in the 30s for much of his presidency and at the close of 2017, just 3 in 10 Americans said the United States was heading in the right direction, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. In the same survey, 67 percent of Americans said the country was more divided because of Trump.
Congress has also struggled with funding the government, prompting a brief federal shutdown earlier this month that was resolved only with a short-term fix that pushed the spending deadline to Feb. 8.
Against the backdrop of the spending fight, Republicans and Democrats are also wrestling with the future of some 700,000 young immigrants living in the United States illegally. Trump has pledged to protect the "Dreamers" from deportation but is also calling for changes to legal immigration that are controversial with both parties.
The Democrats are hardly in a mood to compromise with Trump ahead of the midterm elections. Lawmakers see his unpopularity as a key to their success in November, and are eager to mobilize Democratic voters itching to deliver the president and his party a defeat at the ballot box.
Trump also was expected to use the speech to talk about the fate of the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Trump, who vowed during his campaign to load Guantanamo up with "bad dudes," has long been expected to rescind Obama's 2009 order to close the prison.
Democrats, seeking to set the tone for their election-year strategy, tapped Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy, the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, to deliver a post-speech rebuttal aimed at casting his party, not Trump, as the champion of the middle class.
A number of Democrats planned to boycott the president's remarks. And some Democratic women planned to wear black to protest sexual harassment, an issue that has tarnished several lawmakers in both parties. Trump himself has been accused of assault or harassment by more than a dozen women, accusations he has denied. The Wall Street Journal reported this month that the president's lawyer arranged a payment to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, to prevent her from talking about her alleged encounter with the future president.
First lady Melania Trump, who has largely stayed out of the spotlight following those allegations, will attend Tuesday's address, according to the White House. She'll be joined in the audience by several guests whose stories amplify the president's agenda, including an Ohio welder who the White House says will benefit from the new tax law and the parents of two Long Island teenagers who were believed to have been killed by MS-13 gang members.
Check back with Arkansas Online for updates on this developing story and read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.