U.S. President Donald Trump will offer his first State of the Union address tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern, in which he is expected to discuss immigration, the country’s economic performance and national security. One White House official told Politico that Trump’s speech will adopt a tone of “bipartisanship” in an attempt to unify the deep ideological divides among congressional politicians and the nation, though the infamously mercurial president has often bucked such expectations. We’ll livestream the full speech.
Canadians watching the speech may be on the lookout for news about ongoing NAFTA talks, or for information about our southern neighbour’s plans for immigration, which has posed challenges for Canadian politics and policy since Trump’s term began.
Until the speech gets underway, there’s plenty to read about the state of U.S. politics. Here’s a sample:
On Trump
At Trump’s speech to Congress, an audacious call for hope
The president of the United States is unwell
At his final State of the Union, Obama breaks the fourth wall
On trade and the economy
If Trump kills NAFTA, it could hit America’s Rust Belt hard
Trump administration faces backlash from lawmakers on NAFTA
How Canada’s NAFTA charm offensive hit a wall of confusion and apathy
On tax reform, Donald Trump gets it done—and takes a moment to gloat
On immigration
Memo to Donald Trump: Canadian immigrants from ‘shithole’ countries are thriving
Trump’s immigration crackdown creates growing confusion
Donald Trump’s white supremacy blinds him to the debt America owes Haiti
Is Donald Trump emboldening extremists in Canada?
On foreign policy
The most dangerous thing Donald Trump has done yet
Donald Trump and North Korea’s nuclear war rhetoric is frighteningly similar