Reporter’s Notebook: President Trump delivers State of the Union address Tuesday night

Imagine a boxing match.

A boxing match may only last a few rounds. But it’s a big production. There’s been a massive buildup for weeks in the press. There is weight. Both fighters enter the ring with fanfare. Everyone scans the crowd to see “who” is there or reserves seats close to the ring. Celebrities. Actors. Musicians. Models. And other famous athletes.

There is a lot to see.

That’s why the president’s State of the Union address was so similar.

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President Donald Trump arrives for the dedication of Southern Boulevard, at Mar-a-Lago Ballroom in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 16, 2026. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

Yes, there is the speech. But there is a lot to focus on President Donald Trump He delivers his State of the Union address Tuesday evening. It can range from the “trunks” that fighters wear when they enter the ring to who serves as their corner.

Do you train your attention on the speech itself and what the president is saying? Does he deliver a motivating speech, veering into any number of political strands and addressing countless grievances? Are you noticing the arrival of a president who maintains a mostly loyal MAGA base but suffers from high disapproval rates? And what about the presence of the Supreme Court justices who ruled against the president last week over tariffs, one of the most important cases of his administration? What about his push to double tariff policies, despite the Supreme Court ruling? We haven’t even discussed what the president might say about ICE, the unrest in the Twin Cities, and the deadlock over DHS funding. This says nothing about the possibility of an invasion of Iran or the emergence of new questions about Greenland.

This is just an incomplete list as far as the letter is concerned. But the State of the Union messages are now full of theater and performance. It extends beyond what a president might say or do. Lawmakers were a mainstay a few decades ago, clapping and cheering when they heard the president tout a policy or achievement they supported. Or sit silently if something happens that they oppose.

Now, the State of the Union has become a participatory if not a contact sport. The president’s most ardent opponents are expected to make noise, heckle, boo, shout, or even rebuke the president. Think of the iconic image depicting Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, waving his cane at Trump in front of the Speaker of the House mike johnson, The Los Angeles Republican kicked him out of the address last year. Or former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, and Rep. Lauren Boebert, Republican of Colorado, standing on their feet, mocking former President Joe Biden a few years ago.

Bill Maher calls for a complete end to the State of the Union address before Trump’s speech

Trump gave his joint speech to Congress and was interrupted by Representative Al Green to protest his cuts to several government programs on March 4, 2025. (AP)

Tuesday night will be a test of Congress’ fitness. Expect explosions and loud responses. But we’ll see if anyone raises — or lowers — the bar when it comes to his behavior compared to Johnson walking out of the room last year.

Then there is the old “look I brought” to the hour of speaking. Democrats may gravitate toward pillars of their community, local heroes, or those wronged by ICE. Republicans may bring in local law enforcement officials to help detain and deport people who are in the country illegally. Or relatives of those affected by illegal immigrants.

There is also the question of whether or not some lawmakers will attend.

Some Republicans representing weak districts or competitive states may cross over to build distance between themselves and the deeply unpopular president. Meanwhile, a growing number of Democrats plan to attend an alternative to the president’s speech. They’re avoiding giving the speech for what they call a “people’s State of the Union” on the National Mall.

Some Democrats may pull double duty.

One wonders whether some lawmakers — from both parties — will use the travel issues posed by the East Coast blizzard as a convenient excuse to evade travel.

The person who might not miss the convention: former Rep. George Santos, Republican of New York. The House expelled Santos in late 2023. Only the sixth member of the House has ever been expelled. But as a former member, Santos still has privileges to come and go from the Capitol as he pleases. So Santos appeared in Biden’s State of the Union address in 2024. Santos pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft charges in 2024. But Trump commuted Santos’ sentence last fall.

Then there are those who respond to Trump. Democratic Governor of Virginia. abigail Spanberger, Delivers the official democratic response. She’s a moderate former congresswoman who prevailed last fall by campaigning on “affordability.” Republicans will focus on Spanberger and plan to redraw Virginia’s House districts to offset potential GOP gains through redistricting — at the president’s request — in Texas.

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Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger during an Election Night event at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia, on November 4, 2025. (Al Drago/Getty Images)

Three other prominent Virginians have refuted the State of the Union messages in recent years.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., was governor of Virginia when he responded to President George W. Bush in 2006. Democrats drafted Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., to provide a response to Mr. Bush’s speech in 2007. Republicans tapped then-Virginia Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell to speak after Obama’s 2010 speech. Most of the responses to Presidential State of the Union addresses It either doesn’t go well or is barely remembered. It may be noteworthy that Spanberger broke through the hype at all and that people remember anything from her presentation.

Senator Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, will present the Democrats’ response in Spanish. It will be Padilla’s highest-profile moment since guards protecting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrestled the senator to the ground when he interrupted her remarks about Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a news conference in Los Angeles in June.

The President will be on screen most of the time during the speech. But the two men most likely to rival Trump on the small screen are Johnson and the Vice President J.D. Vance. Or at least their torsos will look as if they are half-visible in the frame, sitting above Trump on the House dais. Johnson will run the show in his capacity as Speaker of the House. Vance is there as Senate President. They both sit directly behind the president.

Johnson owes much of his ability to continue as Speaker of the House to Trump. Vance’s viability as a potential 2028 presidential nominee may also depend on the president. Reports emerged this week that Trump is grilling advisers about who should carry the MAGA torch after leaving office: Vance or the Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio will appear in the chamber as part of the president’s cabinet. The network’s feed is sure to pick up shots at Rubio when Trump discusses the January raid in Venezuela, Iran, Greenland, the future of NATO, or the U.S. relationship with Canada. But Vance will be in the picture — literally — most of the night. Viewers are sure to keep an eye on Vance’s behavior. Commentators will dissect and analyze the vice president’s various reactions and body language. And everyone will hear whether he name-checks Vance or Rubio during his remarks.

Lots to see. Lots to examine. Lots to discuss. But State of the Union addresses are no longer what they used to be. We see the president all the time. Whether it’s on TV. Social media. Memes. Presidential messages and their effects were structured differently not long ago. People did not see or hear from the president very often. Today, the public hears from this president, in particular, all the time. This alone reduces the impact of such rhetoric.

However, this is the annual televised boxing match of American politics. Everyone will “score” which side they hit. Who won which round? And how badly one side or the other is hitting its opponent.

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But we enter the political arena on a daily basis and not just once a year. Every day is a fight fest judged by the audience. Although it is still a big day on the annual political calendar, the State of the Union may have diminished in its impact.

Today’s policy features a daily bout of undercard. The general public is usually obsessed with social media, watching TKO operations.