President Donald Trump is gearing up for what could be his most significant and lengthiest State of the Union address to date, set for Tuesday. As he finalizes his speech, Trump is poised to highlight the achievements of his administration after just a year into his second term.

“It’s going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about,” Trump remarked to reporters during a White House event, emphasizing what he describes as “the greatest economy we’ve ever had.”

Despite the President’s optimism, voter sentiment presents a mixed picture. According to a recent ABC/Ipsos poll, 48 percent of voters believe the economy has worsened since Trump took office a year ago, and 60 percent disapprove of his overall performance.

Nonetheless, Trump is determined to address these concerns directly in his address, aiming to reassure the public about the state of the nation.

The White House maintains that the President will reiterate his stance that America is currently at its pinnacle of greatness.

“In one year, President Trump has turned our country around from the brink of disaster, and he will rightly declare the State of Our Union is strong, prosperous, and respected,” stated White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a conversation with the Daily Mail before the President’s anticipated speech.

‘The President will proudly tout his Administration’s many record-breaking accomplishments, and also lay out an ambitious agenda to continue bringing the American Dream back for working people.’ 

For top advisors and presidential speechwriters, the president’s speech is their Super Bowl, as they spend time with the president drafting and fine-tuning the speech for the big night.

President Donald J. Trump gives remarks before Congress

First lady Melania Trump arrives at the president’s speech with her guests in her box

The president’s main speechwriter Ross Worthington works with Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Staff Secretary Will Sharp to construct the speech with the president, people familiar with the process told the Daily Mail.

Trump typically runs through a practice run of his speech with his team of top advisors which includes White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Karoline Leavitt. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also offer feedback and suggestions.

First Lady Melania Trump has been known to attend preparatory sessions and offers her own reaction for the president, as illustrated by her ‘Melania’ documentary.

The President has ‘executive time’ scheduled for Tuesday morning on his schedule, which he could use to make final touches to his speech. And he’ll be participating in an annual State of the Union at the White House in the afternoon. 

President Biden typically spent a full week rehearsing and preparing for his State of the Union speeches, but former aides told the Daily Mail that was not Trump’s style.

‘I would say out of most presidents, he probably is the least rehearsed,’ a former White House aide said. ‘President Trump will spend no more than three hours preparing for the speech.’

The president and First Lady and their staff work closely together on the guest list for the speech.

The choice of guests and their introductions have become more important than ever, as they frequently become viral moments in their own right on social media.

Some of the most memorable moments included a specific call out to Devarjaye ‘DJ’ Daniel, a young boy from Houston who was battling cancer.

The president recognized the young boy’s dream to become a police officer and announced he would make him an agent to the Secret Service.

In 2018, Trump highlighted the story of Ji Seong-ho, a defector from North Korea who escaped on crutches after he lost a leg and a part of his arm. Although Ji was fitted with an artificial leg, he raised his crutches high during the speech to symbolize his freedom.

Prior to the speech, the president has been known to welcome guests of the speech to meet him at the Oval Office before they travel to the Capitol to sit in the First Lady’s box. 

Cancer survivor Devarjaye ‘DJ’ Daniel reacts as he is made an honorary Secret Service agent by President Trump in 2025 

Gold medalist (86) Jack Hughes and brother (43) Quinn Hughes of Team United States

This year, the entire United States Olympic men’s hockey team is expected to attend Trump’s speech after they enthusiastically accepted the president’s invitation during his phone call Sunday to celebrate their gold-winning victory over Canada. 

It’s causing some tensions as lawmakers have to make room for the 25-person team in the already-crowded House chamber. 

(Although the president invited the U.S. women’s gold-winning hockey team, they politely declined, citing prior athletic and academic commitments.) 

Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed that members of Congress are scrambling to open up the seats necessary to accommodate the team.

‘It’s a great idea, it’s so very Trump, it makes a ton of sense,’ former White House press secretary Sean Spicer told the Daly Mail. ‘I think you’re going to get a very good show.’

Their presence offers the president a unique bipartisan celebration that should resonate beyond the traditional optics of the annual speech.

That might take the edge off of any Democratic protests for the night. 

Over a dozen Democrats are planning to skip Trump’s speech entirely, holding a ‘People’s State of the Union’ on the National Mall instead. 

For years, Democrats have tried creative ways to disrupt Trump’s speech or counter its message, but in the end the president’s words have the most impact.

‘To me, this is dumb that they’re trying to protest, like this to me just doesn’t make sense,’ Spicer said. ‘Trump’s good at this. He’s probably the best at doing this, so they should really just let him have his night and don’t try to fight it. I think that’s a recipe for disaster.’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt teased ‘a few new policy announcements’ on the economy on Tuesday to help tackle the affordability crisis she blamed on former president Joe Biden. 

This year the president also has to decide how to navigate the optics surrounding the Supreme Court, after they delivered a sharp rebuke to his presidential powers on using his IEEPA authorities to enact tariffs.

Trump stopped short of disinviting the members of the court to the speech, during his angry press conference berating the court for their ruling.

But he will likely make his case that the tariffs, a key part of his presidency, will find a way to continue. How much he will scold the justices to their faces, will be up to him.

‘The president is going to do what the president wants, you can have people tell him what not to say, but he’s ultimately going to make his decision,’ a former aide said.

The president will also have to address the nation about the looming threat of war in Iran, as the United States has mobilized significant military power to the region in anticipation of air strikes.

Chief Justices of the Supreme Court stand in the House of Representatives during a state of the Union address

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier deployed overseas for possible action in Iran

Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to brief members of Congress on the situation on Tuesday afternoon, just hours before the speech.

In preparation for the speech, advance staff from the White House test, double test, and retest the teleprompter, to make sure everything is working and they include a printout of the speech for backup.

‘This is not his first State of the Union, so he pretty much knows what to do,’ a former aide said.

But the text of the speech remains fluid throughout the days leading up to the final address. There are stories of the president making last-minute changes to his speech in the presidential limo on his way to the Capitol, one aide said.

Drafts of the speech are closely held to top advisors, but leaders of his social media and digital team get a copy so they can prepare material to support the speech.

Last March, the president delivered a speech to Congress just weeks after taking office, speaking for nearly an hour and 40 minutes. Technically the president’s first speech to Congress after taking office is not an official ‘State of the Union’ address.

‘Generally he does walk-throughs, making edits, this president is very particular about the delivery, he understands the importance of the speech,’ former White House press secretary Sean Spicer told the Daily Mail.

‘It’s going to be a good speech, he’s really good at this,’ Spicer predicted. ‘I think you’re going to get a very big show.’

After the speech, a group of about 30 top White House staffers is invited to the Diplomatic Reception Room to greet the president and members of his family upon their return to the White House.

After applauding the president’s return with the First Lady, the staff provides the president with their response to the speech. Trump usually gives brief remarks thanking the staff and celebrating the successful evening.

White House staff typically head home after midnight, after wrapping up their work for the night, but the job is not over.

For days afterward, press officers and policy staff work to promulgate the president’s agenda and the moments from the speech.

’It’s a speech, but in many aspects it’s an agenda, so it becomes marching orders for all of us in the building,’ a former White House aide said.