U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver his first formal State of the Union address on Tuesday (11 a.m., Jan. 31, KST) before a joint session of Congress. He is expected to stress his administration’s achievements in running state affairs since he took office, and provide a blue print for future reforms in areas such as national security and economy.
It is also believed that President Trump will propose solutions to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. “He’s going to talk about national security and what we’re doing to ensure we’re putting the maximum pressure on North Korea and confronting that regime and dealing with threats across the world including Russia,” White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah said in an interview with CNN on Monday. It remains to be seen whether Trump will mention Washington’s military options towards North Korea in the address.
Looking back on the first year in office embroiled in continuous discords, President Trump will also send a message for the country’s unity. “It’s going to be a unifying address,” said Shah. “It doesn’t just talk to the individuals who voted for this president, but for the entire country.”
Trump will also lay out a compromise plan regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) population, which had triggered the government shutdown that lasted for three days. Shah said in a Fox News interview that President Trump is looking for reform measures to improve border security and build a legitimate immigration system and that if politicians can end a turf war, the government will be able to make achievements for Americans in issues calling for bipartisan cooperation.
Jeong-Hun Park sunshade@donga.com