Trump’s State of the Union address will change very little

Donald Trump had a lot to prove during his first ever State of the Union address this week. He had to demonstrate to the millions of Americans watching on television that he could deliver a semi-unifying and presidential speech and stay in one place for more than an hour without diverging into tangents. He had to show his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill that he is a take-charge kind of guy — somebody who has bold, transformational plans for America’s infrastructure and for the country’s immigration system. To Democrats and independents, he wanted to exhibit a kind of conciliatory persona, not one of his favourite character traits. And to the president himself, it was a time to bask in the glory of the historic House chamber and brag about tax cuts and the booming stock market.

The State of the Union hangover, however, usually lifts within the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Once all of the stories are posted and analysis is written, the patriotism, applause, pomp and circumstance wears off.