MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
OK. Let's hear more about the State of the Union address tonight. It comes at a tense time, both at home and abroad. In the last few days, the Supreme Court ruled against a major part of President Trump's economic agenda. And overseas, he is debating his next move amid the U.S. military buildup around Iran. There is a lot the president could talk about, in other words. And NPR White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben is here to talk with us and give us a little bit of a preview. Hey there.
DANIELLE KURTZLEBEN, BYLINE: Hello.
KELLY: What do we expect tonight?
KURTZLEBEN: Well, first off, we expect it to be a long speech. Trump said so himself yesterday. He just said, there's a lot to talk about. So, you know, put on some coffee.
KELLY: Right (laughter).
KURTZLEBEN: But beyond that, press secretary Karoline Leavitt - she said today that a large portion of the speech will focus on the economy, and she told Fox News that the cost of living is going to be a big part of that.
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KAROLINE LEAVITT: He'll be sharing these stories, again, of everyday Americans who are directly benefiting from his policies and making a few new policy announcements as well to continue tackling the affordability crisis that Joe Biden created one year ago.
KURTZLEBEN: Now, the White House has told reporters, including NPR, that one new proposal will be a plan to make sure tech firms building new data centers, which use massive amounts of energy, pay increased electricity costs. So we'll see what other new policies he outlines and - this is key - if those require the help of Congress at a time when Republicans have slim majorities in both the House and the Senate.
But to put a pin in another thing she said there - this White House is still making the case that any economic problems are Joe Biden's fault. Now, that gets harder with every passing day. But no matter what, any new policies aimed at the cost of living are going to come while the president says he's going to push new tariffs. Now, those raise prices. So that could end up giving mixed messages.
KELLY: Yeah. On the tariffs, the Supreme Court, as we noted, just ruled against those last week - said they were unconstitutional. We expect he will bring that up.
KURTZLEBEN: I would be stunned if he didn't talk about tariffs tonight. After that Friday ruling, he was furious, and he vowed to impose new ones. So maybe he'll say a bit more about what new tariffs he wants to impose. And with Supreme Court justices sitting right there in front of him, he may not be able to resist bringing up that ruling.
KELLY: OK. On the world stage, over the past year, he has done a lot. Quite a bit of it has not been popular - things like regime change in Venezuela. What are we expecting there? Will he be defending his foreign policy agenda?
KURTZLEBEN: Yeah. Well, I mean, first off, you're right, he's been active. There's Venezuela. There's the huge tariffs on China, tariffs on other countries, the attempts to broker peace in Gaza and Ukraine, threats to take over Greenland, picking fights with Canada, the attack on Iran and now, yeah, that military buildup around Iran. So first...
KELLY: Long list. Yeah.
KURTZLEBEN: ...Yes. It's wild to think about. I mean, so first off, we're going to be listening for any indications of what he's going to do with Iran. But beyond that, Trump initially ran on an America First policy. His foreign policy actions in this last year, though, haven't looked all that America First to some in his party. And now with this military buildup in the Middle East, the question is whether he makes an effective case for whatever it is he's trying to do there.
KELLY: And just - Danielle, the moment that he's speaking in - he's delivering a State of the Union in a moment when many Americans say the state of the union is not strong. How does that affect tonight?
KURTZLEBEN: Yeah. According to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, 55% of Americans see the direction Trump is moving the country in as a, quote, "change for the worse." Now, again, polls show Americans are also worried about their finances and those tariffs, and Trump's immigration policy has gone, over the past year, from a strength to a weakness. After all, it's only been weeks since federal agents killed those two people in Minneapolis. So tonight's speech - he has to assure Americans that he has the right vision for the country. And the question is, does that spur them to get out and vote for Republicans this year?
KELLY: NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben, happy coffee brewing. Thank you.
KURTZLEBEN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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