• Trump declares ‘Golden Age’ at start of his address.
• His approval ratings falls sharply ahead of midterms.
• Poll shows 60% of Americans view Trump as erratic.

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump declared that “this is the Golden Age of America” at the start of his State of the Union address on Tuesday, seeking to project an aura of success at a fraught moment for his presidency and his Republican Party.

“Our nation is back — bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,” he said after taking the stage to cheers of “USA, USA” from his party’s members of Congress.

The annual speech carried enormous stakes for the president, with his approval ratings slumping, anxieties rising over Iran and Americans struggling with the cost of living as the November midterm election nears.

The televised prime-time speech to Congress, his second in the 13 months since returning to the White House, offers Trump a chance to persuade voters to keep his fellow Republicans in power. But the president is facing stiff political headwinds at home and abroad.

Just days ago, the Supreme Court invalidated his signature global tariffs regime, and new data showed the economy slowed more than expected while inflation accelerated.

The Department of Homeland Security is mostly shut down due to a dispute between congressional Republicans and Democrats over the administration’s aggressive immigration tactics, following the fatal shootings of two US citizens in Minneapolis.

Meanwhile, Trump has struggled to turn the page on the scandal surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Opposition Democrats have invited several people who accuse Epstein of abusing them to the speech.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed six in 10 Americans, including 30% of Republicans, think Trump, 79, has become erratic as he ages. Only 40% of respondents approved of his job performance, compared with 58% who disapproved.

A public case against Iran 

Trump, who has openly coveted the Nobel Peace Prize and set up his own “Board of Peace,” also appears to be inching closer to a military conflict with Iran over its nuclear programme.

Tuesday’s speech could offer Trump a chance to mount for the first time a public case for military intervention. Two White House officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump will discuss his plans but did not offer details.

He will also tout his record of brokering peace deals, they said. Tuesday marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a reminder that he has yet to resolve the war he once said he could end in 24 hours.

The president was expected to address the Supreme Court’s decision on tariffs, arguing that the court erred and outlining alternative laws he can use to reconstitute most of the levies.

Trump reacted with fury to the ruling last week, targeting several justices with personal attacks. A repeat performance on Tuesday could make for some awkward moments, with four of the court’s nine justices in attendance.

White House aides and Republican campaign advisers, eyeing a challenging congressional midterm election, have urged Trump to focus on Americans’ economic worries. Trump’s victory in the 2024 election was based in large part on his promises to ease the cost of living, but opinion polls show voters are unconvinced by his efforts so far.

Trump has struggled to stay on message, straying in public speeches from the economy to his long list of grievances while at other times declaring he has already solved the problem.

One of the White House officials said Trump will “claim victory on the economy,” a message Republican lawmakers running for re-election are unlikely to welcome. He will argue that he inherited a poor economy from Democratic predecessor Joe Biden and that Democrats have overstated affordability concerns, both officials said.

Trump will point to stock market gains, private-sector investments and his tax-cut legislation as evidence that he has helped the economy, the officials said. The president will also tout his tough border policies and his deportation campaign, despite polls showing most Americans believe his administration has gone too far in rounding up undocumented immigrants.

Lengthy speech expected

Trump, who has a propensity for ad-libbing, said on Monday his address would be lengthy. His 100-minute speech last March – technically not a State of the Union speech, but otherwise similar – was the longest presidential address to Congress in modern history.

The White House officials said this year’s edition was crafted with room for unscripted moments.

“We are planning around it,” one official said.

Last year, some Democrats interrupted Trump’s speech with jeers before walking out in protest. This time around, more than 20 Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate skipped the speech altogether in favour of an outdoor rally on the National Mall.

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, whose decisive victory in November was seen as an early midterm warning sign for Republicans, will deliver the official Democratic response to the speech.