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.
“This is the one opportunity the president has where the whole world is looking at what he has to say, and this is his opportunity to summarise everything that he’s done and not go off script,” said Amanda Makki, a Republican strategist and former Florida congressional candidate.
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.
SOME DEMOCRATS OPTING OUT
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 plan to skip the speech altogether in favour of an outdoor rally on the National Mall.
Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, one of those Democrats, told reporters on Monday the event would offer a more “honest description” of Trump’s record, rather than the “propaganda push” of the speech.
Virginia Governor Abby Spanberger, whose decisive victory in November was seen as an early midterms warning sign for Republicans, will deliver the official Democratic response to the speech.
Democratic US Senator Alex Padilla of California, who was shoved to the ground and handcuffed last year after attempting to ask a question of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a press conference, will give the Spanish-language rebuttal.
