A state of disunion
MAKE IT MAKE SENSE: Tonight, Donald Trump delivers the first annual address of his second term -- but who is it for?
In today’s letter: What’s the State of the Union for in a country that isn’t listening?
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Donald Trump delivers the first State of the Union address of his second term tonight, and he does it under a cloud: 60 percent of Americans told PBS News/NPR/Marist pollsters that they thought the country was worse off than it was a year ago. A CNN poll found that only 36 percent of Americans approved of Trump’s job performance. Even the Supreme Court, to hear Trump tell it, has abandoned him.
The stakes are high — but if Trump is actually looking to “sell the economy,” tonight, is there anyone out there looking to buy? Certainly not Democrats, who aren’t just planning a silent protest but are hosting their own alternative event — the People’s State of the Union — on the National Mall.
Will anyone be listening? And what is this thing even for?