NOTE to students:  Read the information under “Background” below before answering the questions. 

1. a) What is the State of the Union address? What is the purpose of the address?
b) When and where is the State of the Union given?

2. What will be the theme of President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night?

3. What will the president ask Congress to do?

4. a) What did the senior administration official tell reporters the tone of President Trump’s speech will be?
b) After watching the speech, what do you think? Was that the president’s tone? Explain your answer.

5. a) What policies and accomplishments is the president likely to note in his address?
b) Why should the president talk about his accomplishments in his address to the nation?

6. As every president’s does, President Trump’s address will focus on multiple issues. Which of the following do you think are most important for the president to include in his State of the Union address tonight? Explain your answer.
a) the economy/the historic job growth & record low unemployment
b) tax reform
c) national security and terrorism
d) illegal immigration crisis/building a wall on our southern border
e) healthcare
f) gun rights / protecting 2nd Amendment / gun policies
g) China tariffs and a fair trade deal; China theft of intellectual property
h) infrastructure
i) education
j) the homeless crisis
k) the federal budget deficit
l) Democrat proposed programs of free college, free healthcare, (and in Andrew Yang’s case free money) for all people living in the U.S., and increasing taxes on “the rich” to 70-90%
m) climate change
n) other (explain)

7. Ask a parent what issues he/she thinks President Trump should focus on in his State of the Union, and to explain his/her answer.

8. Overall, what did you think of the president’s State of the Union address? (Do you think Trump supporters all thought it was great and those who don’t like the president thought it was terrible?)
Opinion question. Answers vary.

CHALLENGE:

• For the text and video of the 2020 State of the Union address, go to the White House youtube page, or c-span.org.)
• Read the text of the President's address at WhiteHouse.gov.
• Watch the State of the Union address and answer the following questions: (NOTE: All links will be enabled when they are available - some after the SOTU.)

1.  Tone is the attitude a speaker takes towards a subject. What was the tone of President Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address?

2. What was the overall theme of the president’s speech?

3.  a) What major points did President Trump make about the economy in his address to the nation?
b) What is your reaction to these encouraging statistics?
c) Ask a parent the same question.

4. List some of the things the President promised to do to on trade.

5.  What new initiatives did President Trump propose in his State of the Union?

6.  Which issues did the President bypass altogether, or just mention briefly?

7.  What issue presented by President Trump was the most important to you?  Did any aspect of the speech disappoint you?  Explain your answers.

8. a) Do you think the President is focusing on the correct issues? Explain your answer.
b) Ask a parent the same question.

9. The response speech is shorter and often given as a rebuttal to the opposition party's ideas and plans. This practice began once television became a major part of politics.  Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar (El Paso) will give the 2020 SOTU response in both English and Spanish. Watch/read the Democratic response to the President’s State of the Union on live TV following the President's SOTU or at c-span.org.
What do you think of Gov. Whitmer and Rep. Escobar's response?