President Donald Trump said Thursday that “unity” will be the theme of his first State of the Union address under divided government.
And those surrounded by him—for better or for worse—is proof that the president is trying to take steps to mend partisan wounds.
Trump will give his speech Tuesday before a joint session of Congress at a sensitive time in talks over keeping the government open and funding the border wall he is demanding as part of any deal.
He is also expected to condemn late-term abortion movements in the Democratic Party, and advocate for pro-life. The issue has been highly publicized in recent weeks, stemming from controversies such as the Covington Catholic students at the annual March for Life and the Virginia governor’s abortion bill.
Members of Congress are inviting federal workers worried about another shutdown after Feb. 15. Workers got back to the offices on a high swing — the Labor Department’s Friday report confirms that 304,000 jobs were added in January.
Behind him will be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who repeatedly said she’d negotiate a border wall if Trump ended the historic shutdown… and since has flatly refused to even consider the idea.
Trump will also be surrounded by a notable amount of women who won House seats in the 2018 midterms.
In the audience will be a record number of women in Congress, many of whom will be wearing white, in honor of suffragettes.
After Trump speaks: Stacey Abrams, the loser of the most recent Georgia gubernatorial race.
“I hope she does a good job,” Trump said of her. “I respect her.”
But not everyone wants to unify — Georgia Reps. John Lewis and Hank Johnson aren’t interested in that.
Maxine Waters will be absent as well, delivering a repeat performance from the last SOTU address.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.