Trump's First State of the Union About to Begin... Key Issues: Immigration, Tariffs, Living Costs

Trump's First State of the Union in His Second Term
Trump's Political Standing Weakens Ahead of November Midterms
Public Opinion Polarized Over "Immigration Policy" Among Supporters and Opponents

Trump Donald, President of the United States. Trump Donald will take the podium on the 24th (local time) for his first State of the Union address since the start of his second administration. Reuters Yonhap News

U.S. President Donald Trump, whose political footing has been weakened by an illegal-tariff ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, will take the podium on the 24th (local time) for his first State of the Union address since the start of his second administration. Along with the possibility of war with Iran and global tariffs, domestic issues that draw high public attention, such as the burden of living costs and immigration policy, are expected to be key agenda items. With the midterm elections in November approaching, attention is also being paid to the possibility that he will announce policy measures aimed at rallying his support base.

President Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address at a joint session of Congress at 9 p.m. on this day (local time, 11 a.m. on the 25th Korea time). This will be his first time taking the State of the Union podium since he was inaugurated on January 20 last year.

In this State of the Union address, immigration issues, prices, and what he calls "affordability," or affordable living costs, are expected to be major agenda items, alongside tariff policy. In the field of foreign affairs and national security, he is expected to address regions such as Iran, where military tensions have recently been rising.

The United States and Iran are scheduled to sit down for a third round of nuclear negotiations on the 26th. In the midst of this, the U.S. State Department on the 23rd ordered the evacuation of staff at the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon, prompting speculation that a U.S. airstrike on Iran may be imminent.

The global tariffs that took effect at an initial rate of 10% from 12:01 a.m. the previous day, and which apply worldwide including to Korea, are also an area of high interest. A White House official told Reuters that "there has been no change in President Trump's stance" on raising the global tariff rate to 15%, signaling the possibility of an increase. However, no specific timing has been disclosed.

With the November midterm elections, regarded as a barometer of public sentiment, drawing near, the issue of living costs could also come to the fore in a major way. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) commented that last week's Supreme Court ruling that the reciprocal tariffs are illegal "will have a wide-ranging ripple effect" and constitute "a significant blow to President Trump, who has used tariffs to shore up his political position." President Trump has previously urged Republican lawmakers to close ranks, warning that he could be impeached if he loses the midterms.

Reuters reported, "Market participants expect that the cost-of-living issue will be an important point of contention in the November midterm elections," adding, "President Trump has claimed victory over inflation and has proposed measures to address high housing costs."

Meanwhile, in an opinion poll released ahead of President Trump's State of the Union address, immigration policy was cited as both the best and the worst policy area of the Trump second administration. It appears that, even on the same policy direction, the views of Trump supporters and opponents are sharply polarized.

In a poll conducted by the Washington Post (WP), ABC News, and polling firm Ipsos of 2,300 adults from the 12th to the 17th, the policies that Trump supporters rated most positively were immigration (79%), the overall economy (45%), tax cuts (15%), and reductions in federal government spending (9%), in that order. Respondents were allowed to choose up to three answers, and non-responses were excluded. At the same time, immigration (57%) was cited as the worst measure by Trump opponents. The overall economy (33%), corruption and potential unconstitutionality (22%), deterioration in international relations (17%), and the Epstein files (13%) were also cited as problem areas.

Commenting on this, the WP explained, "Trump supporters and opponents focused on different aspects of immigration policy," noting that "opponents were more likely to mention immigration enforcement, while supporters mentioned border security far more often." The newspaper also reported, "President Trump is expected to focus on immigration policy in his State of the Union address," adding that, as a signal of this, "on the 23rd, Trump attended a memorial event at the White House for victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants."