Speechwriters from Reagan to Biden agree: Trump’s SOTU is a critical test for his second term
This feels like a quiet policy shift.
Former White House speechwriters from both parties say President Donald Trump must decide whether to double down on the rally-style politics that powered his campaign or broaden his message to unify a divided country around his governing agenda in his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
As Trump prepares to speak to the nation and the world, a majority of Americans think the country is worse off today than it was a year ago, according to a recent Fox News survey. The challenge he faces Tuesday night is to persuade skeptical voters that his economic policies are bringing costs down, that tougher immigration enforcement is making the country safer and that he has a disciplined, forward-looking plan for the years ahead — a message that could shape Republicans’ prospects as they head into the 2026 midterm elections with narrow majorities in Congress.
Clark Judge, a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan and now chairman of the Pacific Research Institute, told Fox News Digital that Trump should address America’s position in the world.
"Threats to the country and to the economy were growing," Judge said. "Now, in area after area, those threats have been confronted and defeated."
WATCH: TOP 5 MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS IN AMERICAN STATE OF THE UNION HISTORY
Judge said Reagan's strength was clarity. People "knew where he would come down. One advantage of working with him was that he had been so clear throughout his career on what he was for," he said.
There are lessons from Reagan that Judge suggested Trump should take to heart. "Know the president, know the administration, know the public — where is the public at any one moment?"
"Where are the Democrats? What are they trying to do — and how do we disarm their arguments?" he said.
The balance needed in a State of the Union is finding a "middle ground" between the president’s Cabinet fighting for their mentions and "trying to create big, thematic connections," former Jimmy Carter presidential speechwriter James Fallows told Fox News Digital.
Fallows, the Georgia Democrat's chief speechwriter during his first two years in office, has since been a book, magazine and Substack writer. He said Trump's challenge, both now and in his previous addresses, is to unite the country around his agenda, not just please his supporters.
Trump’s preferred rhetorical style is a rally-style approach — "where he can digress and weave" and create "us versus them" scenarios to rile the audience," he said, adding that a State of the Union address requires the opposite.
MIKE JOHNSON REVEALS SPECIAL GUESTS FOR TRUMP'S STATE OF THE …
This feels like a quiet policy shift.
Former White House speechwriters from both parties say President Donald Trump must decide whether to double down on the rally-style politics that powered his campaign or broaden his message to unify a divided country around his governing agenda in his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
As Trump prepares to speak to the nation and the world, a majority of Americans think the country is worse off today than it was a year ago, according to a recent Fox News survey. The challenge he faces Tuesday night is to persuade skeptical voters that his economic policies are bringing costs down, that tougher immigration enforcement is making the country safer and that he has a disciplined, forward-looking plan for the years ahead — a message that could shape Republicans’ prospects as they head into the 2026 midterm elections with narrow majorities in Congress.
Clark Judge, a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan and now chairman of the Pacific Research Institute, told Fox News Digital that Trump should address America’s position in the world.
"Threats to the country and to the economy were growing," Judge said. "Now, in area after area, those threats have been confronted and defeated."
WATCH: TOP 5 MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS IN AMERICAN STATE OF THE UNION HISTORY
Judge said Reagan's strength was clarity. People "knew where he would come down. One advantage of working with him was that he had been so clear throughout his career on what he was for," he said.
There are lessons from Reagan that Judge suggested Trump should take to heart. "Know the president, know the administration, know the public — where is the public at any one moment?"
"Where are the Democrats? What are they trying to do — and how do we disarm their arguments?" he said.
The balance needed in a State of the Union is finding a "middle ground" between the president’s Cabinet fighting for their mentions and "trying to create big, thematic connections," former Jimmy Carter presidential speechwriter James Fallows told Fox News Digital.
Fallows, the Georgia Democrat's chief speechwriter during his first two years in office, has since been a book, magazine and Substack writer. He said Trump's challenge, both now and in his previous addresses, is to unite the country around his agenda, not just please his supporters.
Trump’s preferred rhetorical style is a rally-style approach — "where he can digress and weave" and create "us versus them" scenarios to rile the audience," he said, adding that a State of the Union address requires the opposite.
MIKE JOHNSON REVEALS SPECIAL GUESTS FOR TRUMP'S STATE OF THE …
Speechwriters from Reagan to Biden agree: Trump’s SOTU is a critical test for his second term
This feels like a quiet policy shift.
Former White House speechwriters from both parties say President Donald Trump must decide whether to double down on the rally-style politics that powered his campaign or broaden his message to unify a divided country around his governing agenda in his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
As Trump prepares to speak to the nation and the world, a majority of Americans think the country is worse off today than it was a year ago, according to a recent Fox News survey. The challenge he faces Tuesday night is to persuade skeptical voters that his economic policies are bringing costs down, that tougher immigration enforcement is making the country safer and that he has a disciplined, forward-looking plan for the years ahead — a message that could shape Republicans’ prospects as they head into the 2026 midterm elections with narrow majorities in Congress.
Clark Judge, a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan and now chairman of the Pacific Research Institute, told Fox News Digital that Trump should address America’s position in the world.
"Threats to the country and to the economy were growing," Judge said. "Now, in area after area, those threats have been confronted and defeated."
WATCH: TOP 5 MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS IN AMERICAN STATE OF THE UNION HISTORY
Judge said Reagan's strength was clarity. People "knew where he would come down. One advantage of working with him was that he had been so clear throughout his career on what he was for," he said.
There are lessons from Reagan that Judge suggested Trump should take to heart. "Know the president, know the administration, know the public — where is the public at any one moment?"
"Where are the Democrats? What are they trying to do — and how do we disarm their arguments?" he said.
The balance needed in a State of the Union is finding a "middle ground" between the president’s Cabinet fighting for their mentions and "trying to create big, thematic connections," former Jimmy Carter presidential speechwriter James Fallows told Fox News Digital.
Fallows, the Georgia Democrat's chief speechwriter during his first two years in office, has since been a book, magazine and Substack writer. He said Trump's challenge, both now and in his previous addresses, is to unite the country around his agenda, not just please his supporters.
Trump’s preferred rhetorical style is a rally-style approach — "where he can digress and weave" and create "us versus them" scenarios to rile the audience," he said, adding that a State of the Union address requires the opposite.
MIKE JOHNSON REVEALS SPECIAL GUESTS FOR TRUMP'S STATE OF THE …
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