He took a long time to say a little.  

Donald Trump was on his feet for 1 hour and 48 minutes but, ultimately, this state of the union address was a news event lacking a news line.

We heard a lot of what we’d heard before.

He spoke of a golden age, America first, “drill baby drill” and success on border immigration.

It was vintage Trump, the vintage that performed so effectively on the campaign trail, 2024.

He needs it to be.

Trump’s popularity has plummeted in the polls and he has to shore up Republican deserters, this in a mid-term election year.

It would explain the back-to-basics stage routine on Capitol Hill.

The difference is that he’s now judged on his record, not his promises, and for all he touts a “roaring economy”, Americans aren’t feeling it in the numbers he needs.

He is a president seemingly on the brink of bombing Iran and everyone in the chamber would have been listening for clues on what comes next.

In the event, he offered a holding position that didn’t advance his public position, although he still beats the drums of war.

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Iran, he revealed, is working on missiles that could reach the United States.

We saw the showbiz president, comfortable in his own skin and on stage.

At times, the event resembled a TV game show, peppered with tributes and awards to deserving attendees, complete with a reunion between Venezuelan politician Enrique Marquez and his niece.

There was a tribute to the late Charlie Kirk and the president condemned political violence.

Then there was the introduction of the US men’s ice hockey team, Trump’s invitees who were universally acclaimed.

It was the populism with the politics and there was plenty of both.

There’s less certainty around progress for a party looking to its president to put wind in its sails ahead of this year’s mid-terms.