KU communication studies expert can comment on ‘critical’ State of the Union address

LAWRENCE — Given polls showing declining public support for his anti-immigration agenda and today’s Supreme Court reversal of the tariffs that are his signature foreign policy move, the first State of the Union address of President Donald Trump’s second term is “a critical moment in American politics,” according to a University of Kansas expert on presidential rhetoric.

Robert Rowland, professor of communication studies and author of the 2021 book “The Rhetoric of Donald Trump: Nationalist Populism and American Democracy,” is available to journalists to comment upon the address, either before or immediately after the speech.

Rowland said that presidents “generally use the State of the Union address to lay out their legislative agenda, emphasize accomplishments and broaden their appeal to the entire nation. Trump's State of the Union addresses routinely emphasize accomplishments but vary from the norm otherwise.

“They have laid out an agenda that appeals almost exclusively to his most partisan MAGA base of support,” Rowland said. “Moreover, while presidents often discuss their policy priorities in some detail, President Trump rarely does, instead presenting his agenda in a highly partisan form and often denigrating Democrats and others who oppose him. 

“Rather than attempting to broaden support for his goals, he has focused on activating his most loyal supporters and demonizing opponents,” Rowland said. “Given the norms of State of the Union addresses, declining public support and an increasingly activated opposition, President Trump's upcoming State of the Union Address is a critical moment in American politics.”