What to watch for in Trump’s State of the Union address tonight

Good evening, everyone.

Start the coffee. President Trump said his State of the Union speech tonight at 8 p.m. CT will be long.

Last year Trump broke the record for the longest address before a joint session of Congress. That clocked in at 1 hour, 39 minutes, and 32 seconds. I’m imagining an Olympic games-style clock on the screen once Trump cruises past an hour to see if he will break his personal record.

Here’s what I’m watching for:

Will he mention Chicago?

Trump’s first year had a profound impact in Chicago and the state of Illinois. Among the Chicago-related things that could come up: insults aimed at Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson; the Trump administration’s Chicago deportation campaign and the cost of the Obama Presidential Center, a more frequent Trump target as the center gets ready to open later this year.

Will this be a speech to all Americans or to Trump’s MAGA base?

Trump’s go-to place is to play to his base.

What about Iran?

Will Trump offer some guiding principles for attacking Iran and tell Congress — to their faces — they have no say?

What about pocketbook issues?

There’s a good bet that Trump will claim everything is cheaper. Please refer to your personal experiences and wallet when Trump almost certainly brings this up.

Immigration likely to be major talking point

What will Trump say about the deaths in Minneapolis? How will he defend ICE and Border Patrol?