In fulfillment of clause 1 of section 3 in article II of the US constitution, Donald Trump duly gave Congress “Information of the State of the Union” last night.

Information … and more information. At an hour and 47 minutes, this was the longest State of the Union address in history. As he has so often done in the past, Trump bobbed and weaved impressively (“the weave” is his own term for his meandering speaking style). He zigged and zagged, taunting Democrats for much of the speech (he called Zohran Mamdani a “communist” and took pot shots at Democrats throughout the night), while claiming to be a unifier when the mood struck.

He was alert at times, working the room like a borscht belt comic, calling out friends, delivering jabs to enemies – the menacing Jerry Lewis of The King of Comedy. But for long stretches, he read robotically from the teleprompter, as if tired by the ordeal of going up to Capitol Hill.

To be sure, he had his work cut out. This was a major opportunity for a reset, a little more than half a year before the midterms. He needed one. Trump’s approval ratings have cratered in recent weeks, due to outrage over killings of American citizens by federal immigration agents, and an incoherent foreign policy that has confused his Maga base and alienated most of our traditional allies.

A president who once swore to avoid forever wars is now deeply enmeshed in Iran, where a US flotilla is prepared to launch airstrikes, and in the Caribbean. His “Board of Peace” has failed to win over America’s closest allies, and threatens to degrade the United Nations and an international Pax Americana once created by Americans.

His tariff policy is deeply unpopular, among Republicans as well as Democrats, and there are signs of a “Trump slump” coming in, dragging down the economy. A recent report stated that the US has lost........

© The Guardian