GOP Holds Their Breath For Trump’s SOTU Address

The Associated Press reports:

No natural orator, President Donald Trump has nonetheless shown at times that he can deliver a powerful speech that effectively outlines his vision, strikes an emotional chord and moves commentators to declare that he, at last, looks presidential. And then the teleprompter gets turned off.

Time and again, Trump has followed up a well-received, stuck-to-the-script address with moments of wild indiscipline, quickly losing any momentum in a controversy of his own making. His first State of the Union address on Tuesday will be the biggest test yet of his ability to not just deliver a stately speech but also to then stay on track as the White House rolls out policies building on it.

“He has little message discipline,” said Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for President George W. Bush. “Virtually every time he moves the ball far down the field, he seems to derail himself with a tweet days later instead of building on the momentum.”

The above-linked piece goes on to recount the many times Trump has delivered a “normal” speech only to immediately ride the crazy train to cuckoo town by, for example, accusing Ted Cruz’s father of having a hand in JFK’s assassination.