Trump to Give State of the Union Address

Trump speaking before Congress.
This January, Donald Trump will address Congress during his first State of the Union Address.

How do you know how you are doing in school? Do you get a report card? Do your parents meet with your teachers? Now, how do you think a country knows how it’s doing?

Each year, the president gives a State of the Union Address. This is a time the president looks back on the past year. The president will highlight the country’s accomplishments. The president also talks about things he or she thinks need improvement. By doing this, the president hopes to build support for his or her agenda [a list of things the president wants to accomplish].

This year will be President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union Address. He has had a very controversial [something people argue about] first year. He needs to convince some people that he is doing a good job. He needs their support to make more changes.

After the president speaks, somebody from the opposing political party [a group of people in the government with similar aims and opinions] will give a response. This person, a Democratic Party, will argue that the country needs to go in a different direction. With these two viewpoints in mind, people will decide for themselves how they think the country is doing.

What Do You Think? What do you think is a good way to measure a nation’s progress?

Photo Credit: Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead