President Trump's State of the Union address is getting rave reviews, with many of his supporters and pundits calling it his best speech and one of the best State of the Union speeches ever. But it remains to be seen if that will be enough to change the narrative surrounding the midterm elections, which has favored the Democrats for months now. Veteran political strategist and Fox News contributor Doug Schoen doesn't think so. In a new column, he calls Trump's speech "a great performance" with "profound messages." But Schoen adds, "A significant challenge remains: I don't believe many minds were changed, nor were Americans brought together."
Unity certainly wasn't a big theme of Trump's fiery speech, in which he repeatedly called out Democrats for their radical and failed policies, and exposed their true colors by challenging them to stand in support of American citizens over illegal aliens (nearly all Dems stayed seated.) If nothing else, the speech at least fired up Trump's base. "I think this will give a boost to Republican candidates, maybe help with fundraising and energize some volunteers," says Jeff Crouere, political analyst and host. "There's been an enthusiasm gap---Democrats have been the ones on fire and winning all of these special elections---so this, I think, can help motivate the Republican base."
Motivating the Republican base in an off-year when Trump isn't on the ballot has proved a challenge for the GOP, so that would be a victory by itself. "We've got a long way to go, and (Republicans) certainly have to get out there with their messaging," says Crouere. "And even though he's not on the ballot, I think President Trump is going to play a big role in the midterms...he's going to be traveling all over the country and making this midterm sort of a referendum on him, which will give Republicans a better chance."
"Saying all of that, still the number one issue will be the economy-slash-affordability," he continues. "And right now, there's still a disconnect between what Republicans are saying and what voters are feeling, and they've got to break through that."
Photo: Getty Images North America