MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
President Trump is known for bringing a showman's flair to the presidency. Ahead of his address to a joint session of Congress tomorrow, NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith takes us back to Trump's first term and his last State of the Union address in February of 2020.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Before President Trump said a single word, the night was off to a contentious start. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reached out for a handshake, but Trump left her hanging. Soon, Republicans were chanting, four more years.
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UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) Four more years. Four more years. Four more...
KEITH: It was an election year, and Trump was both embattled and riding high. The next day, the Senate would vote to acquit Trump in his first impeachment. He never mentioned it, but impeachment hung over the chamber that night. Steven Groves was a deputy press secretary in the White House at the time.
STEVEN GROVES: There was no way to divorce the political realities of what President Trump was going through during that very time from the State of the Union speech.
KEITH: These addresses are usually pretty predictable - a recitation of accomplishments, an update on the economy and foreign affairs, with a few new proposals thrown in for good measure. What Trump unspooled over the next hour-plus was part reality TV, part game show and part "WWE SmackDown." Former Democratic Congresswoman Cheri Bustos was in the chamber that night.
CHERI BUSTOS: It was drama-filled. You never knew what was going to come out of the president's mouth. And, yeah, I mean, it was like a State of the Union like no other.
KEITH: There were the traditional guests in the first lady's box, but Trump added the element of surprise for a girl from Philadelphia.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: But, Janiyah, I have some good news for you.
KEITH: Trump handed out a scholarship to attend a private school.
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TRUMP: And you will soon be heading to the school of your choice.
KEITH: And there was an emotional tribute to conservative talk radio personality Rush Limbaugh, who had recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Again, Steven Groves.
GROVES: And the unspoken thing was this was likely to be the last State of the Union that Rush was going to be around for. He was that sick. And so that was the moment that everyone expected.
KEITH: What no one expected was what came next. Trump awarded Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom, right then and there.
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TRUMP: I will now ask the first lady of the United States to present you with the honor, please.
KEITH: He later recognized Amy Williams from Fort Bragg, North Carolina - a military spouse.
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TRUMP: Amy's kids haven't seen their father's face in many months.
KEITH: He thanked her for her family's service, and then came the made-for-TV reveal.
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TRUMP: But, Amy, there is one more thing. Tonight, we have a very special surprise. I am thrilled to inform you that your husband is back from deployment. He is here with us tonight, and we couldn't keep him waiting any longer.
KEITH: The family embraced as everyone in the chamber cheered.
DONNA HOFFMAN: The drama of it and the performance of it.
KEITH: Donna Hoffman is a political scientist at the University of Northern Iowa. Her specialty is the State of the Union - something she says should be a little bit boring. But she says Trump's approach is more performative.
HOFFMAN: It really is very much like a wild card. It has got the flavor of a State of the Union address, but then there's that added extra thing there of really kind of inserting that reality television aspect to it.
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TRUMP: And my fellow Americans, the best is yet to come. Thank you.
KEITH: And then in another made-for-TV moment, Nancy Pelosi, who had been seated behind Trump, picked up her printed copy of the remarks and theatrically ripped them in half. As Trump prepares to return to the chamber, Grove says the political dynamics are remarkably different.
GROVES: He is coming in in 2025 riding the wave of winning the popular vote and both the House and the Senate being in Republican hands.
KEITH: What might Trump's message be this time?
GROVES: Get on board or get out of the way.
KEITH: Bustos expects the unexpected.
BUSTOS: I think there will be more breaking of norms. I think he will continue to play to the cameras. Who knows what we'll see this time? But I'll give President Trump credit. He is not boring.
KEITH: The TV ratings for Trump's 2020 address were actually the lowest of his first term. But all those viral moments meant it had reach well beyond those who tuned in.
Tamara Keith, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MARVIN GAYE SONG, "CHAINED") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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