LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Republican strategist Mike Ricci is with us now. He was a speechwriter for two former Republican House speakers - John Boehner and Paul Ryan. And who better to talk about the possible impact of the State of the Union address tonight than a speechwriter? Mike, good morning, and welcome back to the program.
MIKE RICCI: Leila, great to be with you.
FADEL: So how high are the stakes as the president goes into his speech with all that's going on, from tariffs to immigration to possible conflict with Iran?
RICCI: It is, in my view, the most momentous speech he's given as president because the things that he has so personally identified with that you just mentioned - tariffs is his policy. He's been sitting at the Resolute desk adjusting these tariffs personally for the last year, seeking peace, making himself - you know, casting himself as the peace president on the eve of potential war with Iran. Immigration. These are not just policies of his party. These are things that he has so personally tied to himself and his legacy. So his ability to land those things tonight, especially with the Republicans in the chamber, at such a perilous moment, it really does raise the stakes for sure.
FADEL: You know, we just heard some of the concerns voters have going into tonight's State of the Union address, including about the economy, immigration.
RICCI: Yeah.
FADEL: And two of those voters voted for Trump. Do you anticipate President Trump will use his State of the Union address to soothe worries like theirs tonight?
RICCI: In a 51-49 country, it's hard to see, especially with this president, a, you know, 60-40, 70-30 speech that tries to speak to a broad swath of the country. I think it will try to get - again, get the Republicans in the chamber energized, get the base energized, especially if he goes into things like voter ID that have been in the news in recent weeks. I do think he will certainly try to, you know, as we say, hit a reset button. But I don't expect it to be, you know, a bigger picture, try to reach out broadly to independents kind of speech. That's just not been the White House's MO from the beginning.
FADEL: So are you saying you don't expect, like, a unifying speech?
RICCI: Well, I think the thing is, Leila, like, the backdrop is unifying, right? You have the 250th anniversary of the country. You're just coming off the Olympics. So you can certainly see a vision of the speech where it's about peace and prosperity and American greatness and our history. So you could hear some of the language of unity, but will it feel unifying, especially with Democrats in the chamber protesting and walking out? It's just harder to see that because the president always in these situations wants to create moments, as every president does. And those moments may not be as unifying, but there certainly is no shortage of material around which to build those themes. Absolutely.
FADEL: Now, Trump is known for going off message during speeches, right? What would you...
RICCI: Right.
FADEL: ...Advise him to focus on tonight to win over persuadable voters? I mean, his...
RICCI: Right.
FADEL: ...Poll numbers are slipping as he goes into this address.
RICCI: Well, I think his team is probably trying to sell him on, you know, these are the things that you need to land. Speak to the country in the second person. I'm fighting for you. I want to see a - you know, portray it. I want a level playing field for you after decades and decades of being taken advantage of. I want peace for your family. I want safer streets for you. There's certainly those moments. And, you know, you obviously go in expecting that he'll go off script, and who - you know, who knows what'll happen? But you're certainly trying to sell him on, you know, think about how people will receive - how well they'll receive this, how much it'll, you know, make Democrats' heads explode. You know, you're not so much trying to sell him on the words and the announcements as you are kind of the headline moments, the big picture. But, you know, definitely, obviously, trying to connect with the country and, again, tying it to all these, you know, patriotic themes going on around us.
FADEL: The November midterms are just over eight months away. How does a State of the Union speech in February factor into election outcomes?
RICCI: From a party perspective, it is an opportunity to try to road test some themes, especially if he gets into trying to reclaim health care as an issue, especially tying it to affordability. There's a lot of concern that this midterm will become, especially locally, more and more about data centers and AI. So maybe an opportunity to make some news and on an issue that Americans are not paying attention to maybe as broadly. So you're certainly trying to - and, you know, there's polls that the White House is probably working off of and focus groups. So you might see in there some kernels of things they're road testing, trying to sell their candidates on. But I think that when you see those laundry lists of economic proposals, I think that's where you start to see, you know, are these things that we can build a midterm campaign around and make a contrast with the Democrats in the chamber? And that's another huge important piece here.
FADEL: Republican strategist and speechwriter Mike Ricci. Thank you so much for your time and your insights.
RICCI: Thank you, Leila.
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