WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is preparing to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday night in Washington, as he faces some of the lowest polling numbers of either his first or second term.
Channel 2’s Richard Elliot was in Washington ahead of the president’s speech to Congress, where the state of Georgia was front and center on the president’s mind.
Immigration has always been a cornerstone of the Trump administration’s policies.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
On Monday, the president was joined by Allyson Phillips, the mother of Laken Riley, for a ceremony at the White House, to honor her daughter.
Riley was killed two years ago by Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, while she was on a jog near the University of Georgia campus.
Phillips praised Trump’s efforts on immigration while standing with the president, declaring Feb. 22 as Angel Family Day.
TRENDING STORIES:
- 2-time WNBA champion, former UGA player Kara Braxton dies in I-285 crash
- ICE ‘mega center’ facility in Social Circle part of $38.3 billion strategy, DHS tells city
- Measles case reported in Georgia
“Because if you’ve lived the nightmare we have lived, you understand the importance of the job that he’s doing and securing our nation and fighting for our families,” Phillips said.
The declaration came as Trump prepares for his very important State of the Union Address tomorrow night.
New polling shows the president is losing support across the board for his tariffs and for his economy.
Trump was in Rome last Thursday, claiming without evidence that he had won the issue of affordability.
“I’m going to make a State of the Union address on Tuesday,” Trump said in Georgia. “I hope you’re goin to watch. And we’re going to be talking about it. But you don’t hear the world ‘affordability.’”
In Washington, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act last year, the first bill he signed after being reelected President of the United States.
But since then, images of ICE crackdowns, protests and the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens have led to falling polling numbers and more criticisms.
Even in Georgia, the towns of Social Circle and Oakwood are opposing newly planned ICE detention centers being developed there.
Trump is trying to regain his momentum on the issue of immigration.
“If we didn’t win the election, our nation would right now be destroyed,” Trump said. “But under the Trump administration, their suffering is forgotten no longer.”
Channel 2 Action News reached out to the Georgia Congressional Delegation to get their thoughts on the upcoming State of the Union address but it’s been snowing in Washington and some haven’t arrived yet.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
