The president's remarks previewed how he planned to defend himself as Democrats launch a flurry of investigations into his administration and personal finances.

"If there is going to be peace and legislation, there can not be war and investigation", he declared.

According to WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, the bullying began when Donald Trump announced his run for president in 2015.

"I don't take anything off the table", Trump told CBS' Face the Nation on february 3, referring to another government shutdown. The official declined to say whether Trump would declare a national emergency if Congress does not appear as though it will reach a bipartisan border security plan that includes wall funding.

Asked on Friday whether he would declare a national emergency during his speech, Trump said, "I don't want to say", and instead urged reporters to tune in to the speech. And tonight, the president will no doubt use his State of the Union address to reassure them that he hasn't given up on his promise of a U.S./Mexico border wall.

"I am asking you to defend our very risky southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country", he said. Trump has been teasing the meeting in recent weeks.

Trump and Kim's first summit garnered only a vaguely worded commitment by the North to denuclearize.

The president will specifically address the political standoff between Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido and President Nicolas Maduro.

When Mr Trump takes centre stage in the chamber of the House of Representatives for the big speech, sitting behind him over his shoulder will be his main congressional adversary, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who became House Speaker after her party won control of the chamber in November's elections.

Some Democrats have invited guests to the speech to highlight various causes, some at odds with Trump's policies, making a raucous atmosphere possible inside the House chamber.

In the audience will be several Democrats running to challenge Trump in 2020, including Sens. Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren?

Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams will deliver the Democratic response.

Speaking from Atlanta, Abrams calls the shutdown a political stunt that "defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values".

The address is also being used as a fundraising tool for the President's re-election campaign, soliciting input from supporters.

On the domestic front, Trump is expected to speak about the US's robust economy and job growth.

"He'll likely share his perspective on why the shutdown happened and what we need to do to make our country safer", Vicino said.

"The only thing that can stop it", he said, "are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations" - an apparent swipe at the special counsel investigation into ties between Russian Federation and Trump's 2016 campaign, as well as the upcoming congressional investigations.

On foreign policy, Trump reaffirmed his determination to get United States troops out of Afghanistan and Syria as quickly as possible.

-Diplomatic and military efforts and the president's desire to bring an end to "endless foreign wars".

US officials say the Islamic State group now controls less than 10 square kilometres (3.9 square miles) of territory in Syria, an area smaller than New York's Central Park. Several leading GOP lawmakers have sharply criticized his plans to withdraw from Syria, as well as from Afghanistan.

The president, according to a senior White House official, is expected to discuss immigration in his speech along with other topics seen as key parts of his agenda: middle-class American workers, improving infrastructure, lowering the cost of health care and prescription drugs, and national security. After Pelosi and the lawmakers made a decision to fly commercial instead, the Trump administration denied them military support and instructed them to get permission from Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House Chief of Staff. Pelosi called this a "complete violation of separation of powers".