President Donald Trump gave the first State of the Union-style address of his second presidential term on Tuesday night, and the objective was clear: Remind the people why they voted for him on Nov. 5. Overall, he succeeded.

Setting aside my usual grievances with these acts of political theater — including the breathless partisanship, endless moments of either applause or sulking derision, and the whopping two-hour run time — Trump’s speech gave an insight into the strategy of the president and his team: Leverage every issue that won him the election in order to run cover for the one issue that the vast majority of people care about the most: the economy.

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Have you ever heard of a “compliment sandwich,” the feedback technique that supposedly lessens the blow of negative criticism by bookending the criticism with positive feedback at the beginning and end, where the meat is the negative, and the bread is the positive? (I’ve often thought that this is the wrong way around since I’d trade in two slices of bread for one serving of meat without a second thought.) Well, last night’s speech was the ultimate policy version of a compliment sandwich.

First, the positive. Trump’s address felt like a rhetorical version of the first few weeks of his administration: a sheer onslaught of executive actions and promises for the future, providing a comprehensive (and deliberately overwhelming) play-by-play of every one of his actions, while Democrats in the audience looked on in horror, politically castrated by Trump’s trademark style, left to stand fecklessly with their adorable homemade protest signs, well-practiced scowls, and loosely coordinated pink jackets.

Only Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was actually combative, and he was quickly removed from the House chamber after disrupting the speech early on, sparking cheers and jeers among his Republican opponents, followed by multiple sharp jabs targeting former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren (D-MA), and the entire Democratic Party, thrown by the president himself.

Trump also played to another of his political strengths: emotion. He spoke directly to the families of 22-year-old Laken Riley and 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who were both brutally murdered by illegal immigrants. He celebrated the bravery of border patrol agent Roberto Ortiz. He paid tribute to New York police officer Jonathan Diller, who was murdered while on duty in Queens.

And he even promoted D.J. Daniel, a 13-year-old boy who has been battling terminal brain cancer since 2018 and who dreams of a life in law enforcement, to be an agent of the United States Secret Service. As his father held D.J. aloft, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, at least for those with the necessary emotional capability.

Meanwhile, Trump also continued his usual routine of guaranteeing more for the country, promising that “the golden age of America has only just begun,” with more than a few Trumpisms thrown in to elevate his administration’s achievements since Jan. 20.

But then, we must note that there was a negative filling of the compliment sandwich: the economy. Because while his administration has been objectively successful in the battle against diversity, equity, and inclusion and wokeness, in the fight against illegal immigration, and, depending on your foreign policy leanings, on the world stage, the problem that matters most to the public still hangs in the balance. And it’s obvious that Trump understands this, or at the very least, he understands that the country is not yet sold on Trump’s second economy.

While Trump lauded the “beautiful” tariffs that are sowing chaos in world markets, he not only walked back earlier policies by framing them as “reciprocal,” but he openly acknowledged that his tariffs could hurt before they (supposedly) help. Trump, famous for his bravado, his hyperbole, and his shameless ability to self-promote, admitted that there “may be a little bit of an adjustment period” in the aftermath of agricultural tariffs and that there will be “a little disturbance” before tariffs make America rich, protect our jobs, and protect our nation’s soul.

SEVEN TAKEAWAYS FROM TRUMP’S COMBATIVE JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

That’s the closest you’ll ever get to a preemptive apology from Trump. Soak it in.

In an objective world that cares about more than just politics, this speech would have been dedicated to the one problem that will, whether people like it or not, define Trump’s second term in office: the economy. But thanks to Trump’s successes elsewhere, his skill in this environment, and, yes, the foolishness of Democrats, many of whom didn’t even applaud for a child suffering terminal cancer, his compliment sandwich might just have worked. At least for now.

Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist, speaker, and podcast host. You can find him on Substack and follow him on X at @ighaworth.