is a longstanding, annual ritual here in washington, the president's state of the union address before a joint session of congress. just moments from now, president trump will be announced and enter the house chamber. >> and the president is walking into a room bitterly divided by party. one branch of congress having impeached him, the other about to acquit him in a vote expected tomorrow. and of course, this is all happening in an election year. the democrats' iowa caucus results still coming in tonight. that was marred by chaos and controversy, but tonight is donald trump's night as he looks to seize the spotlight and make his case to the country. >> think about it, less than two months ago he was impeached in that very chamber. joining us here, moderator of "meet the press," chuck todd and senior washington correspondent andrea mitchell. good to have both of you here. chuck, let me start with you. we attended an anchors' luncheon, if you will, with the president, off the record, so we won't talk about specifics, but his mood to me seemed rather calm for a guy who's been through what he's been through. >> i felt like he was trying to leave the impression that, hey, this impeachment, i'm not happy about it, but i'm not going to let it drag me down, and he certainly seems to indicate that he isn't going to make it a big part of this speech. one thing that i think will feel familiar to election year states of the union, is like any other president in a state of the union, knowing his opponents are on the trail, i think in this state of the union -- and he seemed to indicate this -- is going to feel more about what he believes he's done and less the, here's the bunch of things i'd like to get done this year, not to say there won't be a few things like that. but there's a realism here that it's an election year, it's a really bitter washington. nancy pelosi and donald trump getting together to do legislation's probably not something we're going to see this calendar year. >> -- for him to make the case for four more years, you can never forget an election year. >> that's a better way to use it. >> and what a year makes. one year ago, the government had shut down, the democrats had just taken over the house, and what a difference, andrea, the president walking into such a different political circumstance, now about to survive impeachment. >> and in fact, with nancy pelosi right behind him in that stark white, a number of democratic congresswomen wearing white to represent women's rights and suffrage. >> madam speaker, the president of the united states! [ cheers and applause ] >> now, this is one of the rituals that people really enjoy, where the president walks in the chamber and you start to see him shaking hands, people along the aisles, and you'll start to see a who's who of washington, the supreme court justices. many of them will be there. of course, members of congress. you just saw the shot of first lady melania trump. andrea, you wanted to say? >> well, a number of republicans have lined up early to try to save seats. they're not supposed to save seats, but they want to be there in the aisle to shake hands and be seen with the president there walking in. and saying there is a contest between nancy pelosi, who will be right behind him, in a very studied way -- she has said earlier today, he is a guest in their house and he'll be treated that way. >> she was just standing and applauding, okay? so, for all the -- we just showed her there, standing and applauding -- for all the bitterness we know is there. and we spent time with speaker pelosi. that's on the record and she doesn't have a lot to say about impeachment, does she? >> she shut it down. as soon as that question came up, basically one question, one answer, and she's ready to move on. >> looks like she's trying to find what the post-impeachment democratic agenda's going to look like. >> john roberts is there, the chief justice who is presiding over the impeachment trial, will be there tomorrow when the verdict -- >> i believe justice rehnquist didn't attend when we had a similar situation in 1999 when president clinton was in the middle of an impeachment trial and he had to do his state unfortunate union address, but chief justiiustice roberts is t >> kasie hunt is on the floor. we can't see her, but we can hear her. what's the vibe down there? >> reporter: lester, it's interesting. i'm just above where the president was walking on, shook hands with chief justice john roberts, now stopping to bask in tears from republicans. notably, adam schiff, leading the impeachment case against him, did not clap when the president walked into the room. >> the president handing his speech to the vice president. he is, of course, the ceremonial president of the senate and the speaker of the house. >> rush limbaugh -- >> he told us that he was hoping that he would be a guest tonight. looks on, official guest of the president tonight. >> diagnosed with lung cancer, made that announcement just a few days ago. >> stage four, a rather serious diagnosis. he acknowledged, quite emotional with his listeners. >> the president's spent a good five to ten minutes of talking about rush limbaugh at the anchor lunch today. >> members of congress, the president of the united states. [ cheers and applause ] >> well, this usually unleashes another bout of applause in the chamber and gives us a moment to go to hallie jackson on capitol hill, who also covers the white house for us. hallie, what do you know about the tone the president is expected to strike in this speech, whether the "i" word, impeachment, is likely to come up? >> reporter: likely not to come up, savannah, from what we're told from multiple sources, as you hear republicans cheering. this is not going to be a campaign rally speech. the president will instead focus on his vision for the country. >> thank you very much. madam speaker, mr. vice president, members of congress, the first lady of the united states. [ cheers and applause ] and my fellow citizens. three years ago, we launched the great american comeback. tonight i stand before you to share the incredible results. jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging, and our country is thriving and highly respected again. america's enemies are on the run. america's fortunes are on the rise. and america's future is blazing bright. the years of economic decay are over. the days of our country being used, taken advantage of, and even scorned by other nations are long behind us. gone, too, are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes and constant excuses for the depletion of american wealth, power, and presti prestige. in just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of american decline and we have rejected the downsizing of americans' destiny. we have totally rejected the downsizing. we are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never, ever going back. i am thrilled to report to you tonight that our economy is the best it has ever been. our military is completely rebuilt with its power being unmatched anywhere in the world, and it's not even close. our borders are secure. our families are flourishing. our values are renewed. our pride is restored. and for all of these reasons, i say to the people of our great country and to the members of congress, the state of our union is stronger than ever before. the vision i will lay out this evening demonstrates how we are building the world's most prosperous and inclusive society, one where every citizen can join in america's unparalleled success and where every community can take part in america's extraordinary rise. from the instant i took office, i moved rapidly to revive the u.s. economy, slashing a record number of job-killing regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements. [ applause ] our agenda is relentlessly pro worker, pro family, pro growth, and most of all, pro american. [ applause ] thank you. we are advancing with unbridled optimism and lifting our citizens of every race, color, religion and creed very, very high. since my election, we have created 7 million new jobs, 5 million more than government experts projected during the previous administration. [ applause ] the unemployment rate is the lowest in over half a century. and very incredibly, the average unemployment rate under my administration is lower than any administration in the history of our country. if we hadn't reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witnessing this great economic success. the unemployment rate for african-americans, hispanic-americans, and asian-americans has reached the lowest levels in history. african-american youth unemployment has reached an all-time low. african-american poverty has declined to the lowest rate ever recorded. the unemployment rate for women reached the lowest level in almost 70 years, and last year, women filled 72% of all new jobs added. the veterans' unemployment rate dropped to a record low. the unemployment rate for disabled americans has reached an all-time low. workers without a high school diploma have achieved the lowest unemployment rate recorded in u.s. history. a record number of young americans are now employed. under the last administration, more than 10 million people were added to the food stamp rolls. under my administration, 7 million americans have come off food stamps, and 10 million people have been lifted off of welfare. [ cheers and applause ] in eight years under the last administration, over 300,000 working-age people dropped out of the workforce. in just three years of my administration, 3.5 million people, working-age people, have joined the workforce. since my election, the net worth of the bottom half of wage-earners has increased by 47%, three times faster than the increase for the top 1%. after decades of flat and falling incomes, wages are rising fast, and wonderfully, they are rising fastest for low-income workers who have seen a 16% pay increase since my election. this is a blue-collar boom. real median household income is now at the highest level ever recorded. since my election, u.s. stock markets have soared 70%, adding more than $12 trillion to our nation's wealth, transcending anything anyone believed is possible. this is a record. it is something that every country in the world is looking up to. they admire. consumer confidence has just reached amazing, new highs. all of those millions of people with 401(k)s and pensions are doing far better than they have ever done before with increases of 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% and even more. jobs and investments are pouring in to 9,000 previously neglected neighborhoods, thanks to opportunity zones, a plan spearheaded by senator tim scott as part of our great republican tax cuts. in other words, wealthy people in companies are pouring money into poor neighborhoods or areas that haven't seen investment in many decades, creating jobs, energy, and excitement. this is the first time that these deserving communities have seen anything like this. it's all working. opportunity zones are helping americans like army veteran tony rankins from cincinnati, ohio. after struggling with drug addiction, tony lost his job, his house, and his family. he was homeless, but then tony found a construction company that invests in opportunity zones. he is now a top tradesman, drug-free, reunited with his family, and he is here tonight. tony, keep up the great work. tony. [ cheers and applause ] thank you, tony. our roaring economy has for the first time ever given many former prisoners the ability to get a great job and a fresh start. this second chance at life is made possible because we passed landmark criminal justice reform into law. everybody said that criminal justice reform couldn't be done, but i got it done, and the people in this room got it done. thanks to our bold regulatory reduction campaign, the united states has become the number one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere in the world, by far. with the tremendous progress we have made over the past three years, america is now energy-independent and energy jobs like so many other elements of our country are at a record high. we are doing numbers that no one would have thought possible just three years ago. likewise, we are restoring our nation's manufacturing might, even though predictions were, as you all know, that this could never, ever be done. after losing 60,000 factories under the previous two administrations, america has now gained 12,000 new factories under my administration with thousands upon thousands of plants and factories being planned or being built. companies are not leaving, they are coming back to the usa. the fact is that everybody wants to be where the action is, and the united states of america is indeed the place where the action is. one of the biggest promises i made to the american people was to replace the disastrous nafta trade deal. in fact, unfair trade is perhaps the single biggest reason that i decided to run for president. following nafta's adoption, our nation lost one in four manufacturing jobs. many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace nafta, only to do so and then absolutely nothing happened. but unlike so many who came before me, i keep my promises. we did our job. six days ago, i replaced nafta and signed the brand-new u.s./mexico/canada agreement into law. the usmca will create nearly 100,000 new high-paying american auto jobs and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers, and factory workers. it will also bring trade with mexico and canada to a much higher level, but also to be a much greater degree of fairness and reciprocity, we will have that, fairness and reciprocity, and i say that, finally, because it's been many, many years that we were treated fairly on trade. this is the first major trade deal in many years to earn the strong backing of america's labor unions. i also promised our citizens that i would impose tariffs to confront china's massive theft of america's jobs. our strategy has worked. days ago, we signed a groundbreaking, new agreement with china that will defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions and billions of dollars into our treasury and open vast, new markets for products made and grown right here in the usa. [ applause ] for decades, china has taken advantage of the united states. now we have changed that. but at the same time, we have perhaps the best relationship we've ever had with china, including with president xi. they respect what we've done, because quite frankly, they could never really believe that they were able to get away with what they were doing year after year, decade after decade, without someone in our country stepping up and saying, "that's enough." now we want to rebuild our country, and that's exactly what we're doing. we are rebuilding our country. as we restore american leadership throughout the world, we are once again standing up for freedom in our hemisphere. that's why my administration reversed the failing policies of the previous administration on cuba. we are supporting the hopes of cubans, nicaraguans and venezuelans to restore democracy. the united states is leading a 59-nation diplomatic coalition against the socialist dictator of venezuela, nicolas maduro. maduro is an illegitimate ruler, a tyrant who brutalizes his people, but maduro's grip on tyranny will be smashed and broken. here this evening is a very brave man who carries with him the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of all venezuelans. joining us in the gallery is the true and legitimate president of venezuela, juan guaido. mr. president, please take this message back. [ applause ] thank you, mr. president. great honor. thank you very much. pleads take this message back, that all americans are united with the venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom. thank you very much, mr. president. thank you very much. socialism destroys nations, but always remember, freedom unifies the soul. to safeguard american liberty, we have invested a record-breaking $2.2 trillion in the united states military. we have purchased the finest planes, missiles, rockets, ships, and every other form of military equipment, and it's all made right here in the usa. we are also getting our allies, finally, to help pay their fair share. i have raised contributions from other nato members by more than $400 billion and the number of allies meeting their minimum obligations has more than doubled. and just weeks ago, for the first time since president truman established the air force, more than 70 years earlier, we created a brand-new branch of the united states armed forces. it's called the space force. very important. in the gallery tonight, we have a young gentleman. and what he wants so badly -- 13 years old -- iain lanphier is an eighth grader from arizona. iain, please stand up. he has dreamt of going to space. he is the first in his class and youngest at an aviation academy. he aspires to go to the air force academy, and then he has his eye on the space force. as iain says, most people look up at space, i want to look down on the world. [ applause ] but sitting behind iain tonight is his greatest hero of them all, charles mcgee was born in cleveland, ohio, one century ago. charles is one of the last surviving tuskegee airmen, the first black fighter pilots, and he also happens to be iain's great grandfather. [ cheers and applause ] incredible story. after more than 130 combat missions in world war ii, he came back home to a country still struggling for civil rights and went on to serve america in korea and vietnam. on december 7th, charles celebrated his 100th birthday. [ applause ] a few weeks ago, i signed a bill promoting charles mcgee to brigadier general. and earlier today, i pinned the stars on his shoulders in the oval office. general mcgee, our nation salutes you. thank you, sir. [ cheers and applause ] from the pilgrims to the founders, from the soldiers at valley forge to the marchers at selma, and from president lincoln to the reverend martin luther king, americans have always rejected limits on our children's future. members of congress, we must never forget that the only victories that matter in washington are victories that deliver for the american people. [ applause ] the people are the heart of our country. their dreams are the soul of our country. and their love is what powers and sustains our country. we must always remember that our job is to put america first. the next step forward in building an inclusive society is making sure that every young american gets a great education and the opportunity to achieve the american dream. yet, for too long, countless american children have been trapped in failing government schools. to rescue these students, 18 states have created school choice in the form of opportunity scholarships. the programs are so popular that tens of thousands of students remain on a waiting list. one of those students is janiyah davis, a fourth grader from philadelphia. janiyah. [ applause ] janiyah's mom, stephanie, is a single parent. she would do anything to give her daughter a better future, but last year, that future was put further out of reach when pennsylvania's governor vetoed legislation to expand school choice to 50,000 children. janiyah and stephanie are in the gallery. stephanie, thank you so much for being here with your beautiful daughter. thank you very much. [ applause ] but janiyah, i have some good news for you, because i am pleased to inform you that your long wait is over. i can proudly announce tonight that an opportunity scholarship has become available. it is going to you, and you will