Donald Trump to deliver first State of the Union address tomorrow; Indian techie's widow among guests

Building on the theme of a safe, strong and proud America, President Donald Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address to Congress tomorrow, which among others would be attended by Sunayana Dumala, the widow of an Indian engineer who was shot dead in a hate crime.

The State of the Union address is a traditional annual speech of the US president to a joint session of the Congress where he gives an account of the situation in the country.

President Trump yesterday said he will focus largely on trade and immigration during his first speech.


"It's a big speech, an important speech, we covered immigration," Trump said. "We worked on it hard, covered a lot of territory, including our great success with the markets and with the tax cut."

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters that the theme of the address is, 'Building a safe, strong, and proud America,' which is exactly what the president has worked to do during his first year in office.

It will be must-watch TV, she said as she gave details of the guests who will be sitting in the First Lady's Box.

"Some of these individuals' stories are heroic, some are patriotic, others are tragic. But all of them represent the unbreakable American spirit, and will inspire our nation to continue growing stronger, prouder, and more prosperous," Sanders said.

Ahead of the event, several Democratic lawmakers have said that they will not be attending the address in protest of Trump's recent alleged comments on certain communities and countries. Trump and the White House have denied making those comments. Prominent among not to attend the State of the Union address include Indian-American Congresswomen Pramila Jayapal.