State of the Union: What to look for from Donald Trump

US president Donald Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday evening.

While he spoke before Congress last February, it was not considered a State of the Union address since he had only just assumed office, although the format and pageantry were essentially the same.

Here are some of the things to look for when he stands up and speaks in Washington.

Which Donald Trump will show up?

A year ago Trump shocked most observers by giving a much more conciliatory speech than either his 'American Carnage' inaugural address or his raucous campaign rallies.

The following morning, basking in rare praise from the establishment, he tweeted "THANK YOU!"

Optimists noted that this was an example of the Oval Office changing the occupant — repeating history.

Yet days later, Trump made the extraordinary claim that Barack Obama had tapped his phones during the campaign, in a tweet that signalled the fleeting nature of the 'New Trump'.

One reason for the outburst was his anger that Jeff Sessions, his campaign adviser turned attorney-general, had recused himself from the Russia investigation, in a move that eventually led to the appointment of Robert Mueller as a special prosecutor.

How is the White House spinning the speech?

The White House sent out talking points to allies to help them frame the speech when they appear on television. According to the notes, Trump will recap his "record-setting accomplishments" by talking about everything from the tax reform that Congress passed in December to his efforts to deregulate the economy.

Kellyanne Conway, a White House aide, on Monday said he would give a "bipartisan, forward-looking speech that is positive in tone and content."

What policies will he try to sell?

Trump is expected to push the immigration plan that his team unveiled last week, which would pave a path to citizenship for 1.8 million 'dreamers' — people brought illegally to the US by their parents as children — in return for $25 billion (€20.2 billion) to build a wall on the US-Mexico border and other tougher border security measures.

He is also expected to tout a plan to invest $1 trillion in US infrastructure, but one of the unanswered questions remains how the White House will find the money to rebuild dilapidated roads and bridges.

Will he talk about trade?

The White House said Trump would talk about "fair and reciprocal trade," repeating a message he has delivered many times. But he is unlikely to point out that — when the data are compiled — the US trade deficit with China will have risen by about 10% under his watch.

While Trump recently launched some trade actions against China, one of the hallmarks of his first year is how little his team have accomplished in addressing trade issues from China to Japan to Europe.

What about the Russia investigation?

If there is one thing that sets Trump off, it is the Russia probe, which he has called a "witch hunt." He recently said he would agree to testify under oath if his lawyers agreed.

If Trump takes the advice of his lawyers on Tuesday, he will not talk about the investigation.

But some observers wonder whether he will go off script and repeat a version of the infamous words that Richard Nixon uttered in his 1974 State of the Union: "I believe the time has come to bring that investigation and the other investigations of this matter to an end. One year of Watergate is enough!"

Will foreign policy get a mention?

Trump is expected to address the threat from North Korea. Just before his inauguration, he tweeted that he would never allow Kim Jong Un, the North Korean dictator, to test an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Over the past year, however, Pyongyang has tested three ICBMs and conducted a sixth nuclear test.

One question is whether he will use his address to send a warning message to North Korea, which George W Bush described as a member of an "axis of evil" in his 2002 State of the Union a few months after the 9/11 terror attacks.

Does the State of the Union really matter?

Some sceptics question whether it even matters. After all, many of the proposals unveiled in the highly choreographed spectacle never see the light of day.

But David Caputo, a politics professor at Pace University, said it is still important because it provides a sense of the president’s legislative agenda and a gauge of how Congress will respond.

He added that there was also always the chance of dramatic surprises from Trump on the night.

"Will he say it is time to end the investigation, as Nixon called for an end to the Watergate inquiry? High risk, but possible," said Caputo.

"Tuesday night is important and provides another opportunity for presidential leadership to be on display. Whether it will be or not remains to be seen."