Trump tries conciliation in a deleterious political climate

In the face of the full-fledged Congress, US President Donald Trump landed a rally Tuesday, but political tensions in Washington, fueled by his inflamed comments on immigration, made the exercise perilous.

For this traditional speech on "the state of the Union", the tempestuous American president has increased the calls for compromise in a speech with a rather sober tone, with the exception of a long passage on security at the border with Mexico, concluded on the promise that the wall would be well and truly built.

"The program I'm going to present tonight is neither Republican nor Democrat, it's the American People's," he said, wearing his iconic red tie, in front of more than 500 elected officials, including many women. Democrats dressed in white, as a tribute to the centenary of the suffragette movement.

"Together, we can put an end to decades of political blockage, heal old wounds, build new coalitions," he added, sticking fairly closely to the text on teleprompters.

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