State of the Union: Trump hails ‘American comeback’

President Donald Trump has hailed the “great American comeback” in a speech to Congress on the eve of his expected acquittal in his impeachment trial.

At his annual State of the Union address, Mr Trump set out his case for another four years in office.

The president refrained from lashing out directly at the lawmakers who have attempted to remove him from office, though he did jab at Democrats.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up a copy of his speech behind him.

The Republican president delivered Tuesday night’s nationally televised speech in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, where he was impeached in December.

On the other side of the Capitol, the Republican-led Senate is all but certain on Wednesday to clear the president of corruption charges in a party-line vote.

Republican lawmakers chanted “four more years” as Mr Trump prepared to speak, urging him on for November’s White House election.

Before Mr Trump began speaking at the podium in the well of the House, he appeared to snub the outstretched hand of Mrs Pelosi, America’s most powerful elected Democrat.

The House speaker, critics noticed, skipped the traditional introduction welcoming the president as a “distinct honour”.

It was the first time Mr Trump had come face to face with his implacable political foe since she stormed out of a White House meeting four months ago.