But that answered none of the questions Republicans have about the plan, which was floated in October and November, but has frequently disappeared from public discussion of the president's agenda. It didn't move Democrats, either — they have preempted Trump's plan with their own.

Bush's 2001 speech came in a comparable context to Trump's — Bush had lost the popular vote, and his Republicans had lost seats in both houses of Congress. He used his maiden speech with Congress to pitch his tax cut plan, which he'd run on, and offered human examples of how lower-income people could benefit from the cuts.

“Steven is a network administrator for a school district. Josefina is a Spanish teacher at a charter school. And they have a 2-year-old daughter,” Bush said at one point. “Steven and Josefina tell me they pay almost $8,000 a year in federal income taxes. My plan will save them more than $2,000.”

Trump, like Bush, has a tax plan that would benefit people at the higher end of the income scale more than it would benefit the poor. But he didn't do much to sell it. “We will provide massive tax relief for the middle class,” he said, after pitching his corporate tax cut. “We must create a level playing field for American companies and workers.”

But it wasn't clear what “leveling” he was referencing. The border adjustment tax, which Republicans in the House want as part of an autumn tax reform package? Trump has alternately criticized that and embraced it. In Tuesday's speech, which gave him his biggest prime-time audience since the election, he didn't really tell Republicans what he favored.

The Obama and Bush speeches, which polled well at the time — higher than Trump's — gave Congress clear signals about what the White House was about to do. Trump's speech, which has been rapturously reviewed by the media, simply wasn't so clear. In the campaign, Trump succeeded beyond the worst nightmares of his opponents by remaining positive but unspecific about what he'd do with power. In office, he has continued that approach, leaning heavily on daily news sprays with business leaders and lawmakers that create an impression of constant action.

During the campaign, Republicans who did not want Trump to be their nominee justified supporting him on the theory that he would sign off on the actions of a conservative Congress. That's still their hope. And if Trump gets good reviews for his public presentation, he theoretically has running room to sign Republican bills.