Donald Trump has reached out to his base of supporters with a State of the Union address that seemed more designed to bolster his chances in 2020 than act as the unifying occasion some in the White House suggested it would be.

Over the course of 65-minutes, the president doubled down stubbornly on some of his controversial policies and threw in some new suggestions – one of them in particular designed to appeal to evangelical Christians and conservatives. He offered just a handful of crumbs to those looking for something to pull the nation together at a time of uncertainty.

The president began with language that suggested he may indeed be seeking to appeal across party lines.

“The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American People,” he declared.

“In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed science, and redefined the middle class standard of living for the entire world to see. Now, we must step boldly and bravely into the next chapter of this great American adventure, and we must create a new standard of living for the 21st century.”

Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is “still considering” whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto O’Rourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he “has been thinking about running for presidency”, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege.” Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor– with a net worth of around $50bn – has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in “the next month or so” whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is “ready to do this” and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a “50 per cent” chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesn’t think he will run for president, but “never say never”. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

But his address very quickly turned into a defence of his administration’s most divisive policies, including his demand to build a border wall and to crack down on immigration.

Democrats, who now control the House of Representatives, have repeatedly refuse to provide him the $5.7bn he has demanded for a wall, and his refusal to compromise on the issue led to the biggest government shutdown in history, and another one is potentially just days away.

Despite this, while he stopped short of declaring a national emergency – one possible tactic that would secure him the money for a wall without funding from Congress - he termed illegal immigration “an urgent national crisis”. One commentator calculated he spent 17 minutes talking about immigration.

“In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall, but the proper wall never got built. I will get it built,” Mr Trump said. “So let’s work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe.”

He added: “My administration has sent to Congress a commonsense proposal to end the crisis on our southern Border. It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry. This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier — not just a simple concrete wall.”

The president, who revealed he will meet again with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this month in Vietnam, boasted of the strength of the economy, and the record low unemployment. He used that issue to attack the investigation being carried out by special counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election.

State of the Union: Stacey Abrams hits out at 'engineered shutdown' in Democrat response

“An economic miracle is taking place in the United States — and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn’t work that way,” he said.

In comments that appeared directed at evangelical Christians who have been such an important part of his base of supporters, he also said he would would push for legislation to end late-term abortions and protect babies “who can feel pain in the mother’s womb”.

“There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth,” said Mr Trump. “These are living, feeling, beautiful, babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world.”

He added: “I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother’s womb. Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children — born and unborn — are made in the holy image of God.”

The Democratic response was delivered by Stacey Abrams, who last November narrowly lost winning her attempt to become governor of Georgia. Had she done so, she would have been the first African American woman to hold such a position. As it was, on Tuesday night, she became the first black woman to deliver an official response to the State of the Union address.

In her remarks, she accused Mr Trump and other Republicans of abandoning working Americans and fomenting partisan discord.

Speaking from a union hall in Atlanta, Ms Abrams combined her party’s vision of a more unified society with her personal story as a black daughter of the Deep South.

“These were our family values: faith, service, education and responsibility,” she said, arguing for “this uncommon grace of community,” she said.