To hear New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tell it, his Empire State is strong but threatened by a national mood he compared to a sea “as tempest-tossed as we have seen,” with “waves of anxiety, injustice and frustration . . . fanned by winds of anger and division, creating a political and social superstorm.”

His Jan. 8 State of the State address in Albany framed the state of the union under President Donald Trump as a disaster that would be far worse for New Yorkers if not for his state government.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo distributed a poster with a nautical theme after his State of the State address on Jan. 8.

Trump, in his State of the Union address before Congress on Feb. 4, will no doubt paint a different picture. But many governors around the country appear to be happy to contrast their self-proclaimed steady hands to the gyrations of the federal government.

Executives who have delivered speeches so far this year have often compared the shape of their states favorably to the federal government. Democrats, predictably, have been more likely to criticize Trump, but polarization and the perception of inaction at the federal level are popular targets for rhetorical punches.

While Democrats are more likely to make direct references to Trump, Republicans, too, seek to draw a contrast between their state governments and the Washington power structure.